While Hugh Jackman and Deborra Lee Furness separated in 2023, she didn’t file for divorce until last year. It’s more than likely they took two years to work out a private divorce settlement, because shortly before everything was finalized, Furness released a scathing statement about Hugh’s “betrayal.” By then, everyone knew what she meant – that the reason why Deborra and Hugh split in the first place was because of his affair/relationship with Sutton Foster. Hugh and Sutton hard-launched last year and they’ve been making coupled-up appearances everywhere, even the Met Gala. Deb’s good friend Nicole Kidman apparently ignored them and has taken Deb’s side. Well, there have been rumors circulating for months that Deborra might write a tell-all memoir. Those rumors are being dusted off again this week:
For years now, he’s been pegged as the nice guy of Hollywood – standing out as a refreshingly well-adjusted gent in an industry of love rats and scoundrels. But – by the look of things – Hugh Jackman’s stellar reputation is now hanging in the balance, all thanks to the ongoing fallout from his bitter divorce from Deborra-Lee Furness, and the much-discussed timing of his new relationship with Sutton Foster.
…Now we’re told the stakes are getting higher, as Deborra’s considering speaking out loudly and publicly, in no uncertain terms, over what she’s been through. According to our insider, the actress and producer has been inundated with offers to tell her side of the story – with both a tell-all memoir and a bombshell documentary on the table. As yet, any comment she’s made about the dissolution of her marriage has been veiled and cryptic, but this would truly mean lifting the veil for good. And, as our insider explains, Hugh would have hell to pay if she signs on the dotted line.
‘Deb has kept her side of the street squeaky clean, for the most part,’ says an insider close to the former couple, who first met on the set of the Aussie TV series Correlli in 1995. ‘She’s been incredibly dignified, and she still wants to meet with Sutton at some point, if only out of a willingness to be the bigger person. But she’s still very hurt and betrayed by Hugh’s actions, and is now ready to push the red button on some of those plans that have been on ice for well over a year now. The book is step one, but – for Deb to justify the big bucks – she’ll have to lay everything out there, which will include Hugh’s shady behaviour with Sutton, and other occasions where he wasn’t exactly lily-white.’
Since [the divorce, Deborra has] made several more hints at hurt below the surface. Earlier this month, after Hugh took Sutton to the Met Gala – an event he and Deb regularly attended – his ex liked an Instagram quote that read, ‘Sometimes the universe removes someone from your life because they don’t deserve to be in your future.’
Days later, she responded to a video shared by actress Kerry Washington, which bore the caption, ‘You cannot trust ANYBODY…EVER’ – writing in response, ‘HILARIOUS…so true.’ She also reportedly used her private Instagram to like a viral video reporting on an alleged overlap between Hugh’s relationships with Deb and Sutton.
My guess has always been that Deborra likely signed some kind of NDA as part of the divorce settlement – the timing of her “betrayal” statement indicated that she wanted it out there before she signed an NDA. While Hugh screwed her over emotionally and romantically, I don’t think he screwed her over financially. As in, I think she got a healthy settlement, one which will see her living quite comfortably for the rest of her life. My point being, she doesn’t need the money, and if she told her story, it would be to set the record straight, NDA be damned. Now, if she wrote a juicy tell-all, I would absolutely be here for it. I think a lot of people would be.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.
- Hugh Jackman, Deborra-Lee Furness attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City,Image: 688275385, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Hugh Jackman, Deborra-Lee Furness , Credit line: -/JPI Studios/Avalon
- 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
- 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
- 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
- ‘The Sheep Detectives’ premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center Featuring: Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster Where: New York, New York, United States When: 19 Apr 2026 Credit: TheNews2/Cover Images
- New York premiere of Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Sheep Detectives’ at Jazz, Lincoln Center Featuring: Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 19 Apr 2026 Credit: Roger Wong/INSTARimages
- Celebrities arrive at the 2026 Met Gala Celebrating ‘Costume Art’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City Featuring: Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 04 May 2026 Credit: TheStewartOfNY/INSTARimages
- Celebrities arrive at the 2026 Met Gala Celebrating ‘Costume Art’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City Featuring: Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 04 May 2026 Credit: TheStewartOfNY/INSTARimages
- Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster arriving at the Met Gala in New York Featuring: Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 04 May 2026 Credit: Elder Ordonez/INSTARimages






















God help me I really don’t see the point in carrying a grudge in this dimension. I can carry a grudge with the best of them when it comes to parents, institutions, lame leadership, schools, local government, neighbours with nuisance noise, etc…. But this??? What’s the point? Your ex clearly fell for another woman. It sucks, it’s tragic. It’s betrayal. But dwelling on it? It’s kind of like what Versace opined, like drinking poison and waiting for someone else to die. He wasn’t playing the field, he wasn’t a sex addict, he wasn’t bedding the nanny, he wasn’t bedding your best friend, he met another woman at work — their work is not our work — and they clicked. They’ve been a committed couple ever since. If you want to object, take it up with the fates. Don’t give up your dignity for a one-sided crusade. It just looks petty. Sorry. I know mine isn’t a popular opinion, but she would do so much better to take the high road here.
You actually don’t know if any of what you said is true. They built a lifetime together, and a family that included children. None of us know what was said, lied about, etc. (And frankly, I don’t see a sweet devoted new couple — they may well be, but I would not be surprised if there isn’t some guilt keeping them together at the moment).
In the end, I rather see women speak their truth than be silenced to spare their ex-husbands or anyone else who is uncomfortable haring about pain and betrayal. The “high road” is not necessarily silence. Women’s stories have always been diminished and brushed aside and she does not owe it to anyone to keep her silence.
Thank you Josephine. And wow, Yankeedoodles, you’re really invested in cleaning up for Hugh and Sutton. Every post, here you are spraying air freshener all over the stench of adultery.
My husband cheated on me and left me and the kids. You’re damned right I have a grudge against him and always will have. He hurt our children badly and he also hurt ME. I know in divorce people always nod with “and now, the children are the important thing” but guess what? I’M important too. I lost the person I intended to spend the rest of my life with.
And nope, sorry, I don’t think it’s undignified to state facts. If anyone thinks my heartbreak is undignified, it’s their problem, not mine. I will not collude and pretend everything’s great to spare other people’s feelings. Funk dat.
She doesn’t owe anyone silence, but she also doesn’t owe anyone disclosure and gossip. Just because people are interested doesn’t mean she has to speak her truth to strangers. Obv I hope she has great friends and a therapist to talk to but I think she might regret ragging on the father of her kids to the world at large, and be embarrassed that her pain is all out there once she is more over him.
I think a reason to remain circumspect would be for their children. Of course she feels diminished by the way this all went down. It would hurt the kids to have whatever dirt she has on HJ exposed publically. Really it would hurt all of them leaving the family totally broken. It’s her choice but she might regret it later
As a memoirist, I always say, if they didn’t want me writing about their behavior, they shouldn’t have behaved that way in the first place. “The children” are always used as a weapon against the wife.
Whew! This comment is giving overly invested fan, cheater who left their own spouse, or publicist. Honestly, I hope it’s a publicist, because doing that much clean up for a man (who left his wife and children for an also-married woman at work) without getting paid for it is…a lot.
YankeeDoodles already mentioned that they’re in a happy relationship/can’t relate to the affair. The issue is the vitriol rhetoric spewed on here towards HJ and SF…like, is that level of harsh judgment warranted? I dunno if it is either. Like people do way worse things in this world, direct this level of anger towards real evil.
If she can’t relate to it she should stop dismissing other people’s pain.
She doesn’t owe anyone anything. She can speak out about her experience, if it’s cathartic, I would read that book. But not if it’s some burn-it-all-down gotcha. I don’t think that would accomplish anything but pouring salt in her own wounds.
Apparently an unpopular view, but I agree. I’ve been on the receiving end of cheating, so I’m surely not defending any party to this sad situation, but people are human and sometimes make choices that unfairly hurt their families, partners, children, friends. Deb might choose to publish her experiences — she’s had an amazing life(!) — and I’d absolutely read it. I’d love to know more about her because what I do know makes me admire her even more, now. But to publish for retribution, I believe, hurts her more. Like me and everyone I know in her position, tell it ALL to your closest friends, your counselors, purge it ALL. But inviting all of us into that personal tragedy? Not healthy.
Yeah I kind of think a book isn’t worth it. They have kids and potential future grandkids to think about.
Sutton? Hugh? Ma’am, I don’t know what your think you’re doing besides making yourself look like a shady cheater who didn’t like the consequences of your cheating. The high road is the road people who behave badly and don’t like consequences always want others to take. You’re going to get dragged for this and rightly so. Women do NOT have to accept bad behavior from men and then crawl away quietly so he can go on pretending he’s a decent person and it’s all good. Nah!!
The number of people popping up to tell us that cheating happens, it’s life, and Deb should just move on is wild. First, for all we know she has moved on- she made her one public statement and otherwise crickets. Second, people are allowed to note shitty behavior when they see it, particularly when the guilty party has benefitted from a squeaky clean family man image. Nobody is saying he’s Brad Pitt level bad, but he sucks for this.
Ok. At this point I should clarify I’m not Foster’s press rep or Jackman’s and fwiw I always assumed he was low-key gay or bi and his wife was like a mum / sister / BFF sort of figure, and they were cool like that, both had a bit of leeway on the margins of their relationship. I always assumed it was semi-open, but I can’t say I ever cared for his films. Wolverine? Please. But the way that other women gang up on Foster bugs me. What did she do that was so horrible, awful, like, she’s the axe murderer? She’s never met Furness, I’d bet, they were just star-crossed or something. Wrong place, wrong time. Like getting hit by lightning. Sh*t happens. We don’t have to stone women for having a life that doesn’t go according to plan. Relationships end, sometimes it’s messy. That is life.
You’ll notice I didn’t say anything at all about Sutton in my comment. I kept my criticism squarely on Hugh, who was Deb’s husband but didn’t respect her enough to end their marriage before starting another relationship. I don’t want to stone anyone, not even Hugh, but I definitely feel he deserves the lion’s share of disapproval.
You ask what Sutton did that was so horrible: (1) cheated on her husband with (2) a married man.
She is no innocent party taken in by “my wife doesn’t understand me”.
Or in the words of my husband’s affair partner, “Oh, their marriage was over already!” News to me, sweetie. (I still can’t believe women are dumb enough to fall for that line.)
Incredible how much charisma he has lost since the switch. Foster really dorkified him. Deb made him cool and sexy. There’s karma!
I hope she resists the urge to write a book. She certainly doesn’t need the money and they do share children. To earn that paycheck she would really have to dish and revisit that trauma. I would love for her to focus on living her best life and leave that ugliness in the rearview mirror. HJ’ nice guy lovable scamp shtick is already fraying without her input. I think she’ll never regret her dignified honorable silence.
I doubt she’ll do that. But I’d probably read it.
I cannot get over how similar Hugh and Sutton look. They look like fraternal twins to me, it creeps me out.
The one piece I had heard from the comment Deb made at the time of the divorce was Hugh was besotted with Sutton for years and years and Deb was sick of the emotional affair and the pain his obsession cost her. Do I want her to write a tell-all ? No. I do not think she needs to stoop to conquer. I would love to see a book from her about starting over and thriving with excerpts from her good friends talking about how strong and powerful she is and how they have stayed strong and resilient (I.e. Nicole Kidman.)
So for all the people who think it’s undignified for a woman to tell her own story in a divorce: what do they think of Belle Burden’s book? Undignified?
That bastard Mel Gibson had an NDA with his Russian mistress (the one he verbally and physically abused) that included a clause that if she said anything against him, she had to give the money back (my understanding –it was a long time ago). Well, she did say something and he did take the money back. Maybe Hugh forced Deborra to sign the same type of agreement. If that’s the case, she will probably not write a tell-all. However, I would buy whatever she put out, whether it be a book of poetry, water colors, whatever, in order to show support for her and let her know many women consider her ex a cad and a bastard.
Also, in the pic, she reminds me of one of the Gabor sisters. Very pretty woman.
Given her own cheating ex, I’m not surprised Kidman is siding with Deb.