Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster‘s recent public appearance has sparked renewed speculation about the timeline of their romance, especially after a 2019 interview resurfaced in which Foster candidly confessed about the challenges in her marriage to screenwriter Ted Griffin.

Foster filed for divorce last October, while Jackman and his estranged wife, Deborah Lee Furness, have yet to officially separate or file for divorce despite being apart for almost two years. Despite being legally married to other people, Jackman and Foster continued to spark rumors about their alleged affair since 2022.

Hugh Jackman is still married to his wife Deborra-Lee Furness (right) despite the actor’s alleged affair with Sutton Foster (left) (Photos: @thehughjackman/Instagram)

The couple was recently photographed holding hands during a romantic stroll through New York City, marking one of their first public outings together in months and seemingly putting recent reports of a rough patch to rest.

Back in February, they were spotted packing on the PDA while grabbing food in Los Angeles, sharing a passionate kiss in the car — their first public display of affection since going public.

This recent sighting comes as one actor navigates divorce, with both facing scrutiny amid allegations their relationship began before either officially separated from their former spouses.

Jackman, 56, announced the end of his 27-year marriage to Deborra-Lee Furness in September 2023, while Foster, 50, waited nearly a year before she filed for divorce from Griffin in October 2024.

This timing has fueled persistent rumors that the Broadway co-stars began their romance during their 2022-2023 run in “The Music Man,” while both were still married.

The speculation deepened after a November 2019 podcast interview Foster gave on Hilaria Baldwin’s now-defunct show “Mom Brain.”

In the candid conversation, Foster discussed the challenges she and Griffin faced as new parents, revealing their marriage nearly collapsed after adopting their daughter Emily.

“No one really prepared me that it breaks your marriage apart,” Foster admitted, describing the “big learning curve” of parenthood and relationship maintenance.

The most revealing moment came when she candidly discussed marriage dynamics, explaining her approach to maintaining openness and managing expectations in their relationship.

“That’s what I realized sometimes, that it’s OK letting (the marriage) be, like, a 10 today, or a zero,” Foster shared. These insights have taken on new significance given the timeline of her relationship with Jackman, which many speculate began during their Broadway collaboration just two years later.

The resurfaced interview also revealed Foster’s excitement about working with Jackman, prompting approving reactions from podcast hosts Baldwin and Daphne Oz when she mentioned the “handsome Australian movie star.”

At the time, Foster described trying to salvage her marriage by learning to “let things go” and not “over-talk and over-analyze stuff,” admitting she could be “such a control freak.” The irony of these insights, given her subsequent romance with Jackman, has not been lost on observers.

Public reaction to the couple’s latest outing has been mixed, with social media users expressing strong opinions about the circumstances of their romance.

Daily Mail readers didn’t hold back, with one person writing, “Both cheaters, what could possibly go wrong?”

Another criticized Foster, stating, “Plain looking Sutton thinks she has the catch of the century. A married man that cheated on his devoted wife of 27 years… pathetic!”

A third noted, “We send Deborrah Lee all our best wishes. This is torture for anyone let alone someone in the lens.”

However, not all reactions were negative.

One observer offered a more nuanced perspective, noting, “Hugh is looking younger and happier than he has in the past few years. People grow apart & obviously his marriage had run its course.”

Still, the general consensus remained critical, with another commenter simply stating, “Shameless, the pair of them.”

Foster and Jackman’s relationship timeline has been scrutinized given how it started amid their professional history.

During promo for the Broadway production, Foster famously revealed on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” that she and Jackman had a pre-show ritual called “carpet chat,” spending time alone in her dressing room before each performance to “catch up on our day.”

Foster’s Instagram activity from that time has also come under scrutiny, with many pointing out that she stopped posting photos with Griffin in January 2023 — months before either couple publicly announced their separations. Her social media presence shifted dramatically, with fewer family photos and posts featuring Griffin and their shared life.

Meanwhile, Jackman’s estranged wife, who reportedly had suspicions about his working relationship with Foster, might be up to dating.

Sources suggest Furness believes the relationship is merely a “mid-life crisis” and has predicted it will last “just one year before it collapses.”

The 69-year-old actress, who met Jackman on the Australian TV show “Correlli” in 1995 and was married to him for almost three decades, is being urged by close friends to consider dating again.

The professional implications have been significant, with speculation that Foster’s Tony Award snub for her performance in “Once Upon a Mattress” may have been influenced by the scandal surrounding her personal life, overshadowing what should have been career highlights for both performers, according to the Mercury News.

Despite ongoing speculation and public criticism, sources close to the couple maintain they are “madly in love” and “relieved and happy” to have made their relationship public. Recent sightings of Foster helping move boxes into Jackman’s Chelsea penthouse suggest their relationship continues to move forward amidst intense public scrutiny.

‘Cheaters’: Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster’s Public Outing Fuels Affair Rumors Amid Resurfaced Interview of Foster Revealing Her Marriage to Ted Griffin Hit ‘Zero’