Australian actor and director Deborra-Lee Furness has responded to allegations that her ex-husband, Hugh Jackman, cheated on her with theater star Sutton Foster.
Jackman and Foster were married to their respective partners when they began workshopping Jerry Zaks' Broadway revival of The Music Man on Broadway in March 2020. The costars then took on the roles of Harold Hill and Marian Paroo, with the show running from February 2022 to January 2023.
Furness and Jackman announced their split in September 2023 after 27 years of marriage and Foster filed for uncontested divorce from her husband of 10 years, screenwriter Ted Griffin, in October 2024. Rumors have been circulating about the nature of the two Broadway stars' relationship, and now Furness has fuelled speculation regarding her ex-husband's alleged affair by "liking" a post on Instagram via her private account. As her account is locked, only those who follow her can see her activity.
Newsweek emailed spokespeople for Furness, Jackman and Foster for comment on Friday outside of normal business hours.
According to Us Weekly, Furness "liked" a video by gossip blogger Tasha Lustig on October 26.
In the post on Instagram, Lustig showed a photo of The Music Man costars on a red carpet together as she said: "Besties, do y'all remember when I told you this man was up to no good? That he blindsided his wife and he was running off with his mistress? It seems they want to soft launch this now."
Lustig went on to say that Furness "pretty much" gave Jackman her "entire life and career" and grew worried when her husband and Sutton started starring on Broadway together, claiming that Jackman was "supposedly obsessed with Sutton."
The gossip blogger also questioned whether Foster was scared of "karma" before adding: "We know our girl Deborra, she's going to have a glow up, she's going to do just fine."
Newsweek hasn't been able to confirm that Furness liked the post.
At the time of writing, the video had been viewed more than 1.4 million times, with one of those views allegedly belonging to Furness. British media personality Amanda de Cadenet, who is reportedly a close friend, has also seen the clip.
She seemingly confirmed the rumors, writing: "You are on point with this one. My beloved friend Deb is about to have her glow up any moment fyi [for your information]!"
During a conversation with Vogue that was published in June 2022, Foster sang Jackman's praises and said the two of them had become close friends on set.
"He has an impeccable reputation of being the hardest working man, incredibly kind, and generous—and all of that is true. He disarms everyone, and he doesn't make anything about him," she explained.
"And he's now become one of my best friends, which was a surprise, because you usually go into these things thinking, 'Well, I hope we get along.' But we just spent Memorial Day with our families. It's really fun to meet new friends after 40."
Foster also shared a post to Instagram in February of that year, which included two photos of her and Jackman on a red carpet together promoting their Broadway show.
"This man. An honor to be by your side. You. Are. The. BEST," she captioned the post.
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