Prior to his death in 2008, the esteemed Hollywood actor was married to his second wife Joanne
Woodward for many decades.
Although Paul was considered a decidedly family-friendly figure in the entertainment industry, it has
long since been rumored that the star engaged in a notable extramarital affair with actress
Nancy Bacon early on in his marriage to Joanne.
Paul and Joanne refused to comment upon these rumors while Paul was alive.
Now that Paul has passed away, Joanne is looking to finally put these rumors to rest!
Join Facts Verse as we take a look at why Joanne Woodward is furious about Paul Newman’s
affair.
The late Paul Newman remains known for many things.
Not only was he one of the most popular Hollywood actors of his time, but he was also a political
activist and charitable figure that became equally well known later in life as the figurehead
of the brand Newman’s Own.
On top of all of these many hats that the esteemed figure wore during his life, he was
also seemingly always a loving husband to his second wife Joanne Woodward, whom he married
in 1958 and stayed with for half of a century until the event of his 2008 death.
Although Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married for five decades, their marriage wasn’t
always a perfect union.
In fact, when Paul first met Joanne, he was still married to his first wife!
Many have theorized that Paul and Joanne actually became intimate while Paul was still married
to his first wife Jackie Witte.
However, Joanne and her late husband have always remained adamant that they waited until
Paul was divorced to start canoodling.
Paul Newman met his first wife Jackie Witte in 1949, shortly before becoming a big Hollywood
star.
During their decidedly short-lived marriage, Paul and Jackie had three children together.
Jackie was apparently always supportive of her husband’s aspirations to become a Hollywood
star, and those aspirations paid off later in the decade.
Paul made his big-screen debut in 1954 with a role in The Silver Chalice, and later became
a star thanks to his starring turn in the 1958 boxing biopic Somebody Up There Likes
Me.
While Jackie Witte should’ve been happy about her husband’s success, it came with
a caveat.
Just as Paul was breaking out into the industry, he was also slowly falling in love with fellow
star Joanne Woodward.
Paul and Joanne first met in 1953, while they were both working in New York City on a Broadway
production by the name of Picnic.
Joanne apparently didn’t find herself initially impressed by the actor, though Paul was allegedly
instantly taken by her.
The thing that first struck Paul about Joanne were her incredible looks, though he would
later come to realize that the actress was capable of much more than just looking good.
What had started out as infatuation quickly turned into legitimate admiration.
As Paul found himself falling sincerely in love with Joanne, the actress found herself
being similarly won over by his charms, as well.
However, the fact that Paul was married at the time allegedly prevented them from taking
things further during the production of the play.
After the production of Picnic came to an end, Paul and Joanne apparently parted ways
before meeting back up by chance a few years later.
By that time, the two realized that they still had strong feelings for each other and that
they didn’t want to let them fall by the wayside.
Feeling that he had found the new love of his life, Paul talked his first wife into
getting a divorce so that he could marry Joanne.
After meeting back up in 1957, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward officially tied the knot
in 1958.
They would remain married for five decades, though it has been rumored that Paul was unfaithful
to Joanne in their marriage numerous times.
Despite the rumors, the late actor remained adamant up until his death that he never cheated
on Joanne.
Today, more than a decade after her late husband’s death, Joanne is still fielding rumors about
Paul’s alleged infidelity.
Despite the fact that they were successfully married for five decades, many considered
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward to be an odd couple.
Paul Newman was a sex symbol known for living life in the fast lane, whereas Joanne had
a much more subdued personality that didn’t quite jive on the surface with her husband’s
more exciting way of life.
Still, the two seemed to make things work, even amidst rumors that Paul was being unfaithful
to her with numerous other partners.
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Paul Newman always denied that he cheated on first wife Jackie Witte with second wife
Joanne Woodward, but these rumors were far from the only rumors of infidelity that the
star had to continuously refute over the course of his lifetime.
It has been alleged that Paul Newman had extramarital relations with many, many figures over the
course of his lifetime, with these figures including both men and women.
Some of the many figures that Paul was rumored to have been romantically involved with during
his time married to Joanne include Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Judy Garland, and Marlon
Brando.
Before her death, actress Shelley Winters alleged that she had relations with both Paul
Newman and Marlon Brando at the same time.
Part of Paul’s image was his clean-cut sensibility, and it would’ve been disastrous for the
star’s career if the American public had been successfully convinced that he was an
adulterer.
Thankfully, Paul’s fans seemed to remain blissfully unaware of the possibility that
the actor could be unfaithful to his wife.
In one memorable interview, when he was asked about whether or not he ever got a wandering
eye when it came to his wife, Paul claimed there was no reason for him to go pick up
a hamburger when he had steak at home.
Fans ate this up, and Paul remained popular.
Paul’s hamburger line came back to haunt him when it started being rumored that he
was involved in an affair with fellow actress Nancy Bacon.
Tabloids started claiming that maybe Paul was too good to pick up a hamburger, but he
wasn’t above picking up some bacon!
Out of all the allegations of infidelity, the rumors that Paul had an affair with Nancy
Bacon remain the most prominent.
According to legend, the two were romantically involved for well over a year, with their
affair apparently being a poorly kept secret.
Besides rumors of infidelity, another thing that tainted Paul Newman’s family-friendly
image during the 1970s was the fact that one of his sons from his first marriage died from
intoxication during the decade.
That was Scott, who had followed his father’s footsteps into the entertainment industry
before becoming addicted to substances and passing away in 1978.
Paul had used his industry connections to help secure Scott a position as a stuntman,
though this didn’t stop Scott from drinking himself to death not long after.
When Paul found out that Scott had passed away, the Hollywood star was devastated.
Of course, there was a part of Paul that blamed Scott’s death on the fact that he had left
first wife Jackie for second wife Joanne so many years prior.
According to Paul, he felt immense guilt for Scott’s death until his own death three
decades later.
In 1980, only a few years after the death of Scott, Paul created the Paul Newman Foundation
in an effort to quell some of his guilt.
The foundation was created with the expressed purpose of addressing the issue of substance
abuse in young adults.
The creation of the Paul Newman Foundation was far from the only charitable endeavor
that Paul Newman became known for later in his life.
The actor advocated numerous charitable causes over the course of his lifetime and loved
using his star power to do what he felt was the right thing.
He created the food brand Newman’s Own, which is still around today!
After tax, all of the company’s profits go to charity.
The brand has been incredibly successful and has donated hundreds of millions of dollars
since its inception.
Despite the rumors of infidelity that plagued the actor over his lifetime, Paul managed
to make things work with his second wife Joanne Woodward up until his death in 2008.
It has been said that Paul was still madly in love with Joanne Woodward even as he was
lying on his deathbed, and would still light up every single time she entered the room.
Over a decade after her husband’s death, Joanne Woodward is still having to field rumors
about her husband’s alleged year-plus affair with Nancy Bacon.
Joanne still remains adamant that no such affair ever occurred.
Legend says that Paul Newman was drinking heavily during the time period.
The drinking likely exacerbated his infidelity, and the guilt that he felt afterward only
made him drink more.
As the story goes, Joanne Woodward became sick of Paul Newman coming home drunk and
decided to give him an ultimatum.
It was apparently at this time that Paul decided to put his affair with Nancy Bacon to an end,
and also made a considered effort to escape his habit of heavy drinking.
If Paul Newman was unfaithful to Joanne at certain times during their marriage, it seems
that he made an effort to be a better husband later in life, yielding their long marriage.
Although the late Paul Newman remained adamant up until his 2008 death that he was never
unfaithful towards either of his wives, his second wife, Joanne Woodward is still fielding
rumors of an alleged affair between her late husband and actress Nancy Bacon.
Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that the late actress Shelley Winters
alleged that she had sexual relations with Hollywood stars Paul Newman and Marlon Brando
at the same time and that Paul was married to his second wife for five decades?
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