Hugh Jackman made headlines with a bold statement at the 2026 Met Gala, as he arrived alongside his new partner, Sutton Foster. This marked a significant public appearance following his recent divorce from ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness.
The 57-year-old actor concluded his marriage with Furness, who is now 70, last June after 27 years together. Jackman began his relationship with the 51-year-old Sutton Foster in late 2024, following their collaboration in the 2021 Broadway revival of “The Music Man.”
Throughout their lengthy marriage, Jackman and Furness graced numerous Met Galas as a couple, with their final joint appearance occurring in 2023. The subsequent year, Jackman attended the gala on his own, and in 2025, he opted to skip the event entirely amidst the media frenzy surrounding their split.
This year, Jackman made a striking return to the Met Gala. Accompanied by Sutton Foster, the pair ascended the famed steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, capturing the attention of onlookers and solidifying their status as a couple in the public eye.
And for his grand 2026 return to the Met Gala, Jackman had Sutton by his side as he trekked up the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s iconic staircase.
The couple looked totally smitten as they were often caught sharing loving glances during their red carpet stint.
Hugh Jackman delivered a brutal final blow to his ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness as he arrived to the 2026 Met Gala with girlfriend Sutton Foster as his glamorous date
The couple, who began dating in late 2024, looked very much in love during their red carpet stint on Monday
Jackman towered over Foster in a black tuxedo with a stylish velvet jacket and shiny dress shoes.
He accessorized with a diamond broach, which was secured to his left jacket lapel, and a silk pocket square.
The Wolverine star had a clean shaven face and his short brunette hair was pushed back with gel.
Foster was the picture of elegance in a glittering gold one-shoulder gown with a matching jeweled clutch.
The actress’s long brunette hair was swept to one side and worn in loose curls.
As for makeup, she amped up her brown eyes with fake lashes while her pout was painted a glossy nude shade.
Jackman and Foster’s Met Gala debut as a couple comes amid rumors that a wedding between the pair is close at hand.
Back in February, the Globe claimed that Jackman rejected the idea of drawing up a prenup with the Broadway star.
Jackman’s fortune is worth a reported $170 million compared to Foster’s estimated $4 million, but seemingly has no fears about sharing it with his future second wife.
During their 27-year marriage, Jackman and Furness attended several Met Galas, with their last appearance as a couple being in 2023; seen at the 2023 Met Gala
Jackman towered over Foster in a black tuxedo with a stylish velvet jacket and shiny dress shoes
Jackman accessorized with a diamond broach, which was secured to his left jacket lapel, and a silk pocket square
Foster was the picture of elegance in a glittering gold one-shoulder gown with a matching jeweled clutch
He ‘won’t even entertain’ the idea, an alleged insider told the magazine, and considers the suggestion ‘offensive.’
According to a source close to the couple, the wedding will take place as soon as Sutton’s divorce from ex Ted Griffin is finalized.
‘[Hugh’s] told his team to keep a big window open for him and Sutton to tie the knot and have a “honeymoon tour” of Europe, where they can see his mum,’ an insider told New Idea.
The source added that the couple are planning a small, ‘intimate’ ceremony in New York during spring or summer for their ‘theatre pals.’
The alleged wedding planning comes less than a year after Jackman and Furness finalized their bitter divorce.
The exes, who first separated in 2023, share two adult children: son Oscar, 25, and daughter Ava, 20.
The Met Gala became tradition for Jackman and Furness in the latter years of their marriage, with the couple making back-to-back appearance in 2017 and 2018.
Jackman and Furness also attended the gala in 2022 and 2023. Their first-ever Met Gala appearance as a couple was in 2004.
When Jackman arrived to the Met Gala without Furness in 2024 amid their split, he made a point of wearing the same Tom Ford tuxedo that he wore during their first Met Gala over two decades ago.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, falls on the first Monday in May every year.
The theme of this year’s event – widely considered the Super Bowl of celebrity red carpets – is ‘Costume Art’, while the dress code is ‘Fashion Is Art.’
The dress code calls on the A-list attendees to explore how designers use the human body as a blank canvas.
Jackman and Furness made their first Met Gala appearance in 2004
The former couple seen at the 2017 Met Gala
They also joined stars at the 2018 soiree, which was themed Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination
Leading the charge is a powerhouse trio of co-chairs, with Beyonce, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams joining forces with Vogue’s global editorial director Anna Wintour to oversee fashion’s biggest night.
It’s the first time tennis superstar Williams has co-chaired the gala. Kidman previously co-chaired the star-studded event in 2003 as well as 2005, and Beyonce was an honorary chair in 2013.
The New York City museum will pair historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute for the exhibition, which will be loosely divided into three categories, including the classical and the nude body, aging and pregnant bodies, and the anatomical body.
The exhibit – set to unveil the Met’s sprawling new Conde M. Nast Galleries – has been made possible by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez, who are the lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs.
‘The title “Costume Art” refers to the history of the costume institute,’ Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s curator, said at a press conference.
Bolton, who selects the theme, said fashion has ‘the status of art because of, and not in spite of, its relation to the body.’
French luxury fashion house Yves Saint Laurent is also sponsoring the exhibit.
The 2026 Met Gala will also have a host committee that includes committee co-chairs Anthony Vaccarello and Zoe Kravitz, along with members Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Angela Bassett, Gwendoline Christie, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor and more.
Costume Art will run from May 10, 2026 through January 10, 2027, following the Met Gala on May 4.
The Met Gala is a huge money-maker for the museum, and provides the Costume Institute with its main source of funding.
Befoer their final appearance as a couple in 2023, Jackman and Furness graced the red carpet at the 2022 Met Gala celebrating In America: An Anthology of Fashion
Amid his and Furness’s high-profile divorce, Jackman notably attended the Met Gala solo in 2024
The 2026 Met Gala marks a major moment because it’s the first one since Wintour technically stepped back from one of her famed roles at Vogue.
In June 2025, Wintour announced she was stepping down as the editor-in-chief of American Vogue after 37 years.
The global director for Vogue and global chief content officer at Conde Nast hired Chloe Malle as the new head of editorial content at Vogue.
Wintour has famously been incredibly hands-on with the Met Gala over the years, and is credited with making it the splashy A-list affair it has become, beloved by celebrities like Rihanna, the Kardashians, Blake Lively, Zendaya and more.
Last year, many stars did not attend the Met Gala, and some people thought it was to avoid making a faux pas because of the theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which was centered around the political and aesthetic constructs of Black dandyism.
