Where did Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman first meet? Couple's friendship-turned-relationship explored as they celebrate the new year in Costa Rica

Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman began their relationship as friends. The pair met for the first time in 2008, when they were snapped backstage at the SHREK show on Broadway. At the time of their meeting, Sutton was married to her high-school sweetheart, Christian Borle. Hugh was also married to his ex-wife, Deborra-lee Furness.

Unfortunately, neither of their marriages worked out. Sutton Foster and Christian Borle divorced after three years together, and Deborra filed for divorce from The Wolverine actor in May last year. The latter couple's divorce was finalized in June 2025.

Fast forward to 2026, Hugh Jackman was recently spotted with Sutton Foster on a beach in Costa Rica. The couple was seen playing in the water, holding hands, and hugging as they watched the sunset.

Keep reading to learn more about Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman's new relationship.

Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman's relationship timeline

As mentioned, Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman began their relationship as friends years ago when they met backstage at SHREK on Broadway. Since then, the two have formed a bond.

Six years after their first meeting, they were reunited at the 68th Tony Awards. Hugh was hosting the event and waltzed with the nominees, sharing a dance with Foster while introducing the Best Actress category.

A year later, they were working together on the revival of the 1962 film adaptation, The Music Man. Sutton even took to Instagram to share a clip of the two of them from rehearsals. The majority of the netizens did not react well to the video.

Here is the clip:

As the pair started previews for The Music Man in December 2021, they shared a few posts on their social media platforms, talking about working with each other.

Hugh shared a post of him and Sutton Foster dancing, including other cast members in the rehearsal room. The caption reads:

"There are hundreds of people who've made this moment happen. But there's one in particular I pay tribute to - @sfosternyc . this show is nothing without you. You're an exceptional talent and friend. Your joy brings the company of @MusicManBway to life. Let's do this!"

Sutton Foster also took to Instagram to express her admiration for her co-actor. She wrote on Instagram:

"A dream to be dancing with Hugh every night in the Music Man and an honor for it to be captured by the incredible Annie Lebowitz for @vanityfair."

Sutton and Hugh attended the premiere of the musical in February 2022 together. They were walking the red carpet and taking photos together. Sutton Foster shared two photos from that night on her official Instagram. She captioned it:

"This man. An honor to be by your side. You. Are. The. BEST."

A month later, Hugh and Sutton celebrated her birthday together, along with the Music Man audience. He urged the audience to sing along, to wish the Younger actress a very happy birthday. In usual Sutton Foster style, she took to Instagram to document the memory.

She shared the video and wrote in the caption:

"Hugh Jackman is an evil, horrible, WONDERFUL human. He had the entire audience sing to me last night."

The pair started making more public appearances together. They attended a charity event in the same year, as well as Late Night with Seth Meyers, a Tony Awards event, and the Annual Drama League Awards.

During an interview with Vogue in 2022, Sutton calls him one of her best friends. In her words:

"He has an impeccable reputation of being the hardest working man, incredibly kind, and generous—and all of that is true. He disarms everyone, and he doesn't make anything about him. And he's now become one of my best friends, which was a surprise, because you usually go into these things thinking, Well, I hope we get along. But we just spent Memorial Day with our families. It's really fun to meet new friends after 40."

She also shared a pre-show ritual that they do during her appearance on the Live With Kelly and Mark show. She said:

"We just talk and catch up on our day... That's been one of the best parts of the whole thing that I've made this wonderful new friend."

More than a year later, Deborra-lee Furness announced that she and Hugh would be separating in a public statement in 2023. It reads:

"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... Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives."

A year later, Sutton Foster also announced her divorce from her second husband, Ted Griffin. An insider source close to the actress revealed to Page Six, that Foster and Jackman are:

"100 percent together and are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together."

By November 2024, a source from US Weekly confirmed that Sutton and Hugh's relationship began when they were working together on The Music Man. The source also confirmed that the alleged reason for Hugh's divorce is his relationship with Sutton.

In their words:

"Sutton and Hugh's relationship is the reason Hugh and Deb got divorced... A lot of people on Broadway knew, and we kept it quiet because both of them are so nice and great people. Everyone respected their privacy. But there was an affair and overlap. They are really happy now."

At the beginning of last year, Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman were spotted in public holding hands. However, many were wondering how Jackman's ex-wife took the PDA. An insider source told Daily Mail:

"Deborra-Lee feels a sense of relief to be honest with you... She has been plagued with suspicions. She was told it wasn't true and that they were nothing more than close friends who worked together. But something in her heart told her that this was not true."

They added:

"She trusted her intuition and her intuition was right... She finally feels at ease after getting confirmation that her fears and suspicions were warranted. She can now fully close this chapter and move on."

Since their relationship is out in the open, the Music Man co-stars have been going on more dates together, going on vacations, and spending more time together. They even made their red carpet debut at the premiere of Hugh's film, Song Sung Blue, in October last year.

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Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman's relationship grew slowly over the years, starting as a strong friendship. After both went through divorces, their bond turned into a romantic relationship. Now, they are openly together and seem happy as they begin this new chapter in their lives.

Also read: How Deborra-Lee Furness really feels about Hugh Jackman’s New York show ticket flop

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