Aaron Johnson and Sam Wood got together in 2008-09, during or just after they worked together on Nowhere Boy. They’ve never made their messy start a secret – she was a 40-something in a bad marriage, he was 18 years old. She left her husband and promptly got pregnant. Aaron and Sam welcomed their first child in 2009, and their second daughter (together) soon after that. He spoke often of how loved, supported and nurtured he was in the relationship. They got married at some point, and they’re due to celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary in June. Except social media is ablaze today with reports that Aaron and Sam are getting a divorce?
streets is saying Aaron Taylor Johnson and his wife are on the outs pic.twitter.com/NmC8lvskE0
— If Beale Street Could Twerk (@camerouninema) April 27, 2021
There are hundreds of tweets calling Sam “grandma” and “hag,” which… that’s pretty disgusting for a group of people who supposedly love Aaron Taylor Johnson. Literally no one thought Aaron and Sam would make it for any length of time, and the fact that they’ve actually been solid (or seemingly solid) for more than a decade is a “win” in my book. All that being said, I literally have no idea what the source is for all of these divorce rumors. There’s not even anything in the British tabloids! The only thing I can find which might be a harbinger of doom for their marriage: they’re apparently selling their Hollywood Hills home. You may laugh, but real estate drama is how many celebrities telegraph their marriage drama.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
I could see it being true. He was very young when they got together…
Too young to commit to a life with a person who already had the benefit of becoming fully-formed (if we ever do). I can’t believe they made it so long.
My spouse and I are the same age and we’ve both changed so much during our marriage… I can’t imaging being 40 and marrying an 18-year-old! You would have no idea what you’re even signing up for.
Well it is the natural order of things, kids grow up and move out.
On a serious note, a teenager having a romantic relationship with their 40 year old boss is exploiting the teenager, it is not just the age difference (like many Hollywood relationships have) but the stage of life he was at, she should have kept walking when she met him, she had the life experience to know exactly how this would end up.
“Natural order of things….”
Ahahaha I am dead. Well played.
If they do break up I wonder if he’ll ever unpack the trauma of this relationship.
@Zapp you have ended me. That comment is perfect!
I think they are both talented individuals and have always seemed loved up together but he was so young when they got together and the power differential was huge. I have always found it uncomfortable because of those factors.
Also it is fully wild that so many people were like “Good for her” when they got together where if the genders were reversed, we would acknowledge how problematic it is.
Hysterical!
If true, not a surprise.
good one!
Seriously. Besides apparent lust, what could they have possibly had in common? I’d feel pretty squicky about bedding an 18 yo when I was in my forties. I’d feel like a chester molester even though he was legally an adult. It would feel like cheating him out of his life while simultaneously trying to live in his youth vicariously.
I mean, I dated an 18 year old when I was about 26 for a short time… did not like, and he did not take kindly to being released. A mistake all around…I can’t imagine having done so as a young 40ish.
I’d feel like his mommy.
I also think it’s true, with the timing it appears it came out at the Oscars. Gossip that comes out days after the Oscars often turns out right, it’s where everyone in the industry gets together and swaps updates on personal drama so the info is usually from there and solid.
She groomed him when he was a teenager. An 18yo actor and their employer in their 40s is a predatory age gap and power differential. If the genders were reversed, no one would be caping for this relationship.
Agreed.
This. In another situation I would say this is gross misogynistic garbage but Aaron and I are the same age and this garbage was disturbing even when I was 18-19 like him. He was a 19 yo married father with 42 year old wife and 13-14 yo step children. Think about that for a sec.
If Sam were a man we’d be justifiably outraged.
So much agree. I think people forget that because she is a female director- but it was beyond inappropriate. The image of a 40 male director getting his 18 year old lead actress pregnant etc. Gross.
Yes. And the lowkey defending of Sam in this post is kinda gross. Shes a groomer. Whos cares if shes being called a hag online lol
Imagine if Leonardo diCaprio did what she did. No one would care if the lady said she feels “nurtured”.
And ofc that’s how Aaron feels. Shes kind of his mom.
+1
Just because someone feels “nurtured” and the relationship lasts for years does NOT mean it is healthy or non-abusive. Women can be just as sh*tty as men.
The whole situation makes me wonder about his home life as a kid. There was certainly a need not being met that she filled
@eveningstar- think about poor Vili Fualaau. That shit must have messed him up terribly.
@NotSoSocialButterfly…I’m sure it’s messed him up beyond comprehension. She died last year of cancer so he’s now sole parent to their two children. Talk about having his childhood stolen and parenthood forced on him before he could handle it…
This. It was always super creepy. My sons are older teens-and I can’t for a minute envision them marrying some 40 year old, immediately having 2 kids, and being a step father to 2 teens. I have NO idea why people “love them as a couple”.
Totally agreed. Boys and young men are susceptible to all the same grooming, exploitation and power dynamics that girls and young women are and it hurts all young people to pretend otherwise.
They are probably more susceptible to it as boys and young men considering the difference in maturity levels between boys and girls at that age. Also, I feel men/boys in general are not trained to guard themselves against being victims like women/girls are, so they are more hapless
Has anyone on this site defended this?
From the comments I have read when there were stories there was the consensus that she was completely in the wrong. He was 16 or 17 in pre and post production of Nowhere Boy and that pregnancy was guaranteed lockdown that he would be around in her life. It was creepy and the fact that he talked about their relationship with his whole chest, all the time made me feel awful for him. It was almost like he was trying to convince himself and not anyone else.
It’s a mixed bag. There have been quite a few comments saying they made it work, he seemed very mature etc etc
I don’t think anyone defends it. I think people probably wonder how they lasted so long and probably speculate as to why. I don’t see relationships like this in real life much, if at all, even when the genders are reversed. I’m always surprised when people mention they know couples like this. I only see this among the rich and famous.
If my memory is right, she even knew him before he was 18. She also knew that he had a not so great home life and was probably looking for safety and stability. She took advantage of this guy and I find her completely disgusting.
I also don’t understand her fierce defenders. She groomed him, end of. Good on him for getting out.
I agree, that’s how I’ve felt about it since the beginning.
I agree. Yet there are other sketchy relationships (ex: Celine Dion and Rene Angelil; Paul Walker and his teenaged girlfriends; etc.) who seem to get a “pass”?
I started dating my ex husband when I was a teenager and he was 40. We got divorced a long time ago, but I am still grateful on a daily basis that we didn’t have children. Sam took advantage of Aaron—she knew he would grow up and change and he didn’t have the benefit of experience to know that himself. I hope he gets free and that they can coparent successfully.
I don’t understand why they had children. I know she was probably nearing the end of her “fertile years”, but she already has 2 children from her first marriage, so I was quite shocked she had 2 more (in quick succession) after meeting ATJ. I also can’t imagine at 19, he was mature enough to consciously make that decision himself and force it upon her – she was the adult in the relationship and she should have acted like it
she got pregnant so he couldn’t escape, so they would be tied together forever. even if he can divorce her, now she will always be in his life.
@GA she was definitely trying to lock it down. My ex tried the same and it didn’t pan out (thank god).
Lock it down, and push him to grow up faster? 18/19 year old boys are typically not very mature, but suddenly dump a whole lot of responsibility on one, and it’s a whole new life for him.
Probably because she saw Ashton Kutcher ditch Demi Moore for someone of childbearing age and thought she’d give him his own children before he could leave her for someone younger. What 18 year old at the start of their career would want 2 kids though? I taught 17/18 year olds when I was in my 40’s. No way would I even have thought about going there. Boys especially are still young at that age.
It was bound to happen eventually. Their vibe has always been at BEST that of “naive young guy escorting his snooty mom.”
I’m sorry but it’s hard for me not to view a 40 year old and 18 year old as anything but a parent/child dynamic. Nobody is the same at 30 as they are at 18. I can imagine his needs have changed since then.
Exactly. Yes, they stayed together a long time, but honestly who didn’t see this coming? You do a lot of growing and changing after 18, plus it’s very hard not to view the dynamics and age difference as predatory. This was always going to happen. I just hope that he’s doing okay, all things considered.
She actually knew his parents, so she’s known him since he was 8. She’s a predator and a groomer, and I’m glad she’s getting dragged online.
Lexi, I didn’t know Sam has known Aaron since he was an actual child🤢. Their relationship was already predatory and gross but that just adds another layer of yuck.
@Lexi
Omggg! At 8 years old!? Are u serious??
That reminds me of Leo knowing his current gf when she was a kid too.
Whether this rumour is true or not, I never supported this relationship and never will. She 100% took advantage of a TEENAGER. Someone who’s mind hadn’t fully developed, and groomed him to be a husband and a father.
I don’t think he’ll ever speak ill of her. But she’s 100% a predator in my book.
I didn’t know/remember that 8 year old part, ugh! Or that she was married at the time.
Lexi, could you please cite this? I can’t find any information about them meeting at any other point than 2008 (Which is still predatory and gross), and cannot make the connection of his Buckinghamshire-based stay at home mum and engineer dad knowing a successful London artist before she was involved in film/tv. Thanks!
@Lexi If she knew him at 8, she should be compared also to Asia Argento and the boy she groomed and molested.
He’s been working in the industry since he was 6, his parents easily could have met sam at some point.
Since they would all be about the same age
I only see tweets on social media but nothing in the newspapers. A split wouldn’t be shocking, but a confirmation would make this story feel more real. I wonder if either of them read Twitter…
The comments about her age are disgusting, but her behavior at the beginning of their relationship was messy and also slightly alarming. After nearly a decade together I can imagine that their needs have changed now.
Evidence seems pretty flimsy, but at the same time I wouldn’t be even a bit surprised. He was a literal teen (which…yeah, side-eyeing like hell) when he entered into a life-long commitment including kids. I barely figured out which college to commit to at that age! People change.
I remember reading about this relationship once before and being shocked at such a huge age gap, but I never knew he was SO young when they got together. There is something wrong with her. Anyone who violates the half age plus 7 rule when it comes to teenagers is a groom-y creep. Just being genuinely romantically attracted to a teenager at the age she was when they got together is a warning sign. 18 year-olds became children to me as soon as I graduated from college.
Plus she was his boss at the time. Henry Cavill, of whom I am not a fan, gets hauled over the coals for dating college girls, but Aaron was still in school, the age difference was much bigger and she had direct authority over him. It was wrong and the people who cheered her on have got a very twisted view of equality.
That’s a totally fair point actually. People give HC so much hate for that one (confirmed) college-age relationship which did not last long, did not result in children and did not involve any professional abuse of power.
This is so much worse
Plus she was his boss at the time. Henry Cavill, of whom I am not a fan, gets hauled over the coals for dating college girls, but Aaron was still in school, the age difference was much bigger and she had direct authority over him. It was wrong and the people who cheered her on have got a very twisted view of equality.
Thank god! She’s a predator. Run Aaron!! Run far away from her as possible!! Contact Marvel now and get that Wanda/Vision pay cheque that you missed out on.
She’s a predator. Gross. Also, I hate those stupid glasses.
I really really hate the fact that she so clearly groomed him as a teenager is glossed over by the media at large. I have an 11 year old and if I thought for one second that in 7 years time he would be married to a 40 something year old & be parenting two step children I would Lose. My. SHIT.
I do love lainey on the whole but the fact that she refers to these two as her ‘obsession’ with no caveats around child abuse (which is literally what this was) bothers me immensely & it’s something she’s never addressed.
Yeah I love Lainey too but her comments about these 2 make me uncomfortable coz she doesn’t see anything wrong at all with the relationship and the grooming nature of it. She’s the same when it comes to Drake and his very young girls tho, whenever stories come out about his inappropriate behaviour with teens she posts a positive story about how great he is as an artist and ignores the creepy stuff. This is how creeps get away with things for so many years coz even respected people in the industry don’t want to loose access or report on the bad behaviour of their faves.
Agree! I was always bothered by Lainey’s obsession with them as well. This is not a relationship to emulate.
I have a 13 year old and had that exact same thought. Hell to the no.
@Peet33. ” I do love lainey on the whole but the fact that she refers to these two as her ‘obsession’ with no caveats around child abuse (which is literally what this was) bothers me immensely & it’s something she’s never addressed.”
ITA, That obsession always made me feel queasy.
Lainey writing about her “obsession” while consistently framing herself as a supporter of exploited people is a big part of why I hardly even go there for the past ~3 years. She’s right about a lot when she speaks up for exploited people. But to also post about the Taylor-Johnsons, and the over-the-top *way* that she writes about them, is suuuuch a huge blindspot that it feels like she’s not even trying to look at herself, just others.
It reminds me of the French president and his wife, who was his teacher,
The official version is that she wasn’t his day to day teacher- she ran a weekly theatre workshop that he attended.
He was 15 and she was 40, married with three kids
According to same official version, she was seduced by his beyond-his-years intellect and they fell in love. He supposedly asked his parents to transfer him to a new school (cos a 15 year old would clearly do that) so they wouldn’t succumb to temptation.
They re-united just as he became legal, she divorced her husband and married him the following year.
The French media presents this as a beautiful love story. She was interviewed in Elle and described how she knew she had to follow her heart, and that their families eventually understood the strength of their love etc.
Very disturbing.
Straight out of a predator’s playbook – adultifying children by calling them old soulds, wise beyond their years etc. It’s a grooming tactic and definitely not a love story.
I cannot imagine finding 15 year olds attractive. Real teenagers don’t look like the ones on Riverdale, you know? They’re undeveloped, pimply, and a lot of times smelly haha.
I taught high school for one year after college and, at 23, my students looked like little babies to me. Not potential sexual partners. Now in my 30’s? Straight up gross.
These relationships are inherently abusive purely because of the age difference. It doesn’t matter how ‘mature’ they are.
This whole subject gets me heated
I am French and I honestly don’t believe in this story. I think she is the Debbie Rowe to his MJ.
I hope he wiĺ with dakota johnson. He.s with 2 children right?
He was 17 when they started their affair and she was married at that time. Regardless of it being a bad marriage, she is still a cheater and a groomer. Sam is always so emphatic in saying they only kissed when he turned 18, and only after the filming; that he’s an old soul; he was the one who pursued her and that the first time they met (again that would be when he was 16 or 17) he said he wants to marry her and have babies with her. As @Myra said above – all part of a predator’s playbook. Even Aaron admitted in an interview that he knew everyone on set was aware of their blossoming romantic relationship. All everyone has to do is watch their interview with Larry King – throughout the interview every time (as in all the time) he says something, he glances in her direction, seemingly seeking her approval. This is not a young man who knows his own mind. This is a boy (meaning stunted at his age) who was manipulated into thinking he wants the same thing his groomer wants. She is trash. I hope he heals and that their children are safe from her manipulations.
I’ve always thought she was disgusting and while I don’t necessarily agree with everything they’re saying, I’m glad Gen Z is dragging her. It’s great to know that people who are Aaron’s age/slightly older when they first got together are aware of how foul that relationship was. That’s a sign of progress for them.
So if it’s true, good for him!
Just as with Megan Fox, I’m glad he’s still young and can now go and live his best life. He deserves to be free.
Sam (and all grown adults who prey on and date teenagers) can go eff herself.
I’m with you. I absolutely do not agree with everything they are saying, but dragging her for being a groomer is well within the lines. As long as people stay on the topic of what she did that is absolutely wrong and we all know it, she’s been very public about it, they can keep dragging her for the rest of her life. Get her, Gen Z.
This reminds me of when Juliet Mills married Max Caulfield in 1980. She was 41 and he is 18 yrs. her junior. You can imagine the dust up but they’re still together.
Whoa! I had to Google them because I didn’t realize they were married at all.
I don’t see much evidence supporting a split but I’m very happy for him if true. I’m sorry but she is a predator who groomed a CHILD and trapped him with children. She is disgusting and I hope he managed to escape.
There are ways I can see it happening without it being necessarily predatory (especially where “grooming” is involved, a word that gets tossed around WAY too much these days for how serious it really is), but honestly it’s just…I can’t NOT side eye it at my age, to be honest. Even if it’s not abusive, I question the motivations of anybody in the 30+ range going after anybody in the late teens and sometimes even early twenties (if the person is less mature, at least). At 34, I just look at eighteen year olds and see kids. Even if they’ve got looks that make them look older, their behavior is a dead giveaway to how inexperienced they are. Yes, they can consent and are definitely not children, but can they conceive of long term consequences in the way older adults can? Young twenty somethings may be somewhat immature, but they’ve at least got a little independent experience about them and know themselves a little better, even if they aren’t completely settled into their personalities and viewpoints.
She groomed him, he was 18 for god’s sake. I have never been supportive of this union.
I have nothing against love but at some point you have to be logical. He could be her son. How would they EVER think this would workout? Come onnnnnn.
I worked with teenagers/high schoolers when I was in college. There was only a 3-4 year gap but even then the emotional/maturity difference was huge. And it was most obvious when anything about relationships was mentioned. Every little gesture, look, hair flip, gossip passed, was incredibly serious. So I know how incredibly easy it is for someone who is 5, 10, 20 years older than a teenager to manipulate and blind them. And there is no way that manipulation is done on accident because it is so easy to spot that immaturity. The only reason an adult wants a relationship with a teenager is because they can control them.
Yeah, she’s a predator. I have no problem with people calling her hag and grandma in light of what she did to him. It’s not surprising at all if they really did split.
That said, I can’t with his posing in the pics above. The “I’m too sexy!” faces he’s making! The picture choices on this site are always hilariously appropriate.
I’m a 40-year-old woman and I cannot IMAGINE dating an 18-year-old. For many reasons. This is grotesque.
She is a predator. I HOPE they are divorcing so he can be free of the GROWN ASS WOMAN who groomed him as a teenager.
People are only saying ew because STJ is not attractive but if this was Monica Bellucci or Paulina Porizkova it will be “oooohh, hot. Go get it girl”.
C’mon guys stop saying he was groomed at 18. She was an indie director not a blockbuster one. She directed him in one of the Beatles movie no one saw. They knew each other since he was little. But This isn’t a Mary Kay Letorneau case. Same people are throwing that argument on the Macron. You can be queasy about it but don’t pretend there was power imbalance.
How can there NOT be power imbalance?
An adult the same age as their parents, in a position of authority?
Of course it’s a power imbalance. Maybe not financially, but in an emotional way clear as day. Speaking of STJ, the fact that she knew him as a child is even more troubling. Children usually tend to seek adults’ appproval and in his case it seems he would have grown up with this dynamic.
In the case of the Macrons, please visit French private schools. Chummy relationships between teachers and pupils are definitely not encouraged.
No one is pretending anything. There absolutely WAS a power imbalance. How about you stop making excuses for her predatory behavior?
People need stop romantizing this relationship. She’s a predator and groom this teenager. I hope he does wake up and leave. Because the role was reverse people call him pedo.
“She was a predator”, “she groomed him”, blah, blah, blah. C’mon folks – he was an 18 year old horny boy and he fell for her. Period. No one forced him to marry her. Seems they have been happy all these years. All of you need to get off your high horses and quit pointing fingers – no one knows what goes on between a couple. Stop judging.
I think their relationship was/ is gross. I’m a woman in my mid thirties and I work with/ boss over guys around 18 – 20, many of them find me attractive, some of them have flirted with me and hit on me, but not once have I thought to cross that line with any of them, because I f#cking know better. I get why women nearing 40 feel flattered by this kind of attention from young cute guys but come on. Their parents would loathe me lol.
I think the same of any older guys with younger women, actually knew a teacher in his 40s who got with a former student (blech) when she was just 17, many years later she really really regretted it and felt he had taken advantage of her (which he clearly did).