Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster: Aussie actor rumoured to be dating Broadway co-star

Hugh Jackman at the 2024 Global Citizen Festival in New York last month. Photo / Getty Images

Hugh Jackman is reportedly back on the dating scene, amid rumours the Australian actor is in a relationship with his Broadway co-star Sutton Foster.

The speculation has arisen a little over a year after Jackman and his wife of 27 years, Deborra-Lee Furness, announced their shock separation.

It also comes days after Foster, 49, filed for divorce from her husband, Ocean’s Eleven screenwriter Ted Griffin, on October 22 after 10 years of marriage.

Rumours about the relationship reportedly began during their stint as co-stars - and lovers - in the revival of the Broadway musical, The Music Man, which ran from December 2021 to January 2023.

The story follows con artist Harold Hill (Jackman) as he falls in love with the straight-laced librarian, Marian Paroo (Foster). The original play first opened on Broadway on December 19, 1957.

Insiders have since spoken to several media outlets about the stars, with sources telling Page Six the purported couple are keeping their rumoured romance under wraps - despite spending “all of their free time together”.

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“They are a regular couple, they are just in private,” an insider told the publication, adding the two are “inseparable”.

The source claimed the pair have been “sneaking around” in order to maintain a low profile.

Foster is predominantly known for her work on the Broadway stage, but has also appeared on the small screen.

She had lead roles on the comedy-drama series’ Bunheads (2012-2013) and Younger (2015-2021), and appeared in three episodes of Flight of the Conchords in 2007.

She has twice won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, with her Broadway credits including Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes, Grease, Little Women, Shrek the Musical, Violet, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and The Music Man.

Sutton Foster appeared in Flight of the Conchords, a sitcom featuring New Zealanders Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie and Rhys Darby.

At the time of writing, Jackman and Foster haven’t publicly addressed rumours of their alleged relationship.

An insider previously told Page Six that Jackman and Foster were “100%” an item and “in love”, adding: “They ... want to spend the rest of their lives together”.

Another source said while the two “go out of their way to hide it”, their romance is “common knowledge” in certain circles.

Reports on the relationship have seen a 2022 interview with Jackman resurface, during which he gushed about Foster.

“Sutton Foster is just a dream,” he said at the time, adding: “I’ve been lucky enough to do films, and I’ve done some plays, but there’s nothing like doing a musical on Broadway”.

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Both the Wolverine star, 56, and the American actress have children with their former spouses. In 2017, Foster and Griffin adopted their now-seven-year-old daughter Emily, while Jackman and Furness, 68, adopted Oscar, 24, in 2000 and Ava, 19, in 2005.

News of Jackman and Foster’s purported union comes about a year after he and Furness announced their split, devastating fans of Aussie showbiz icons.

The two revealed they had decided to part ways in a joint statement issued to People on September 16, 2023.

“We have been blessed to share almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,” the former couple told the outlet.

“Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth. Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness.

“We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.”

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An insider claimed shortly after that the separation had been “a long time coming”, alleging there had been trouble in paradise for some time - even before Jackman returned to Broadway to perform in The Music Man.

“It happened a while ago. Friends and family knew about it,” the source said, adding: “Deb wasn’t at [The Music Man] rehearsals very much [and she] was even spotted snoozing during some of them”.

The insider added no third party was involved in the split, but said Jackman and Furness had been living like “roommates”.

The former couple met on the set of TV series Correlli in their native Australia in 1995.

Earlier this year, Furness got candid about her life after the highly publicised split and reflected on her new chapter as a single woman.

“[I learned] that I’m strong and resilient,” the actor revealed to People in May, admitting it had been a “year of evolution”.