Rumors that Australian actor Hugh Jackman had an affair with American actress Sutton Foster are said to be the reason his 27-year marriage ended in divorce.

US magazine Us Weekly reported on November 12 about the secret romance between the Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) star and theater star Foster, after they starred together in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Music Man.

In the musical, Jackman played con artist Harold Hill, who falls in love with Foster’s straight-talking librarian Marian Paroo. The musical ran from February 2022 to January 2023 at the Winter Garden Theater in New York.

Jackman, 56, and Foster, 49, were still married to their partners, Australian actress Deborra-Lee Furness and American screenwriter Ted Griffin, 53, respectively. Jackman and Furness, 68, announced their separation in September 2023, while Foster filed for divorce on October 25 after almost 10 years of marriage.

A source reportedly close to Foster told Us Weekly that “a lot of people on Broadway knew, and we kept it quiet because they are both such nice and wonderful people. Everyone respected his privacy. But there was an affair and overlap.”

The magazine added that Furness was “blindsided” when she discovered that Jackman and Sutton had allegedly been involved in an “affair on the show”, calling it “Broadway’s worst-kept secret”.

A friend of the couple told Us Weekly that Furness was devastated, adding that “a lot of people were shocked that Hugh could do this to her.”

Sources told US tabloid Page Six in October that the alleged couple have kept their relationship a secret despite spending “all their free time together”.

During the production of The Music Man, Jackman and Foster often shared photos and videos on Instagram, expressing respect for each other.

On opening night, Foster shared photos of her and Jackman on the red carpet with the caption, “This man. An honor to be by your side. You. Are. The. BEST.”