‘How Embarrassing’: ‘White Lotus’ Star’s Cringy Red-Carpet Kiss with Wife Sparks Divorce Talk After His Odd Reaction Amid Buzz About His Co-Star
“The White Lotus” star Walton Goggins had a rather awkward exchange with his wife, Nadia Conners, during Sunday night’s 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
What was meant to be a romantic display outside the Peacock Theater quickly unraveled, igniting chatter online that the couple’s marriage might be on shaky ground — with some saying their awkward display spoke louder than words.
In one clip taken at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Aug. 14 and posted on X, Conners turns to her husband, who was facing the cameras, while they posed for the press. Goggins then leaned in to give “The Uninvited” director a peck on the lips.
They share a short kiss before Goggins turned back to the photographers as Conners appears to say, “One more time.”
After sharing another slightly longer smooch, Goggins was also seen wiping his lips with his hand right after kissing his wife. The clip quickly sent X users into overdrive, with many zeroing in on the veteran actor’s odd behavior.
“Walton couldn’t wait to [leave] the scene before removing the hair on his lips,” one individual tweeted. A second person expressed, “He’s probably been telling his lady on the side that there’s no love In the marriage and didn’t want to show affection.”
In a more exaggerated reaction to the situation, a Daily Mail reader exclaimed, “OMG. He’s totally recoiling from her. How embarrassing for them both.”
In a second clip from the Emmy red carpet, Conners responds to photographers’ requests for her and Goggins to kiss in front of the cameras.
“Me kiss him? Or him kiss me?” Conners asked the photogs at the scene. One person in the crowd yelled back, “Both!”
Conners proceeded to kiss her spouse on the cheek as flashbulbs went off. Goggins returned the favor by repeatedly smooching her face.
However, a cynic suggested the seemingly benign kiss swap could be foreshadowing the end of the marriage, posting, “These two are heading for a divorce.”
Another said, “The wife is about to go! He was so not into her!”
There have been online whispers that Conners and Goggins are experiencing marital troubles due to the on-screen chemistry between him and his “The White Lotus” co-star, English actress Aimee Lou Wood.
Goggins played Wood’s older lover in season three of HBO’s award-winning anthology television series. Their storyline was a significant part of the drama that played over eight episodes.
Conners addressed the cheating rumors during an interview with Hello! Magazine. The filmmaker downplayed the wild speculation that Wood, 31, had an affair with her husband.
“It’s odd to see it, but it’s an indication of how much people were invested in the fictional characters. I take it as a sign that he’s become quite popular,” Conners told the publication.
Conners and Goggins got married in August 2011, having dated since 2005. They share one son, who was born in January 2011. Their private lives have crossed over into their professional careers.
For her feature film directorial debut, Conners cast Goggins in 2024’s “The Uninvited.” The movie premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival and arrived in North American theaters on April 11, 2025.
“20 years she’s been working towards this moment. To be by her side… with this cast… in this story… has been so emotionally overwhelming,” Goggins wrote in an Instagram caption celebrating “The Uninvited” screening at SXSW.
Goggins has built a lengthy entertainment industry résumé. He starred in other motion pictures such as 2012’s “Django Unchained,” 2019’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and 2024’s “Queen of the Ring.”
The former Georgia Southern University student appeared in numerous television programs, including “The Shield,” “Justified,” and “The Righteous Gemstones.” His performance in “The White Locus” garnered him an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nomination at the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards.