Billy Crudup makes rare remark on ex Mary Louise Parker 22 years after he dumped pregnant star for Claire Danes

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Billy Crudup recently shared some personal thoughts about his past relationship with Mary Louise Parker, which ended dramatically in a public scandal over two decades ago.

In 2003, David Crudup ended his seven-year relationship with Jennifer Parker while she was seven months pregnant with their son, William, and began dating Claire Danes.

Just like Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker fell in love while performing in ‘Bus Stop,’ Claire Danes and David Crudup connected while filming the romantic comedy ‘Stage Beauty’.

Parker and William’s son, William, was born in January 2004. Soon after, news broke of an affair between Crudup and Danes, which caused a major public scandal.

By 2007, the romance between Crudup and Danes had also ended. He later married Naomi Watts, and she married Hugh Dancy.

David Crudup, 57, was recently asked about his relationship with Sarah Jessica Parker, 61. In an interview with The Times of London, he cleverly responded by saying, ‘I won’t comment on the specifics, but our love for our son is endless.’

Their son, William, who is now 21, took his mother’s last name and, like his parents, is working in Hollywood as both a filmmaker and an actor.

Even as a teenager, he made his first full-length film, Forty Winks, in 2022. The movie featured well-known actors like John Turturro and Susan Sarandon.

In a recent interview, David Crudup enthusiastically praised his son’s talent, describing him as exceptionally gifted in performance – a natural ability he believes comes from a blend of both parents’ strengths. Crudup jokingly called his son a “total rockstar,” and mentioned that he and his ex-wife, Mary-Louise Parker, often appeared together in their son’s films.

They first worked together in 1996, performing in a stage revival of William Inge’s play, Bus Stop – a story originally made famous by the Marilyn Monroe movie.

The couple moved in together and had a son. However, when Parker was seven months pregnant, Danes became attracted to Crudup while they were filming ‘Stage Beauty’.

When Danes met Crudup, who was eleven years older, she was also seeing singer Ben Lee. Both Danes and Crudup ended their current relationships and began a relationship with each other.

A major scandal rocked Hollywood, with Crudup and Danes facing intense public criticism. Meanwhile, Parker, who had recently become a mother, received a lot of sympathy.

She became even more beloved after winning a Golden Globe and jokingly thanked her newborn son for helping her look good in her dress. She recounted that her “West Wing” co-star, Janel Moloney, had promised her $1,000 if she did, and playfully asked Moloney to write the check, directly thanking her son, William Atticus Parker, from ‘your mother.’

Parker has been very careful about not talking openly about the romantic drama, mentioning it only briefly in her memoir, Dear Mr. You, which she wrote ten years ago.

The book featured 34 letters written to various men she knew. While none were specifically addressed to David Strathairn, she touched on their connection in a letter titled ‘Dear Mr. Cabdriver’.

Honestly, reading her words just broke my heart. She described feeling so utterly alone while she was pregnant – completely unwanted, she said. It was like she was just trying to survive, getting through each day, but every single night and morning she was completely by herself. She emphasized having absolutely no one and nothing to lean on, and it just… it wrecked me. I feel so much for her, knowing she went through all of that all alone.

Despite the difficulty, she realized that whatever she was going through at that moment was simply a part of her life’s journey, and that overall, her story was a beautiful one.

That year, Danes described the situation on The Howard Stern Show, admitting it was a difficult time and she hadn’t known how to handle it differently.

Looking back, I was completely swept away by him. I was only 24 at the time, and honestly, I felt like I had to see where things would go. I didn’t fully think through what might happen – I was just caught up in the moment and eager to experience it all.

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy got married in 2009 and are still together. Meanwhile, Paul Rudd married Naomi Watts in 2022.

Billy Crudup and Claire Danes unexpectedly ran into each other at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts Gala in April and shared a warm hug.

Footage obtained by People shows Crudup and Danes having a friendly conversation, with Crudup leaning closer to hear her above the music.

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2025-11-28 22:24