Last month marked three years since Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness announced their split after almost 30 years of marriage. Now the Broadway star and his girlfriend Sutton Foster are preparing for their own trip down the aisle – if they can stop fighting over the legal issues that seem to be blocking their happy-ever-after.
“Hugh and Sutton are putting on a good show, but a lot of things aren’t going right for them,” a source close to the couple reveals amid recent sightings of the pair looking strained in Los Angeles.
“The prenup is just one of their problems, but it’s one that seems to get more complicated each time they address it.”
While Hugh’s divorce from Deb, 70, was finalised in 2025, Sutton’s is reportedly dragging on. Despite initially filing for an uncontested split from her ex-husband, Ocean’s Eleven writer Ted Griffin, 55, they’re still ironing out issues with custody of their nine-year-old daughter Emily.
“The fact Sutton’s divorce isn’t finalised is a massive problem as it affects any prenup clauses over what she brings to the marriage,” adds our insider.
A prenup stands in their way
Meanwhile, Hugh’s kids are adults now, so there’s no child support and Deb took a lump sum rather than alimony.
The source continues, “Deb may want some kind of reassurance that Oscar and Ava’s fortunes are protected in his prenup, so aside from protecting the kids’ trusts, he’s free to marry Sutton. “Unfortunately, she’s still figuring it out with Ted, who’s slow-walking everything.”
Adding to their stresses, Sutton, 51, and Hugh, 56, want to start over with a house of their own, but the X-Men star still hasn’t sold the $53 million New York property he owns with Deb.
Dubbed “the house of broken dreams”, the luxury five-bedroom pad has been listed for sale twice, but a buyer is proving elusive. And until one comes along, Hugh – despite his million-dollar movie pay cheques – can’t afford to invest in another property. And that’s has a knock-on effect for the prenup and their wedding plans.
“Hugh and Sutton have a huge asset gap,” points out the insider.
“They both have careers that are making money, but in a prenup, it’s not so simple to ‘split what we make together’ when one’s Wolverine and the other’s doing a Broadway run.”
Their kids aren’t ready
Making things trickier is having to face up to sensitive issues that neither of them want to consider, adds the source.
“Both of them are dealing with prenups for the first time, so cheating clauses and things like ‘lump sums after X number of years’ makes it feel like a test, not a marriage.”
All the adults involved are mindful about ensuring the three kids remain protected, but it’s also forced into sharp focus the reality Hugh’s having to face – that his grown-up children just aren’t that excited about their dad’s wedding plans.
According to our insider, Oscar, 26, and Ava, 21, aren’t ready to join their dad’s bridal party.
“They’re both very loyal to their mum and it’s been a difficult time for them,” we’re told.
“Hugh and Sutton can argue over clauses and trusts, but the one thing they do agree is there’s no guest list until their kids are on board.”
