9 Famous Couples Who Have Been In Open Relationships
04/05/2024 15:00
RuPaul, Will Smith, Shailene Woodley, and more stars have admitted to being in open relationships.
Traditional relationships aren't for everyone. For some, that means mutually agreeing with their partner to not be exclusive with one another. These consensual open relationships allow those involved to pursue romantic connections with other people outside of their core relationship. While it's a topic that's not often discussed, some celebrities have admitted to being in open relationships. Although it doesn't always work out in the long run, it remains an important part of their life.
Read on to find out which couples are open in their relationships…
1. RuPaul & Georges LeBar
RuPauland Georges LeBar have been dating since 1994 and have maintained an open relationship. RuPaul says that for the pair, who tied the knot in 2017, monogamy is just not realistic. Nowadays, RuPaul doesn't step out of the relationship that often because there's no longer "a circle of people" that he can rely on for intimacy due to his fame but it remains an option.
"It's just realistic. There's no such thing as monogamy with men," he told The New Yorker, noting, "I meet new people, but like, socially, do I go out to dinner with people, or meet someone and say, 'Hey, let's go on a hike'? Very rarely."
2. Will & Jada Pinkett Smith
Willand Jada Pinkett Smith went through many highs and lows throughout the course of their marriage. While they are now separated, there were often rumors that the former couple had an open relationship. Although Will previously confirmed to GQthat they did agree to have sexual relationships outside of their marriage, Jada says she didn't see the marriage as "open."
"It was never open, it was transparent. Transparent meaning, look I wasn't going to fool myself into thinking that we as 20-some-year-olds, babies mind you, getting married and living in Tinsel Town, spending a lot of time apart -- that we weren't going to run into temptation situations," Jada said on The Jess Cagle Show.
She continued, "I'm like, hey, we got to be in partnership with this. Like, I wanted to face it head on…I didn't want to create a culture of deceit or betrayal between us and I just wanted to be real about it from the gate."
3. Nico Tortorella & Bethany C. Meyers
Nico Tortorella has been together with their wife, Bethany C. Meyers, for over a decade. Through the years, the couple have explored their sexualities and experienced different kinds of relationships -- although they don't typically like to label anything.
"I'm a deep lover and it can happen very fast and still continues to, with other people and with Bethany on a regular basis... [We're not] out here f--king all the time and we have all of these other partners. No, that's not the case...I am kind of a serial monogamist in my polyamory...I love dating one person at a time. I'm married, yes, but I love dating one person at a time. I have a partner in LA that I've had for a long time, but I'm not his only partner; he's not my only partner," Nico explained to Attitudein 2020.
4. Kate Mara & Max Minghella
WhenKate Marawas dating Max Minghella many years ago, they were in an open relationship, according to Elliot Page. In his memoir, Pageboy, Elliot wrote that he privately dated Kate while she was in a relationship with Max. Looking back on the early days of their relationship, Elliot explained that he was hesitant to flirt with Kate while Max was nearby. When she sensed what he was feeling, Kate told Elliot that Max "doesn't care." Then, before their first dinner date, Elliot says Max told Kate he was "supportive" of the pair exploring their connection.
5. Shailene Woodley
In the past, Shailene Woodleysays she has been involved in open relationships -- although she's never shared the name of her former partner. She explained that both open and monogamous relationships have worked for her, and it's all up to the people involved.
"Listen, I'm someone who has experienced both an open relationship and a deeply monogamous relationship in my life, and I think we're in a day and age where there should be no rules except for the ones designed by two people in a partnership -- or three people, whatever floats your boat!" Shailene said in an interview with the New York Times.
She continued, "But there has to be a level of responsibility in any relationship dynamic, and that responsibility is simply honesty and communication and trust. Apart from that, it's really none of our business what people choose to do with their lives."
6. Thomas Middleditch & Mollie Gates
Thomas Middleditch and his ex wife, Mollie Gates, were in an open relationship but it didn't work out for them in the long run. He explained that once they tied the knot, he realized he was interested in swinging and Mollie said she was willing to try things out. Unfortunately, it wasn't right for her.
"Only after I got married was I like, 'Mollie, I'm sorry, but we have to get nontraditional here.' To her credit, instead of saying 'F--k you, I'm out,' she was like, 'Let's figure this out.' To be honest, swinging has saved our marriage. We have different speeds, and we argue over it constantly, but it's better than feeling unheard and alone and that you have to scurry in the shadows," Thomas told Playboybefore the couple ultimately divorced.
7. Margaret Cho & Al Ridenour
Margaret Cho and her husband, Al Ridenour, are no longer together but before their split, they were in an open relationship. She says they were incredibly comfortable with one another and she was even sometimes in the same house as Al while he was with another woman.
"I just don't want to have sex with the same person my whole life. That's just gross...We have a really big house. It's kind of like if we wanna have that, it's like, 'You can stay on your side, or I'll stay on my side.' When I see her, I'll make her dinner...Oh yeah. I've definitely been in the house," Margaret shared on The Real.
8. William Daniels & Bonnie Bartlett
When William Daniels and his wife Bonnie Bartlett tied the knot in the 1950s, they admit that they struggled with fidelity. For the first two decades of their relationship, Bonnie says they had an open marriage until William began seeing another woman which left her "devastated." It changed her outlook on being open and they eventually decided to live monogamously.
"I guess it was a little bit of an open marriage at first, but that was very painful. That didn't work well. And it was a time when people were doing that. It was at a time in New York when there was a lot of sex and a lot of people doing all kinds of things, you know -- very free," she toldFox News Digital.
She continued, "It was very painful for the both of us. But it was something we had to go through because we never went through it. When we got together I was 18. Bill was my first boyfriend… We just had to go through all that and still, we loved each other very much and always have. [We] have always been there for each other. That's what matters -- if you're there for the person and help [them] along in a relationship, [have] respect for them and what they're doing and being there for them… [You have to] be together on the other side."
9. Mo'Nique & Sidney Hicks
Mo'Nique and her husband, Sidney Hicks, have been married since 2006 and share an open relationship. She explained that it was her idea to keep their relationship open and Sidney agreed. While Mo'Nique says she doesn't often see other people, she has continued to be a proponent of open relationships with her podcast.
"Initially, when I asked for it, it was because I wanted to continue to see the gentlemen that I was seeing, and I felt comfortable telling my best friend…so when I sat down and said this is what I want initially it was because I wanted to still have sex with who I was seeing and I didn't want it to be where I was keeping anything from my best friend. That's how it initially started, and when I tell you the conversations that we've had, it has taken me to a different place where I'm not even thinking of another man sexually, but still open to it," Mo'Nique explained to Essence.
