The entertainment industry is no stranger to scandalous affairs and gossip. For centuries now, the stories of notorious mistresses and forbidden love affairs have plagued popular culture. From King Henry VIII to President John F. Kennedy, it is no shocker that some patterns have seen longevity well into the 21st century.
Here are some of the men who have created some of the biggest scandals of infidelity in recent years:
John Mulaney and Olivia Munn's relationship timeline is tight
On May 13, 2021, Mulaney made headlines for announcing his relationship with X-Men Apocalypse actress Olivia Munn a mere three days after announcing his divorce from his wife after his 60-day stay in rehab.
Mulaney and Munn confirmed the pregnancy of their first child together in September 2021 and welcomed their son, Malcolm Hiệp Mulaney, on Nov. 24, 2021.
In a 2015 interview with HuffPost Live, Munn shares how she was obsessed with talking to Mulaney at a wedding they were both invited to:
"At first, it was cool and then I kept going up to him at the wedding like, 'So you having fun?'" she continued. "I was just so obsessed with hanging out with and talking with him."
Munn admits to emailing Mulaney after the wedding but states, "he never emailed back."
"I might've got the wrong email ― probably," she laughed. "That's what I tell myself.”
A spokesperson for Mulaney's ex-wife, Anna Marie Tendler, told PageSix: "I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage. I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery.”
Sources close to Mulaney would disclose to PageSix that Mulaney had filed for divorce three months earlier. A spokesperson for Mulaney rebutted inquiries about the divorce, saying, "John will not have any further comment as he continues to focus on his recovery and getting back to work."
Neither Mulaney nor Tendler has addressed the cheating allegations. However, various insiders would. A friend of the former couple told PageSix about Mulaney's alleged excessive cheating, which were often affected by Mulaney’s battles with addiction.
"John really suffered through lockdown last year,“ the friend said. "Anna Marie moved to Washington, DC, to work at the Smithsonian on a project, and he was back in NYC and out of control.”
"He was DMing women on Instagram for hookups — whether he went through with anything, we don’t know — and by December he'd fallen off the wagon again and was abusing drugs and alcohol,“ the friend continued.
There are multiple coincidences and disinformation surrounding Munn and Mulaney's relationship, including a report by People stating that the couple met at church in LA, something that the internet would disprove with the interview of Munn with HuffPost resurfacing, showing they met in 2013.
Jeremy Allen White and Addison Timlin
Court documents obtained by ET list Jeremy Allen White and Addison Timlin's separation date as Sept. 1, 2022. The split took the internet by surprise because five months later, Jeremy Allen White sang Timlin's praises on the 2023 Golden Globes stage as he accepted the award for Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy Series.
The former teen sweethearts met during an acting class and divorced after almost four years of marriage.
A source for ET explains the reasoning for the divorce as being trust issues in the relationship:
"(Allen White and Timlin) were having trust issues during their relationship that ultimately led to their divorce. They were attempting to work things out — but things became increasingly difficult for them, and they decided to split."
The former couple seem to be on good terms. Their co-parenting is seemingly great, even with some minor backlash Timlin faced when calling herself a single mom. Many people disagreed with her identifying as one, one commenter stating, "There is a difference between being a single mom and a mom who is single."
However, that does not stop the public from speculating.
At the beginning of their relationship, they were the subject of infidelity rumors as Allen White ended his relationship with former "Shameless" co-star Emma Greenwell to allegedly start dating Timlin.
During their divorce, Deuxmoi, Instagram's real-life gossip girl, posted an anonymous submission via email to her Reddit forum, subject "Golden Globes Hubby," which stated:
"... I've been sitting on some wild tea for a few weeks and am inspired to share after seeing a certain TV actor still wearing his wedding ring on tonight's award show. Said actor's wife is currently cheating on him with an actor/writer/director whom she met through the female co-star of his latest film. Not sure when it's coming to light, but I've heard both parties in the affair are planning to go public soon."
Deuxmoi also shared on their podcast that Allen White allegedly had an affair during his marriage.
"I received a blind item in May that said, 'Cheater cheater: Brooklyn's hottest dad whose divorce just went public cheated on his wife with a PA from his big show that has a second season coming out,'" Deuxmoi said.
Deuxmoi, who has stayed anonymous to the public, admitted to The New York Times to being an unreliable source:
"I've always stayed true to what I said from day one, which is that this information is not proven to be based in fact," she said. "I don't do any additional research. I'm not a reporter."
It is fair to say that rumors surrounding their divorce should be treated as such until the involved parties make statements themselves.
Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig's seemingly messy beginnings
In early 2010, Gerwig and Baumbach met when Gerwig was cast in Baumbach's 2010 film "Greenburg." During this time, Baumbach was married to actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. On Nov. 15, 2010, Leigh filed for divorce and it was finalized in 2013.
Gerwig and Baumbach collaborated on several occasions through the next decade, including "Frances Ha" (2013), "Mistress America" (2015) and "Barbie" (2023). Baumbach stated in a roundtable discussion for Hollywood Reporter that he has used things that Gerwig has said or written for him in his movies.
"It's beyond advice, it's like the roots,“ he said. "She's in there from the very beginning — Greta has lines in all my movies that are actually hers — I mean maybe things she said in life but also things she wrote that I say, 'Can I use that?'"
They made their red carpet debut as a couple on Jan. 7, 2018, at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, where Gerwig took home the award for best comedy or musical film for "Lady Bird."
This is when the timeline of their relationship starts to get confusing. US Weekly reports the couple started dating in late 2011.
This would mean the couple started dating within the timeframe of Baumbach and Leigh's divorce.
Rumors spiraled with the release of Baumbach's film “Marriage Story" (2019). The movie tells the story of the deterioration and divorce of a director, Charlie (Adam Driver) a theater actress, Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and their eight-year-old son, Henry (Azhy Robertson). The deterioration of their marriage includes Charlie's affair with a member of the theater company.
When asked about the parallel of the movie to his own life, Baumbach rejected any notion that it was based on his life.
"This movie is not autobiographical; it's personal, and there's a true distinction in that—It's a work of fiction, but it is extremely personal at the same time,“ he said.
Baumbach has shut down any speculations of his art reflecting life. There may be some plot holes in their relationship, like when they started dating, but Gerwig and Baumbach seem to be victims of public speculation.
Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande's relationship sends the internet into a frenzy
Lily Jay was blindsided by the news of Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande's relationship. Slater and Jay, being high school sweethearts, had their son, Ezra Slater, eleven months before the news of his and Ariana Grande's relationship dropped.
On July 21, 2023, sources close to Jay told PageSix, "It's horrible. They were high school sweethearts. They have a baby. She's a wreck."
In an article by US Weekly, Grande and Slater were allegedly very brazen about their relationship on the set of "Wicked.”
It is said that by the time Grande and Slater started pursuing a relationship, both had been separated from their partners.
Another source for US Weekly said that Grande and ex-husband Dalton Gomez had been experiencing issues for months leading up to the news of Slater and Grande's relationship; despite efforts to fix it, their separation was likely to turn into divorce.
It is alleged that Slater broke the news to his estranged wife days before the news hit the media.
However, the statement about Slater being separated from his wife has been brought into question, as a couple of months prior, he posted a sweet Mother's Day post on Instagram dedicated to Jay, saying: "Happy first Mother's Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mom/person in the world. — from me and this little guy.”
As of Feb. 14, 2024, Slater and Jay are still in the mediation phase of their divorce and have yet to be finalized, according to US Weekly.
A source for US Weekly gave an exclusive look into the current status of Grande and Slater's relationship, stating, "Ethan and Ariana are living together at her place and are very happy, but he's eager to get things finalized with the divorce."
While Slater and Grande are adamant about their relationship starting while they were separated and on the way to divorce, the public is unconvinced.
Celebrity relationships are under the spotlight due to their status in society. Many people put celebrity relationships on a pedestal, suggesting celebrities are meant to be idolized. However, celebrities are human; they can make mistakes, make bad decisions and make choices that hurt people.
