Why Hugh Jackman's Closest Allies Claim the Actor Cut Them Off After Deborra Lee-Furness Divorce

Hugh Jackman has been accused of abruptly pulling away from some of his closest long‑term friends in New York and Sydney after his 2023 divorce from Deborra‑Lee Furness, with one source claiming the X‑Men star now appears to reserve his free time for Hollywood names like Ryan Reynolds instead. The suggestion, made in anonymous briefings to US outlets, paints a picture of a suddenly smaller inner circle around Hugh Jackman at the very moment many assumed he would be leaning hardest on his old crowd.

For context, Jackman and Furness were married for 27 years and widely held up as one of the rare, steady partnerships in an industry built on short‑term contracts and long memories. Their separation stunned fans who had become used to seeing the pair side by side at premieres and on red carpets, and who had quietly filed the Australian couple under 'probably indestructible.' When that façade cracked, Jackman's public behaviour shifted in subtle but noticeable ways.

In the months that followed, observers noted a run of slightly off‑kilter Instagram posts and carefully staged appearances without much explanation for the change in tone. He was snapped sitting with Ryan Reynolds at an American football game, looking unusually subdued in the stands while Reynolds' wife Blake Lively and singer Taylor Swift enthusiastically watched Swift's partner Travis Kelce on the field. It was not the image of a man cocooned by the familiar comfort of his oldest friends.

According to an unnamed insider who spoke to In Touch, this new social pattern is precisely what has stung those who once formed Jackman's regular off‑screen support network. 'He doesn't seem to have the time for his old crowd and they feel they've been ditched right along with Deb,' the source alleged, adding that friends had tried to schedule catch‑ups only to find Jackman consistently unavailable. 'They try to make plans with him but he's never got the time — except he always has time for people like Ryan Reynolds. It's insulting!'

The language may be harsh, but the hurt behind it is familiar to anyone who has watched a divorce redraw social lines overnight. The implication is that Jackman's inner circle has been quietly rearranged, with long‑standing mates left to piece together the reasons for their sudden demotion while the actor presents a brave, polished front in public.

Why Hugh Jackman Might Be Pulling Back From Old Friends

The reports about Hugh Jackman cutting back contact with his 'old crowd' are, at this stage, entirely sourced to unnamed insiders. Nothing is confirmed by Jackman himself or his representatives, so all of it should be taken with a grain of salt. Yet the pattern described by those sources is recognisable enough that a therapist reading the tea leaves is not especially surprised.

Speaking to Nicki Swift, licensed counsellor Stephanie Wijkstrom, founder of the Counselling and Wellness Center of Pittsburgh, sketched out why someone in Jackman's position might quietly withdraw not only from their ex but from mutual friends as well. 'Depending on the specific situation leading to divorce, a person may want to distance themselves from their former partner,' she explained. 'That can include putting distance between themselves and mutual friends they fear may still be allied with a former spouse.'

In other words, the cull may not be about star power so much as self‑protection. After a breakup, people can feel they are under invisible surveillance, their words potentially carried back to an ex or judged against a private narrative they no longer control. Wijkstrom notes that this can place ordinary friendships under unexpected strain. Acquaintances sense the retreat but 'lack the context to understand why you are no longer reaching out or accepting invitations'.

From Jackman's perspective, his 'odd and erratic' post‑divorce behaviour, as one In Touch source labelled it, might simply be the messy middle of a life transition that looks tidier in official statements. From the outside, though, it can resemble rejection.

Sutton Foster, Alleged Betrayal And The Fallout Around Hugh Jackman

What may be complicating everything around Hugh Jackman is not just the divorce itself but the story that has grown up around its ending, particularly his relationship with Broadway star Sutton Foster. Jackman and Foster, long described as good friends, eventually confirmed they were a couple after his split from Furness, a development that immediately fed rumours of a prior affair.

Those rumours had been simmering for some time, but they gathered weight after a pointed comment from Furness to the Daily Mail. Without naming names, she referenced 'the traumatic journey of betrayal,' a phrase many observers interpreted as a sharp nod towards her ex‑husband's new romance. The statement added an unmistakable emotional charge to what had previously been framed as a dignified, amicable parting.

It is not hard to see how that subtext could bleed into friendship dynamics. Mutual allies may find themselves quietly choosing sides. Some will remain in touch with both. Others might drift towards the person they believe was wronged. If Jackman suspects that certain friends lean more towards Furness, or that they privately judge his choices, creating distance could feel easier than spelling any of that out.

The paradox, of course, is that while Jackman's friends reportedly worry about how he is coping, they also say they feel frozen out. One insider told In Touch that 'friends can't help worrying he's not doing as well as he's letting on,' even as they complain of being sidelined.

Wijkstrom is clear that if someone in Jackman's position truly wants to preserve those friendships, the onus is on them to offer at least a little clarity. 'Talk with your friends about what you are feeling emotionally,' she advised. 'Let them know the quiet is not about them but more about what you are going through so that they can lean in and check on you as well as not take it personally.'

Whether Hugh Jackman has had, or will have, those conversations with the people who knew him long before Marvel cheques and Met Galas is one of those private questions that public fame can never fully answer.

IBTimes UK has reached out to Hugh Jackman's reps for comments.