Revealed: The real reason Hugh Jackman has been dogged by gay rumours for two decades – but is he having the last laugh with a new romance after shock split from wife?

Hugh Jackman’s sexuality was debated for 20 years, with the rumor mill going into overdrive when he split from his wife last year.

Despite repeatedly claiming to be heterosexual, unfounded rumors that he is homosexual continue to swirl, with Jackman himself even fueling the whispers by mocking the speculation.

He has also discussed the origins of the claims, believing they date back to a role he played in 2003.

Jackman was happily married to Deborra-Lee Furness at the time, but played openly gay singer-songwriter Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz on Broadway.

Of the role he took on at the time, he reflected, “Some people said, ‘It’s brave of you to play a gay man.’ And I find that very dated. Isn’t it?’

During production he had to kiss male co-star Jarrod Emick on stage, and looking back on the moment he believes sparked the rumors, Jackman shared: “I literally just sat there with my lips pursed… I started laughing so hard.

‘So I keep kissing him, because I was like, “I’m just going to laugh. I’m going to stay here until it goes away,” and it never went away and the whole audience could see my body shaking, so they started. ‘

He added during the 2018 interview: “Some guys get upset, some guys say, ‘Don’t say I’m gay.’ [but] I’m good.’

When The Boy from Oz ended its career on Broadway and began performing in Australia in 2006, Jackman no longer had to kiss his lover on stage.

On the decision to remove the kiss, his new co-star Murray Bartlett explained: “We just wanted to keep it really simple and really pure.”

The same-sex kiss was not part of the original musical when it first launched Down Under in 1998, and was not added to the script until production began on Broadway in 2003.

Jackman is revered by the gay community and became an instant pin-up when photos surfaced of him shirtless enjoying a ride on the beach with his hunky personal trainer.

The vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights recently spoke about his sexuality during his one-man show, The Man. The music. The 2019 show.

Addressing the crowd at London’s O2 Arena, Jackman, 56, winked and said: ‘I know what you’re all thinking… is that him? Isn’t he… [pauses for effect]…Australian?’

Although he is unfazed by the rumors, Jackman admitted that he was worried about the consequences for his wife.

Speaking He told 60 Minutes: “To me, it’s not the most interesting thing about a person anyway. I get frustrated for Deb because I see Deb saying, “Ah, this is just crazy!”

Addressing the rumors about Anh’s Brush with Fame, Furness rolled her eyes and exclaimed, “I see these magazines and they’re so mean… I hope people realize it’s all made up.

She added: ‘[Hugh’s] I’ve been gay for so many years, I was gay when I did [the 1988 film] Shame. They were shocked when I got married.

‘It’s just wrong. It’s like someone saying to Elton John, “Oh, he’s straight.” I’m sure it would be broken!

‘And so what! What are we talking about here? Is he vegetarian? Is he gay?’

During another conversation On the podcast Not an Overnight Success, Deborra-Lee said: ‘I mean, hey guys – if he was gay, he could be gay!

“He didn’t have to hide in the closet anymore and was going to date Brad Pitt or whatever. Not that Brad is gay, but you know what I mean!’

She continued, “It’s so silly, and then people keep perpetuating silly things and it gets boring.”

The couple met on the set of Australian TV show Correlli in 1995. They married just eleven months later and adopted two children, son Oscar, 23, and daughter Ava, 19, in 2005.

Last year they revealed they had split after 27 years of marriage, sparking a new wave of rumors about Hugh’s sexuality.

Yet this week it was claimed that Jackman is now dating Broadway legend Sutton Foster, 49, and that they ‘spend all their free time together’.

Sources said Page six that Jackman and Foster are reportedly keeping their relationship private amid ongoing rumors.

“They spend all their free time together,” an insider claimed. “They’re an ordinary couple, they’re just in private.”

This report comes just days after Foster filed for divorce from her husband, Ocean’s Eleven screenwriter Ted Griffin, after ten years of marriage.

Foster and Griffin share one child, seven-year-old daughter Emily, whom they adopted in 2017.

Since their separation and prior to her divorce filing, she and Jackman have reportedly been spending more time together privately and have been “inseparable,” the insider claimed.

The source added that the couple is keeping a low profile and “sneaking around.”

Speculation about the couple’s relationship first began in Broadway circles while Foster was starring alongside Jackman in The Music Man.

They worked together for over a year in the Broadway show, which ran from December 2021 to January 2023.

A number of sources told Page Six that Foster and Jackman have “fallen in love.”

“They are 100 percent together, in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together,” an insider previously told the publication.

The couple is reportedly doing well but has kept the relationship out of the public eye, according to sources.

A source claimed: ‘They are still together. They do everything they can to hide it, but it is common knowledge.’

Recently, an interview from 2022 resurfaced, revealing Jackman calling Foster a “dream.”

At the time, he was excited about the opportunity to work with Foster on the Broadway revival of The Music Man.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done a book musical, actually 18 years since The Boy From Oz,” he told the New York Theater Guide two years ago.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to make movies and do some plays, but there’s nothing like doing a musical on Broadway.”

He then specifically applauded “this cast in particular” for their hard work before affectionately saying, “Sutton Foster is just a dream.”