Last Friday, Hugh Jackman and Deborra Lee Furness dumped the news of their separation. The whole thing is just so curious – after 27 years together, many considered them the “gold standard” of Australian power couples, and they always described each other as best friends. As I said in my previous post, I think it’s notable that the separation happened as soon as their youngest child turned 18. Hugh and Deborra were either gritting through Ava’s teenage years, or they suddenly became empty-nesters and decided their marriage wasn’t worth it. Well, People Magazine has another story about Hugh and Deborra’s split and once again, they make it sound like it was a long time coming.
Hugh Jackman and wife Deborra-lee Jackman’s decision to separate was not made without a lot of thought and careful reflection.
While the mutual decision was amicable, a source close to the pair tells PEOPLE that they are “devastated” and that the split is “very hard” for them.
“It was not a snap decision — they took a lot of time and consideration of everything, and they made this decision together,” the source adds. “They are going on separate journeys, but they will always be a family. They’ll always be co-parents and best friends.”
As their relationship begins a new chapter, Hugh, 54, and Deb, 67 — who share son Oscar, 23, and daughter Ava, 18 — there’s no acrimony.
“This has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that they’re on different journeys right now,” says the insider.
It happens, of course, but I can’t even imagine being with someone for 27 years and suddenly figuring out that you’re on a different journey. Some of you theorized that this was pandemic-related too, all part of the larger assessment many couples made during the panny that, actually, they didn’t want to spend the rest of their lives with their spouses. Could be! These are all good theories. It is sad though – Hugh and Deborra really did seem solid for so many years. I wonder if their Aussie friends are “choosing sides”? I know Nicole Kidman is really tight with Deborra. I wonder which side Russell Crowe will choose.
This was an actual photo from this year’s Met Gala. They really cropped her face like that.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Hugh Jackman, Deborra-Lee Furness attends “The son” red carpet at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 07, 2022 in Venice, Italy.,Image: 720366152, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Maria Laura Antonelli / AGF Foto / Avalon
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- Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness – The Son – Red Carpet – 79. Internationalen Filmfestspiele 79th Venice Venedig – Venecia Film Festival – La Biennale Mostra dArte Cinematografica – Lido Venedig 7.9.2022 Fotovermerk: F.Altmann/babiradpicture ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Kein -Facebook -Twitter -Instagram -Social Web Honorar und Belegexemplar,Image: 720600211, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NOGER, NOAUS , NOSWISS, Model Release: no, Pictured: The Son – Red Carpet – Venice 20, Credit line: F.Altmann / Bang Showbiz / Avalon
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- Premiere du film The Son en presence de Hugh Jackman et Deborra-Lee Furness au Normandie,Image: 757773703, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Jonathan Rebboah / Panoramic / Avalon
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- Hugh Jackman attends the 2023 Costume Institute Benefit (Met Gala) celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City.,Image: 773488869, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Hugh Jackman, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- Hugh Jackman attends the 2023 Costume Institute Benefit (Met Gala) celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City.,Image: 773488872, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Hugh Jackman, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- Hugh Jackman and wife, Deborah Lee Furness, pictured leaving Scotts restaurant in London, England. 20 July 2023,Image: 790729994, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris_James / Avalon
God this sucks. Who’s next, Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye?!?!
But maybe the point is that if you can’t be on the same journey after 25+ years, it’s time to stick a fork in it. This is still really sad though.
These are the lines you cop when you hate each other but can see past the hate to realize you need to handle it in the best way possible for the kids sake, or your publicist has worked you over heavily for the sake of your career image.
Or it could be that he is still working all over the planet. And she wanted to stay in Australia. And this was just the easiest way to do that. And maybe she’s ready to slow down and relax, and he seems to be a workaholic. And they just kept up the marriage for the kids.
Love is dead and the future is bleak. Twenty-seven years man lol. Somebody took up three decades of my life and left, there’d be nothing amicable about it.
Seriously.
Sometimes you get a long way down the road and you don’t hate each other but you don’t want to stay married. They have a large age gap and there is a real difference between someone who is about to be elderly and someone still in middle age—very different stages of life. As uxorious as he’s always seemed, my guess would be that she doesn’t want to be old with him.
Veronica S.–but you still have a life to live, correct? You aren’t going to drop dead and figure those years were a waste just because you and your spouse have come to a parting of the ways?!? Man, people invest so much in the myth that love is forever and life is nothing without it. 🤮 Can someone _please_ kill that crap!?!?
There’s a common misconception that if you break up, it means the relationship has failed. Why is anything less than “forever” considered a failure? Why not celebrate having children and so many glorious years together? I mean, 27 years – if that’s not a fantastic success, what is? Why stay in a situation that doesn’t make you happy when you can choose a better way for you and your partner? Why does a great relationship have to be romantic and involve marriage? Who says a monogamous marriage is the only acceptable relationship model? Who says they have to hate each other now? It just doesn’t make sense.
maybe one of them really didnt like being friends with Ivanka and Jared after all
Shallow but she always looks so much better than he does.
I wonder if their age difference also became a factor. I am not being ageist but I do think it’s a challenge when someone is significantly older than their spouse (it’s my opinion that 13 years is a relatively significant gap) and they are desiring different lifestyles. My dad was 8 years older than my mom and at a certain point he just wasnt as interested in socializing or traveling as she was. They remained happily married until his death but had an unspoken agreement (or maybe it was spoken) that she should travel or try new restaurants but she was on her own. But not all couples are like that!
I hear you, but that distance happens with younger couples too. I suspect it depends on the people and the environment. Love and commtment are hard.
my best friends parents are the exact same age, late 70s. she travels almost full time with Doctors Without Borders and in her off time likes long bike trips. he listens to the radio and doesnt like going anywhere. I dont see them divorcing at this point however they havent liked the same lifestyle in at least 20 yrs when they both retired.
I was just talking about this with a friend; my own husband is 7 years older. Their age gap might seem particularly gaping these days–she may want to retire to Australia while he still has career goals he wants to pursue. 67 & 54 are very different life stages.
My husband and I have been together for 20 years and I can totally see that if 2 people really want different things, it would be hard to stay together. YOLO after all.
Your comment reminded me of us because I love to travel and he is more of a homebody unless we’re skiing. But he doesn’t gripe if I take the kids and go on trips without him. It’s always nice to come home and tell him about all the fun things we did.
I think that it really has something to do with the youngest kid turning 18. If they broke up amicably like they said and are staying good friends, they might have “separated” earlier and just lived together trough it until she turned 18.
If they say theres no drama, then thats that! Not our or the medias job to try to turn it something else. (Obviously if there is something im sure we will here about it later.)
But this happens time to time, people realize one day that they like but not love eachother anymore and i think its better to separate than stay in a marriage out of habit.
I think it’s not uncommon for couples who have grown apart (but aren’t toxic together) to stay together until the youngest is 18 and off to college and moving out of the shared family home. They seem to fit that trend.
They lived a good life together but it’s time for them to move on to the next chapter. In Hollywood, lasting as long as they did is a triumph.
He works a lot and maybe she wants someone who’s home more and wants to travel? Maybe they’ve friendzoned each other a long time ago and now they’re just realized it? Whatever, good luck to both of them. I’ve run into him a few times in NY and once when they were together. They are delightful. I hope they’re both happy.
That’s my theory too. She was ready to enjoy the empty nest lifestyle while still active and healthy enough to enjoy it, and he keeps working nonstop.
@MEL – I aspire to a life where I can just casually say, oh I’ve run in to Hugh Jackman several times in NYC, and…..
Actually, come to think of it, I’d swap Hugh for Kate McKinnon, or The Rock, or some other people, but it’s still the same statement.
That’s probably the most realistic theory. Not everything is scandal and drama.
I really think it’s just a friend-zone thing where they realized they weren’t in love anymore but adore hanging out together. They both seem really cool and mature and I hope it all stays that way.
I don’t get the “wait until the youngest is 18” move. Unless it’s a child support thing and makes the process easier? Seeing your parents split would be as emotionally fraught at 18 as it would have been at 17 or 19. And if you’re trying to navigate a new school – while also being away from home for the first time in your life – and also dealing with your family unit splintering, that would be harder wouldn’t it? Maybe I’m projecting, I hated being away from my family when difficult events were happening at home, and I was an emotional wreck while my performance in class suffered.
I agree. Hopefully this isn’t new news for the kids and they only waited to file until now to eliminate child support from the process.
For some, the issue is less about child support than it is about child custody. Dealing with family dynamics is often stressful, but taking that part out of it might make some of the issues less fraught.
For me, when I went away to college, I was happy to have some distance from the fray. Also, given that there’s a chance that class performance— among other things — might suffer, I can see parents waiting until things are settled for college and the kids are no longer minors before starting legal proceedings— even if they’ve been practically separated for quite some time.
Yeah, this is the reason why people wait. Not that the child might feel differently, but that they don’t have to do the back-and-forth of living in two households.
I wonder if she is homesick. They moved to NYC- great for him and his career. Maybe she is done with all that, and wants to go back to her friends and family and the life she knew.
I’m Australian and have links to theatre here. It’s a lavender marriage.
@ Tricia
Deb or Hugh?
wow she is one hot 67 yr old. He is aging, she is reversing. wow.