Sutton Foster dazzled solo on the red carpet at Sunday’s 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards but desperately avoided questions amid her eyebrow-raising romance with Hugh Jackman, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
The 50-year-old Broadway star stepped out under intense scrutiny surrounding her relationship with the 56-year-old Wolverine actor, whose messy divorce from wife Deborra-Lee Furness has stirred up plenty of controversy.
After Deborra-Lee, 69, officially filed for divorce two years after announcing their separation, she opened up exclusively to DailyMail.com about her heartbreak, taking a pointed swipe at Jackman amid swirling rumors he cheated with Foster.
‘My heart and compassion go out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal,’ Furness said in the bombshell statement.
Despite Furness’ scathing remark, Foster stepped out smiling at the glitzy event—her first appearance since the jab—where she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical—but made a swift exit from the red carpet to avoid the press.
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Sutton Foster dazzled solo on the red carpet at Sunday’s 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards but skillfully avoided questions amid her eyebrow-raising romance with Hugh Jackman , DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal
The 50-year-old Broadway star stepped out under intense scrutiny surrounding her relationship with the 56-year-old Wolverine actor, whose messy divorce from wife Deborra-Lee Furness has stirred up plenty of controversy
Despite Furness’ brutal jab, Foster arrived smiling at the glamorous event where she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical—but made a swift exit from the red carpet, appearing to avoid the press
Arriving just before the show started, Foster stuck close to her publicist and shared photos with costar Michael Urie but avoided the area where reporters were gathered.
While stars like Nicole Scherzinger, Debra Messing, and Sarah Hyland paused for interviews, Foster clearly wanted to keep the spotlight on her performance—not her personal life.
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EXCLUSIVE
Deborra-Lee Furness' shock 'betrayal' jab at Hugh Jackman after divorce filing
Nominated alongside Darren Criss, Tom Francis, Jonathan Groff, Audra McDonald, and Scherzinger—all of whom openly answered questions—Foster’s avoidance seemed very deliberate.
Still, she appeared to enjoy her time on the red carpet, especially catching up with costar Urie and other Broadway friends.
A day before Furness’s swipe at Hugh, reports surfaced that Foster is ‘slowly moving’ her belongings into Hugh’s New York penthouse—the same one he bought with Furness in 2022.
According to New Idea, Deborra-Lee is ‘shattered’ that the Broadway star is making the property they once shared her own.
‘They’re living together, they’re inseparable… She’s slowly migrating her things over to Hugh’s place,’ a source said.
‘Deb is shattered knowing Sutton is making the penthouse her own – the place she poured her soul into,’ they added.
Arriving just before the show started, Foster stuck close to her publicist and shared photos with costar Michael Urie but avoided the area where reporters were gathered
While stars like Nicole Scherzinger, Debra Messing, and Sarah Hyland paused for interviews, Foster clearly wanted to keep the spotlight on her performance—not her personal life; (posing with Michael Urie)
Nominated alongside Darren Criss, Tom Francis, Jonathan Groff, Audra McDonald, and Scherzinger—all of whom openly answered questions—Foster’s avoidance seemed very deliberate
Tituss Burgess and Debra Messing were dressed to impress at the event
Nicole Scherzinger is Broadway’s newest star with her leading role in Sunset Blvd
Sarah Hyland gave a leggy display
Messing was all smiles on the red carpet for the Broadway spectacle
Darren Criss was a fellow nominee
The insider claimed Deb wants to be ‘treated fairly’ so she can move on from their split.
Hugh and Deborra-Lee bought the $22 million penthouse in New York’s Chelsea district in 2022.
The spacious 440 sqm apartment is part of an ultra-chic building with just 57 exclusive units.
Recently, Hugh was spotted with Sutton carrying moving boxes into the swanky penthouse.
Later, Sutton was seen leaving the luxe digs before hopping on a Citi Bike to jet off.
Meanwhile, Deborah didn’t mince words in her exclusive interview with DailyMail, describing Hugh’s ‘betrayal’ as a ‘profound wound that cuts deep.’
She added, ‘However I believe in a higher power and that God/the universe, whatever you relate to as your guidance, is always working FOR us.’
She continued, ‘This belief has helped me navigate the breakdown of an almost three-decade marriage. I have gained much knowledge and wisdom through this experience. Even when we are presented with apparent adversity, it is leading us to our greatest good, our true purpose.
A day before Furness’s swipe at Hugh, reports surfaced that Foster is ‘slowly moving’ her belongings into Hugh’s New York penthouse —the same one he bought with Furness in 2022; (seen in 2022)
Deborra-Lee Furness is ‘shattered’ that the Broadway star is making the property they once shared her own. (seen in 2013)
‘It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom.’
Back in January, DailyMail.com exclusively reported that the estranged spouses had yet to file as their decision to dismiss a prenup was proving to be a point of contention.
Insiders at the time claimed that their split could get ‘messy’ as they were struggling to divvy up their estimated $250 million fortune.
‘One of the biggest reasons why they haven’t yet filed is that they never had a prenup,’ an insider close to Jackman said.
‘When they got married, they thought it would be forever. Who doesn’t? At the time, neither of them expected Hugh’s career to get as enormous as it has.
‘Because there was no prenup, and he made a fortune during their marriage, this divorce is not going to be cut and dry. It may even get messy because the stakes are high. A lot of moving parts need to be worked out and there is a huge amount of money involved.’
The insider insisted they both wanted to ‘make this as easy as possible,’ but that after three decades and one partner becoming a massive A-list star, ‘it’s not quite that easy.’
Their marriage started to fall apart during Covid, as previously reported by DailyMail.com, around the same time that Jackman struck up a friendship with Foster, his costar on the 2022 Broadway revival of The Music Man.
Meanwhile, Deborah didn’t mince words in her exclusive interview with DailyMail, describing Hugh’s ‘betrayal’ as a ‘profound wound that cuts deep’ (seen in 2022)
She was married to Ted Griffin at the time (Griffin and Foster are also in the midst of finalizing their divorce).
Furness and Jackman announced the end of their marriage in a shock statement in September 2023, telling fans that they were ‘shifting’ and as a result had decided to ‘separate to pursue our individual growth.’
Soon followed rumblings that Jackman had struck up a relationship with Foster, with the pair finally confirming their romance in January, as they left a Los Angeles restaurant hand-in-hand.
Back in January, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that the estranged couple had yet to file for divorce, with the absence of a prenup becoming a major sticking point.
Insiders warned the split could turn ‘messy’ as they wrestled over their estimated $250 million fortune.
‘One of the biggest reasons why they haven’t yet filed is that they never had a prenup,’ a source close to Jackman explained.
‘When they got married, they thought it would be forever. Who doesn’t? At the time, neither expected Hugh’s career to explode the way it has.
‘Because there was no prenup, and he made a fortune during their marriage, this divorce isn’t going to be straightforward. It could get messy—the stakes are high, there are many moving parts, and a huge amount of money is involved.’
Following her decision to officially file for divorce from Deadpool & Wolverine star, 56, two years after announcing their separation, the n actress, 69, addressed her heartbreak in an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com (pictured in 1999)
The insider added that both want to ‘make this as easy as possible,’ but after three decades together and one partner becoming a major A-list star, ‘it’s not quite that simple.’
Their marriage began to unravel during the COVID-19 pandemic, as previously reported by DailyMail.com, coinciding with Jackman’s blossoming friendship with Foster, his co-star in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Music Man.
At the time, Foster was married to Ted Griffin (who is also now finalizing a divorce from her).
Furness and Jackman publicly announced their separation in a joint statement in September 2023, saying they were ‘shifting’ and had decided to ‘separate to pursue our individual growth.’
Rumors soon followed of Jackman’s relationship with Foster, which the couple confirmed in January when they were spotted leaving a Los Angeles restaurant hand-in-hand.