A timeline of Billy Crudup and Claire Danes’ ’00s cheating scandal
Billy Crudup’s romantic life was not without scandal before he tied the knot with Naomi Watts. In the early 2000s, the “Morning Show” actor made headlines after leaving Mary-Louise Parker, who was seven months pregnant at the time, for his co-star Claire Danes. Although Crudup and Danes dated for four years, their relationship ended with drama, much like how it began. Here’s a detailed timeline of their intertwining love story.
Crudup and Parker’s relationship began in 1996. The pair met while working on the stage revival of William Inge’s “Bus Stop” and soon moved in together. Their relationship flourished for seven years until Crudup met Danes while filming “Stage Beauty” in 2003. The “Almost Famous” star infamously left Parker just two months before she was due to give birth to their child together. Parker gave birth to their son, William, in January 2004. After keeping silent about the scandal for over a decade, Parker hinted at the situation in her 2015 memoir, “Dear Mr. You.”
Crudup and Danes began their romance in 2003 while they were filming “Stage Beauty.” At the start of their relationship, Crudup was still dating Parker, and Danes was in a relationship with singer Ben Lee. After a few months of splitting from their respective partners, they were spotted getting cozy in NYC. Although their reps insisted that they were just friends, the pair was “spotted nuzzling all over New York City” by the summer of 2004. They eventually moved into a Soho loft together. Despite the public start to their relationship, they decided to keep most of their romance out of the press. In fact, Crudup once told the New York Times that his love life “does not deserve to be exploited to sate the appetites of circulation counters and bored readers.” After three years of dating, Danes reportedly left Crudup for her now-husband, Hugh Dancy, in 2006.
Crudup took a break from the dating scene before finding love with Watts in 2017, following her split from Liev Schreiber. Nearly twenty years after the scandal, the couple tied the knot on June 9, 2023, sparking engagement speculation months prior. Despite their rocky past, Parker wished Crudup and his new wife well in an interview with the Guardian, saying, “I honestly, of course, wish them every happiness because that’s my son’s father. So I’m happy for them. I’m happy they found each other.”
Before Billy Crudup married Naomi Watts, his love life was laced with a series of scandals.
In the early 2000s, the “Morning Show” star found himself at the center of controversy after leaving Mary-Louise Parker — who was seven months pregnant at the time — for his co-star, Claire Danes.
Although Crudup and Danes went on to date for four years, their romance allegedly ended “with a scandalous bang, just as it began.”
Keep scrolling for a complete breakdown of the intertwining timeline.
Crudup and Parker start dating
Crudup started dating Parker in 1996 after the pair met while starring in the stage revival of William Inge’s “Bus Stop.”
The pair eventually moved in together and their relationship continued to flourish for the next seven years — until Crudup met Danes while filming “Stage Beauty” in 2003.
Crudup and Parker split
Crudup, then 35, infamously left the “Weeds” actress just two months before she was expected to give birth to their first child together.
“This has been rough for Mary-Louise,” a source close to Parker told People at the time. “To get pregnant together, and both wanting it, and now for this to happen—it’s been very difficult.”
Parker, then 39, gave birth to their son in January 2004, naming him William after his father.
After staying silent about the scandal for over a decade, Parker subtly hinted at the situation in her 2015 memoir, “Dear Mr. You.”
“I realize now that whatever I was walking through was part of my life, one piece of a bigger story that is mostly beautiful,” she wrote.
The start of Crudup and Danes
Not only was Crudup dating Parker at the start of their romance, but Danes was also in a relationship with singer Ben Lee at the time.
A few months after the pair split from their respective partners, they were spotted getting cozy in NYC — despite their reps insisting that they were just friends.
By the summer of 2004, the twosome was “spotted nuzzling all over New York City” and eventually moved into a Soho loft together.
However, after such a public start to their relationship, they decided to keep most of their romance out of the press.
In fact, Crudup once told the New York Times that his love life “does not deserve to be exploited to sate the appetites of circulation counters and bored readers.”
The end of Crudup and Danes
The then-couple dated for three years before Danes reportedly left the “Almost Famous” actor for her now-husband, Hugh Dancy, in 2006.
However, in 2013, Danes told Vogue that “dating Billy” was pivotal for her growth, saying it helped her “segue” into a “grown-up.”
Then, in 2015, Danes gave more insight into her romance with the “Sleepers” star in an interview with Howard Stern.
“I was just in love with him and needed to explore that, and I was 24,” the “Fleishman Is in Trouble” star said at the time. “I didn’t quite know what those consequences would be.
“[The backlash] was a scary thing. That was really hard. I didn’t know how to not do that. It’s OK. I went through it. We’re friendly — we’re friends.”
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Crudup finds The One
After taking a break from the dating scene, Crudup found love with Watts in 2017 following her split from Liev Schreiber.
Six years later, the ultra-private couple sparked engagement speculation when Watts was spotted with a ring on that finger.
After dodging questions about their relationship status for months, the “King Kong” star announced that she and Crudup had tied the knot on June 9, 2023.
Despite their rocky history, Parker wished her ex and his new wife “well” in an interview with the Guardian published June 14, 2023.
“I honestly, of course, wish them every happiness because that’s my son’s father,” she said.
“So I’m happy for them,” she continued. “I’m happy they found each other.”
