Jackman's wife jokes about his gay rumors
It's hard to know how much Hugh Jackman's wife is fed up with ongoing rumors about her husband's sexual orientation, but she certainly has no trouble making jokes about the gossip whenever the opportunity arises.
In the most recent instance, Deborra-Lee Furness, 66, addressed the rumors about Jackman, 53, during a podcast interview, Us Weekly reported. She laughingly argued that the culture has evolved to the point that her handsome and charismatic husband wouldn't still need to be in the closet.
“Hugh's been gay for whatever, I mean, hello guys — if he was gay, he could be gay!” Furness joked during the “Not an Overnight Success” podcast, which was released on Sunday, Us Weekly said. Furness added: “He didn't have to hide in the closet anymore, and he'd be dating Brad Pitt, or whatever. Not that Brad's gay, but you know what I'm saying!”
Furness' comments come shortly after the couple celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary. The actor and mom of two has said similar things before, including in 2020 when she said on an Australian TV show: “He's been gay so many years.' In that interview, she said she hoped people weren't buying magazines that published “made-up” and “meanspirited” interviews.
She admitted that the speculation about their marriage has been more than annoying. “It's just wrong,” Furness said. “It's like someone saying to Elton John, `He's straight.' I'm sure he'd be pissed.”
Furness also acknowledged that one aspect of being married to Jackman has been hard. She said people constantly remind her how lucky she is to be partnered with the dashing actor, singer and dancer, who she said is such a “stud muffin” that some people like to joke that he can't be straight.
“People don't realize that it's actually rude to say that,” she said.
Jackman addressed the rumors himself in a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying that they have taken a toll, particularly on his wife. Furness and Jackman, both Australians, met in 1995 while working together on a TV show.