Celebrities on 'open relationships' and 'unconventional marriages'
by Ana Walia | Tue, 11 Jan 2022 20:28:18 GMT
Image Source: Newsweek, Business Insider

While the majority of people accept monogamy as their relationship status, many people are now experimenting or, in a larger sense, open to trying out open relationships. Celebrities who are admired and followed by their fans and followers have played a significant role in normalising such taboo issues for the general public to accept. Even if not to accept, they have made it a little easy for the audience to talk about it. 

Here are some of the celebrity couples who have expressed their thoughts and opinions about ‘open relationships', or 'unconventional relationships'. 

Shailene Woodley 

Actress Shailene Woodley spoke to The New York Times in April 2020 and shared that she has been a part of an ‘open relationship’. She said, "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. 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." Shailene Woodley is now engaged to Aaron Rodgers.

Shailene Woodley. Image Source: Daily Beast

Nico Tortorella 

Nico Tortorella who starred in ‘Younger’ has also shared previously in his interview with Cosmopolitan that he and his now spouse Bethany C. Meyers are ‘queer polygamous’. He stated, "Cheating is bad, right. But I think that an open relationship or a polyamorous relationship or an understanding of sorts is acceptable in this day and age... And I’ve been in those relationships and sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. But cheating inherently is a terrible thing. If you’re going behind the other person’s back and if there’s any type of malice, you’re a bad person, end of story.”

Nico Tortorella and Bethany C. Meyers. Image Source: YouTube

Jada Pinkett Smith 

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are some of the few couples in the industry who have been extremely vocal about their relationship and Jada Pinkett Smith has mentioned "Will and I BOTH can do WHATEVER we want because we TRUST each other to do so. This does NOT mean we have an open relationship... this means we have a GROWN one.”  

Recently Will Smith appeared for a GQ interview and shed some light on his relationship with Jada and mentioned, Jada never believed in conventional marriage. Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up. There were significant endless discussions about, what is relational perfection? What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection. We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison. And I don’t suggest our road for anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms that we’ve given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love.”

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith. Image Source: Insider 

Hugh Grant 

Actor Hugh Grant has expressed his thoughts about not believing in people are meant to get married while appearing on Howard Stern‘s SiriusXM radio show. He said, “If you ask me the question, ‘Do I think human beings are meant to be in 40-year-long monogamous, faithful relationships?’ No, no. Whoever said they were?” Hugh hinted that having affairs could help a couple have a more successful relationship adding, “I always admire the French and the Italians who are very devoted to their marriages. They take them extremely seriously, but it is understood that there might be other visitors at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. You just never boast about. They never say anything, but that’s what keeps marriages together.” 

Hugh Grant added, “I can see the lovely aspect if you marry exactly the right person – your best friend and it's cozy and it's lovely. But, people make so many mistakes. Do I think human beings are meant to be in 40-year-long monogamous, faithful, relationships? No, No, No. Whoever said they were? Only the Bible or something.”

Hugh Grant. Image Source: NME

Emma Thompson 

Emma Thompson also spoke candidly about her thoughts on ‘open relationship’ stating to Daily Mail, “I think that we're locked into certain ideas, and certain romantic ideals that have shaped our thinking about relationships for some time. And I do sometimes wonder about whether there are alternatives, and about whether our fury and rage and disbelief and horror about infidelity is quite realistic. All I’m suggesting is that there are other models and I’m also suggesting that we’d been a little bit caught by the happy-ever-after ideal.”

Emma Thompson. Image Source: Fox News 

Whoopi Goldberg

The entertainment legend Whoopi Goldberg in her book, ‘If Somebody Says ‘You Complete Me’, Run!’, has mentioned that extramarital affairs aren’t necessarily bad. She wrote, "Sometimes in a relationship, people can’t always get what they need, and if you have reputable people you can turn to in order to get what you need, I say go for it. It's a whole lot better than being frustrated and angry at the person you love."

Whoopi Goldberg. Image Source: Prevention

Dolly Parton 

Dolly Parton. Image Source: Hello Magazine 

The Iconic singer, Dolly Parton was asked during an interview if she and her husband Carl Thomas Dean to whom she has been married for 55-years has had an ‘open marriage’, to which she replied, “If we cheat we don't know it, so if we do cheat, it's very good for both us. I don’t want to know it, if he’s cheating on me. If I’m cheating on him, he wouldn’t want to know it. And if we do, if that’s what’s making it work, then that’s fine too.” 

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