Celebrity Wives That Cheated On Their Husbands With Hunky Young Men
As much as we'd like them to, not all love stories can end with a happily ever after. In fact, according to recent data, roughly 40 to 50 percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce. Needless to say, that is quite a lot of love stories without happily ever afters. And, among celebrity couples, those odds often seem to be stacked even higher against the lovebirds.
Even so, celebrity divorces still have plenty in common with the breakups of the normal masses. Sometimes they end in a very mature, mutual fashion. Sometimes they even go so far as to qualify as a "conscious uncoupling." Other times, they're...well, less mature and less mutual, like in the case of infidelity. Many people immediately think of a stereotypical cheating husband when the big "I" word comes up in a marriage, but women can be guilty, too.
Every now and again, a famous person's extramarital dalliance leads to a new longterm relationship. Other times, the affair creates a big drama mess for all parties. There are many rumored liaisons that have never been confirmed by the individuals, but some public figures have been remarkably forthright about their indiscretions. Suffice to say, no two celebrity affairs are exactly alike. Here are nine famous wives who cheated on their husbands with hunky, young men.
Kris Jenner opened up about her affair in her memoir
Kris Jenner's marriage to Robert Kardashian brought the world the Kardashian empire as we know it—specifically, in the form of Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian. The union was far from perfect though, and Kris has admitted to being less-than-faithful during the marriage. In her 2011 memoir, Kris Jenner ... and All Things Kardashian, Jenner confessed to cheating on Robert with a soccer player, eventually revealed to be Todd Waterman.
In a 2018 OBJECTified interview, Jenner admitted she's not proud of the affair. "When I look back on it now, probably one of my biggest regrets in my life is that that marriage fell apart," she said, according to People. Jenner added that it was difficult for her when her husband learned about the affair and eventually filed for divorce. "Because it made it real," she says. "Like, you think you're going to come through this period — that was really hard for me."
According to Waterman, the affair was the real deal though. "The love swept us away," he told the Daily Mail in 2012. "We made our own different reality. It was special, it was a little crazy, a little wild—we didn't exercise caution or self-restraint. I think we were both very much in love."
Morena Baccarin connected with her Gotham co-star
When Morena Baccarin announced she was getting divorced from her husband, Austin Chick, it's fair to assume her relationship with Gotham co-star Ben McKenzie was at least a contributing factor. In fact, she was actually already pregnant with McKenzie's child. In legal documents, Chick claims Baccarin told him she was three and a half months pregnant at a point that made it clear the child wasn't his. "This places the moment of conception right in the first week of June, 2015, the time she was telling me she wanted to work on our marriage and well before we stopped sharing a bed," he wrote, according to documents obtained by TMZ. The outlet also pointed out that in the legal docs, Baccarin claimed they discussed separating in March 2015.
The relationship reportedly came as a surprise to Chick. "Austin was totally shocked when he found out about the affair," a source told ET. "Totally blindsided. When Morena left him for Ben, Austin was devastated." Baccarin and McKenzie welcomed their daughter in March 2016 and eventually wed in June 2017.
Meg Ryan's marriage was already 'broken'
In the '80s and '90s, Meg Ryan was America's sweetheart. She was also married to all-American favorite Dennis Quaid. So, when she and Quaid split in 1999 amid news that she had an affair with her Proof of Life co-star—a young, dreamy Russell Crowe—public opinion of the bubbly actor shifted in a big way. "So this is what it feels like to be the Scarlet Woman," Ryan told W (via E!) in 2000. "I'm having that experience now!" She insisted at the time that no third party played a role in the breakdown of her marriage to Quaid. "It dissolved before it became sport for the press," she said. "The reasons we broke up have nothing to do with another person...the reasons we broke up have nothing to do with another person. My marriage was broken—nobody else broke it up. That's true. I know it to be true, and Dennis knows it to be true. What anybody else thinks, I have no control over."
In a 2008 interview with InStyle, Ryan opened up about the scandal again, this time going back on her earlier comments about Quaid's fidelity. "It was a great story," she said of the gossip version of her divorce. "But what wasn't in the story was the reality of my marriage for nine years. Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful. I found out more about that once I was divorced."
Alex Rodriguez apparently called Madonna his 'soulmate'
In 2008, Madonna and former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez dominated the gossip headlines thanks to their much-speculated affair. In July of that year, A-Rod's then-wife, Cynthia Scurtis, left the athlete and reportedly divulged to a friend that she found letters in which her husband described Madonna, 17 years his senior, as his "soulmate." "I feel like Madonna is using mind control over him," Scurtis reportedly told a friend, according to the New York Daily News. "I don't recognize the man he's become. He was a sweet, beautiful, loving husband and father. Today he's very cold and calculating."
That week, Scurtis' lawyer, Earle Lilly, explained to People that Madonna and A-Rod's rumored affair should be considered a relationship—even if it wasn't physical. "Some people categorize an affair as something as sexual infidelity," Lilly said. "We're not claiming that. It's an affair of the heart."
Although Madonna vehemently denied the rumors, her marriage to director Guy Ritchie ended in October 2008. The following month, A-Rod was spotted supporting her during a concert, which fueled rumors the two were dating. When People asked A-Rod about Madge in December 2008, he said "We're friends – that's it."
Princess Diana and Prince Charles' marriage was 'crowded'
When it comes to celebrity cheating scandals, few (if any, honestly) could ever hope to top the one that rocked the British royal family in the '90s. By the time Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially called it quits in 1996, both had admitted to infidelity during the marriage. In a 1994 documentary, Charles 'fessed to his affair with his longtime love (and now-wife) Camilla Parker-Bowles. When asked if he had been "faithful and honorable" in his marriage to Diana, he answered yes before pausing and adding, "Until it became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried."
A year later, Diana sat down for her now-infamous tell-all on BBC's Panorama, in which she opened up about the infidelity on both sides of the marriage. "There wecre three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," she said, referencing her husband's affair. When asked if she was unfaithful herself, Diana replied, "Yes. I was in love with him. But I was very let down." And, when the interviewer asked if her "close friendship" with rumored paramour James Hewitt had ever become more than just a friendship, Diana admitted (via UPI), "Yes it did. I adored him. I was in love with him."
Anne Heche fell for someone while making 'Men In Trees'
Anne Heche was married to Coleman Laffoon when she started hooking up with her Men in Trees co-star James Tupper in 2006. Laffoon filed for divorce when the affair went public, and Heche and Tupper continued their relationship, welcoming a son together in 2009. In 2011, Heche told The Telegraph that she was "eternally engaged" to Tupper. "I've already said yes. When I'm 60 I'm happy to walk down the aisle," she said. "I've been married before and so has he. I don't know what either of us would gain or what would change that would benefit us." As for the unconventional start of their relationship, Heche cheekily told The Telegraph, "Where else do you meet people except in your workplace?" She added, "I'm not a person who goes out to bars...We thank our lucky stars for that show because now we have our beautiful son."
Heche and Tupper split in 2018. "James and I have shared a great life together and have many wonderful memories. We've enjoyed working together, most recently on The Brave, where he joins us for our two mind-bending finale episodes," the couple told People in a joint statement at the time. "Relationships change and grow; we're taking time for that. We care very much for each other and plan to continue raising our two beautiful boys in love and harmony. Thank you for allowing us privacy as our family evolves."
LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian's affair was a tabloid staple
In 2009, the gossip cycle was dominated by LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian's affair. Both were married to other people when they met on the set of their Lifetime movie, Northern Lights. When news of the dalliance went public, Rimes' then-husband, former backup dancer Dean Sheremet, filed for divorce. Cibrian's wife, Brandi Glanville, also filed for divorce. In a 2010 special called All Access Nashville, Rimes opened up about the scandal to Robin Roberts. "That's just not me. What happened is not who I am, period," she said of the decision to cheat. "I do know how much I love him. So, I've always said I don't live my life with regret. I can't....It happens every day to so many people. You had two couples whose marriages didn't work who really stumbled upon each other and fell in love."
Rimes also addressed the drama in a candid 2010 interview with People. "I did one of the most selfish things that I possibly could do, in hurting someone else," she said. "I take responsibility for everything I've done. I hate that people got hurt, but I don't regret the outcome." Rimes and Cibrian wed a year later and have been together ever since.
Katharine McPhee canoodled with her Smash director
Katharine McPhee cultivated quite the good girl image for herself over the years, but a cheating scandal changed that. The American Idol alum made headlines in October 2013 when she was caught in an affair with her Smash director, Michael Morris. McPhee was still married to producer Nick Cokas, but the two had been separated for six months at the time (they officially divorced after news of McPhee and Morris' fling broke). This didn't do much to lessen the scandal, however, since Morris was also married, to his wife of 10 years, actor Mary McCormack.
McPhee opened up about the transgressions in a 2016 Ocean Drive interview. "I don't have any regrets," McPhee said, according to the New York Daily News. "All of the choices I made I learned from in a really deep way." She added that the "strong influences" in her life have held her accountable for her actions. "I think we are all on that journey to have more awareness about who we are as a person and to grow and learn," she said.
Still though, McPhee insisted she's not a cheater deep down. "I'm a one-man kind of gal and a kind of true romantic at heart," she added during the Ocean Drive interview. In 2019, McPhee married music producer and executive David Foster. "We just love being with each other. There's no arguing, no drama. It's just easy," McPhee told ET of the relationship. "That's how it should be."
Emma Thompson was separated when she met Greg Wise
Emma Thompson and Greg Wise have been together since 1995, making theirs one of the longest-lasting relationships in Hollywood. However, when the actors met on the set of Sense and Sensibility, Thompson was still married to her then-husband, actor/director Kenneth Branagh. "Before [Wise] did the job, he went to see a friend of his who was a bit witchy and she said he would meet his future partner on the film," Thompson explained during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show in January 2020 (per Entertainment Tonight). "He assumed it wasn't me because I was married and quite a lot older than him so he thought it might be Kate [Winslet]." Apparently, Wise even took Winslet on a date to the Glastonbury music festival, but it didn't go well. And the rest is history. "Then things happened that probably shouldn't have happened, and it's been 25 years in May."
While Thompson was technically still married when she began her romance with Wise, she was already living separately from Branagh, who had embarked on an affair with Helena Bonham Carter at the time. "That is... all blood under the bridge," Thompson told The Telegraph of Branagh's affair in 2018. "You can't hold on to anything like that. It's pointless. I haven't got the energy for it... Helena and I made our peace years and years ago... she's a wonderful woman."