Monogamy definitely isn’t for everyone, and a handful of celebrities in open relationships have proven that non-monogamous marriages may succeed for certain couples.
Shailene Woodley disclosed in a 2020 interview with The New York Times that she has been in both closed and open relationships in the past and that both have served her well. In her words, she said,
“Listen, I’m someone who’s had both an open and a profoundly monogamous relationship in my life, and I feel we’ve arrived at a point in history where there should be no laws besides those created by two people in a partnership—or three people, whatever floats the boat!”
“However, in any relationship dynamics, there must be a degree of accountability, responsibility, communication, and confidence. Apart from that, what people want to do with their lives is actually none of our business.”
On the other hand, Nicole Poturalski was in an open marriage with her ex, restauranteur Roland Mary, when Brad Pitt first dated her in 2020. “They’re still together, but their relationship may be described as an ‘open marriage,’” a source told The Daily Mail at the time, adding that Mary wasn’t “interested in negativity or jealousy” when it came to his wife’s relationship with Pitt, whom he introduced her to at one of his Berlin restaurants.
But besides these two scenarios above, more celebrities that have been in open relationships—or are now in them—are listed below.
1. Carl Dean and Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is a country music legend.
When she was 18 and he was 21, Parton met her husband, Carl Dean, at a laundromat in Nashville. In 1966, they tied the knot. Parton has spoken of how she and her partner have an open relationship, according to Life & Style. The only rule is that they don’t discuss it with each other.
“We don’t care if we cheat, but if we do, it’s really nice for all of us,” she explained. “If he’s cheating on me, I don’t want to know. He wouldn’t like to know if I’m cheating on him,” Patron said
2. Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith
Jada made it public that she and Will were in an open relationship in a 2013 interview with the Huffington Post. She said at the time,
“I’ve always told Will, ‘You can do anything you want as long as you can see yourself in the mirror and be okay.'” “Because Will is his own guy at the end of the day. I’m here as his girlfriend, but he’s a self-contained person. He must choose who he wants to be, and I will not make that decision for him. “Or the other way around.”
However, Will and Jada’s open relationship went viral in 2020 after the singer, August Alsina, came out to say that he had an entanglement with Jada, irrespective of her marriage to Will.
Jada, on the flip side, had reacted to these claims, confirming that she dated Alsina when she and Will were apart for a brief period. This came in an interview on Jada’s Facebook Watch talk show, Red Table Talk, at the time.
Jada told Will, “You and I were going through a very tough time.” Will said, “I was done with your butt.” She explained, “We basically broke up.” “We wanted to go our different ways for a while.
3. Sidney Hicks and Mo’Nique
In 2006, Mo’Nique married Sidney Hicks, an actor and filmmaker who revealed that she and her husband had an open relationship in a 2006 interview with Essence.
“Many people have inquired as to what it is. When I first asked for it, it was because I wanted to keep seeing the gentleman I was seeing, and I felt relaxed asking my best friend,” Mo’Nique said during an interview in a 2016 episode of her podcast, “Open Relationship.” But when I sat down and said this is what I wanted, it was because I wanted to continue having sex with the person I was seeing but still not hiding it from my best friend. That’s how it began, and the talks we’ve had brought me to a new level where I’m not really dreaming of another guy sexually, although I’m always open to it.”
4. Bethany C. Meyers and Nico Tortorella
Tortorella, a Younger actor, announced in a 2016 interview with Cosmopolitan that he and his wife Bethany C. Meyers were in a “queer polygamous” relationship.
“I have a cheating philosophy… Cheating, after all, is a negative thing, right? But I agree that in this day and age, an open relationship, or some sort of interpretation is acceptable,” Tortorella said at the time.
“And I’ve been in those relationships, they work sometimes and don’t work other times. However, stealing is a negative thing in itself. You’re a poor guy if you’re going behind someone’s back and if there’s some sort of animosity involved.”
5. Steve Parker and Shirley MacLaine
In 1954, MacLaine married producer Parker. The pair had a divorce in 1982, but MacLaine admitted in a 2016 interview with People that she and her then-husband had an open relationship. This explains why their marriage did not last for so long.
She said at the time,
“No one else got it, but we did. He actually lived in Japan, while I worked in America and did other things.”
“I agree it is the cornerstone for a long-term marriage if you really wish to do so,” she added. “It is preferable to remain friends since we do not have enough time to explore all facets of sexuality. I was very forthright about everything, and he was as well.”
What percentage of couples are in open relationships?
According to research, approximately 4% to 5% of heterosexual couples have agreed to have an open relationship. To put it another way, they’ve agreed not to be monogamous.
Who Is Most Likely to Be in an Open Relationship?
By a significant margin, millennials are more likely than any other generation to indicate an interest in having an open relationship. Four out of ten Millennials (41%) are interested. but Generation Z (29%) is 12 points behind, followed by Generation X (23%).
Do Open Marriages Last?
Around 20% of couples have tried consensual nonmonogamy, but open marriage has a 92 percent failure rate. Jealousy of the other is experienced by 80% of people in open marriages.
Are open marriages OK?
An open marriage can be healthy, but it is unlikely to save a failing relationship. “In reality, existing tensions, power struggles, and other challenges in a relationship will be amplified tenfold when you open up a monogamous relationship.”
Conclusion
Basically, celebrities in open relationships will pose as role models to their fans who are thinking of going down this path. But here’s the thing: you should stick to what works for you rather than trying to fit into something that’s not you.
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