Nicole Kidman Reportedly Avoided Hugh Jackman at Met Gala After He Allegedly Left His ‘Deeply Hurt’ Ex-Wife for Sutton Foster
Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster made their Met Gala debut as a couple on Monday, May 4, 2026, and not everyone was happy to see them. Sources told Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice Substack that Nicole Kidman, who was a co-chair for the night, reportedly kept her distance from the pair out of respect for Jackman’s ex-wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.
“Nicole is firmly Team Deb,” one insider said. “She believes Deb was deeply hurt by how everything unfolded, and Nicole isn’t interested in pretending otherwise just because Hugh showed up with a new woman on his arm.”
The source revealed that Kidman avoided any and all interaction with Jackman, adding, “She didn’t want drama. But she also wasn’t going to play happy families for the cameras.”
Kidman also wasn’t the only one feeling awkward about Jackman and Foster’s joint appearance at the Met Gala, as many guests were allegedly talking about the abrupt end of the Greatest Showman star’s decades-long marriage.
“Deb’s ‘betrayal’ comment was not forgotten in Hollywood,” an insider explained to Shuter. “A lot of people close to her feel Hugh did her wrong, and Nicole is one of the friends who has stayed incredibly protective.”
According to New Idea, Deb was “devastated” over Jackman and Foster attending the Met Gala together. Deb and Jackman frequented the event several times together before making their final appearance as a couple at the 2023 Met Gala.
“Deb had been warned Hugh would be appearing with Sutton but it still felt like a knife to the heart seeing them there,” a source said. “This was her and Hugh’s ‘big night out’ for the year and they were there side-by-side, just like Sutton is today, just four years ago.”
The source continued, “They were regulars at the Met Gala and it was one of her favourite nights out. In fact, when they split they agreed to ‘split custody’ of the Met Gala and go on alternate years, but that was before anyone knew about Sutton.”
Although Deb’s “doing well moving on” from the “deeply hurtful betrayal,” she had hoped Jackman would attend the annual gala on his own—but he didn’t.
“It adds an extra layer of hurt that Hugh’s so willing to pave over their historic nights out with new memories,” the source said, adding that Deb was sad to see “Sutton smiling on the arm of Hugh.”
Jackman and his ex-wife, Deb, announced their separation in September 2023. At the time, they said in a statement per People, “We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”
Deb filed for divorce in May 2025, and it was finalized one month later.
