Affair Drama That Will Haunt Ethan Hawke & His Wife Forever

Oscar-nominated actor Ethan Hawke and producer Ryan Shawhughes appear to be in it for the long haul. The two tied the knot back in 2008, meaning they've been together for the better part of two decades — well above average as far as Hollywood marriages are concerned. However, the start of Hawke and Shawhughes' romance was marred by controversy, with rumors suggesting that the two started seeing each other while Hawke was still married to fellow actor Uma Thurman — with whom he shares two children, including "Stranger Things" star Maya Hawke. And regardless of who you choose to believe, it's clear that this alleged affair drama continues to loom over Hawke and Shawhughes' relationship.

Hawke and Thurman separated in 2003 after five years of marriage. Thurman officially filed for divorce in 2005, with the matter being legally settled the following year. Back then, persistent rumors posited that Hawke had cheated on Thurman with Shawhughes, who had worked as the pair's nanny. Of course, while Hawke and Shawhughes getting married three years later doesn't necessarily prove any shadiness, it likely raised a few eyebrows. But Hawke insists that they didn't get together until after his divorce. "When I split up ... I wanted to be single for the rest of my life. But then I made a best friend and I liked kissing her," he told The Sunday Times in November 2025.

Back in 2004, Hawke faced similar rumors than he had cheated on Thurman with Canadian model Jen Perzow, which he also denied. "Uma and I did not split up over anybody's infidelity. ... We had a lot of problems before I ever went up to Montreal," he said on "20/20" (via the New York Post) at the time.

Ethan Hawke has made no secret of the fact that maintaining a new marriage while facing constant scrutiny regarding the end of his previous marriage was tough. During his aforementioned interview with The Sunday Times, Hawke noted that divorce is difficult enough in its own right. "The public eye is like gasoline, but what makes divorce hard is the stuff that makes it hard for everyone — the family elements, how to help the kids through it," he said, adding, "I'm so envious of people who have amicable splits. I can't really talk about this because I vowed to my kids so many times not to talk about the divorce in public."

The actor also seems to have rather unconventional views about monogamy. And while his comments are unlikely to slow down the rumor mill in the slightest, his raw honesty regarding his perspective on the matter is certainly interesting. Speaking to Mr. Porter (via Us Weekly) in 2013, Hawke declared his full commitment to second wife Ryan Shawhughes, though also remarked that he was aware things could potentially change between them. He went on to describe most people's view of monogamy as "childish," opining that humans are non-monogamous by nature. "To act all indignant, that your world has been rocked because your lover wasn't faithful to you, is a little bit like acting rocked that your hair went grey," Hawke said.