Liza Minnelli talks steamy extramarital affairs with Martin Scorsese and Peter Sellers in bombshell tell-all

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Liza Minnelli is sharing surprising and intimate details about her many relationships in her new memoir, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!

While married to Peter Allen, the Australian singer, she began a relationship with Desi Arnaz Jr., the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

Their relationship grew into an engagement, but she then became engaged to Peter Sellers, who was already married three times. This happened while she was still legally married to her first husband, Allen.

Liza Minnelli’s second husband was Jack Haley Jr., the son of the actor who famously played the Tin Man with her mother, Judy Garland, in the film The Wizard of Oz. While married to him, she had a passionate and complicated relationship with director Martin Scorsese.

She also discusses her third and fourth marriages – to sculptor Mark Gero and showbiz ‘wheeler-dealer’ David Gest – in excerpts of the book in People.

In her memoir, releasing on March 10th, she recounts a shocking discovery during her marriage to Peter Allen. She describes coming home early one day from shopping to find him having sex with another man in their bed.

As the man hurried to get dressed and left, I felt incredibly vulnerable and scared. I was too shocked to express my anger or sadness. Then, Peter came over and held me close, and we both burst into tears. Through his sobs, he told me something he’d never said before: “Liza, I love you more than anyone…but I’m gay.”

She said Allen repeatedly apologized and explained that, in addition to their satisfying sex life, he was also attracted to men.

Liza Minnelli married Jack Haley Jr. in 1967. Even after they divorced, they remained friends until his death from AIDS in 1992.

Even though she was still married to Allen, she began a relationship with Arnaz. They connected because they both came from privileged backgrounds – their parents were famous – and understood the unique challenges that came with it, offering each other support.

They got engaged in 1973, and he joined her at the Academy Awards that year. She won Best Actress for her role in Cabaret, which caused her father, director Vincente Minnelli, to shout so enthusiastically in her ear that she developed ringing in her ears – tinnitus.

Later that year, Minnelli brought her Emmy-winning concert, “Liza with a Z,” to the London Palladium – a venue she’d previously performed at with Judy Garland ten years before.

Peter Sellers, a well-known comedian famous for films like Dr. Strangelove and The Pink Panther, was sitting in the front row when their romance started that evening.

Their romance quickly ended after just five weeks, but not before a very brief engagement that happened while she was also engaged to Arnaz and married to Allen.

In 1974, she married Jack Haley Jr., wearing a yellow Halston suit and, as a playful reference to their parents’ history, a pair of ruby slippers – his father and her mother had both starred in The Wizard of Oz.

While married to Haley, Liza Minnelli began a relationship with director Martin Scorsese. He cast her alongside Robert De Niro in his 1977 film, New York, New York, which became a beloved classic. The film’s title song, written by Kander & Ebb, has since become an iconic and unofficial anthem for the city.

The next year, Scorsese once more directed Minnelli, this time in the Broadway musical The Act. Her performance in the show deeply inspired a young Meryl Streep.

Honestly, looking back, our relationship was incredibly complex – so much more than just a simple romance. We shared a heritage, both being Italian, and that fueled everything. We were both deeply passionate people, completely dedicated to our work, and we brought that same intensity to our connection. It was a beautiful, layered thing.

Oh my god, we were both so fiery, always ready to explode! And Martin? He was just… breathtakingly handsome, a total devil. But the best part? He got my passion for movies, really got it. Being a director’s daughter, I always felt like I lived and breathed film, and he understood that. He wasn’t just polite about my dad’s work, he genuinely loved it, worshipped it even. It was amazing.

Their relationship ended badly, and years later, at the 2014 Oscars, he deliberately avoided her when she attempted to greet him.

According to her friend Andy Warhol’s diaries, her romantic life became complex. He wrote that she was having an affair with director Martin Scorsese at the same time she was also seeing the celebrated ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Okay, so Liza Minnelli finally admitted she had a thing with Mikhail Baryshnikov last year – everyone’s been whispering about it for ages! But, and this is the part that’s driving me crazy, she completely dodged the question about whether she was also seeing Martin Scorsese at the same time. Seriously, the suspense is killing me! Was it both of them? I need to know!

She playfully described someone – Mikhail – as very attractive, and hinted at a romantic encounter with him. When asked where it happened, she suggested it was in New York, questioning if anyone would believe her. She then asked the person she was speaking to, W., to send Mikhail her regards – a kiss.

In her book, she described the 1970s as a period of heavy substance use. She specifically mentioned benzodiazepines, barbiturates, amphetamines, alcohol, and cocaine.

Following a brief relationship with actor Ben Vereen from the musical Pippin, she married sculptor Mark Gero in 1979. They remained married for thirteen years, until 1992, making it her longest marriage.

She longed to have a family and openly shared her desire, telling one interviewer she ‘desperately want[ed] a family.’ Sadly, after experiencing three miscarriages, she never had children.

In her memoir, she heartbreakingly recounts the experience of delivering a stillborn baby at five months while married to Gero.

She shared that she prayed daily for her baby to live, but sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. She delivered a stillborn baby at a hospital in Reno, Nevada, a deeply painful experience. Even now, she finds it difficult to discuss what happened without feeling overwhelming sadness and anxiety, and she feels the loss of not being able to become a mother is something she’ll always grieve.

Her last marriage, in 2002 to David Gest – a childhood friend of Michael Jackson – quickly became a very public and sensational event, attracting intense media attention.

Looking back, I definitely wasn’t thinking clearly when I married him. Gest was a slick, fast-talking promoter who actually wore more makeup than me! He was quite the charmer, always telling me, ‘Liza, you deserve to be a huge star.’

Our wedding on March 16, 2002, was a lavish event costing $3.2 million. Michael Jackson served as best man, and Elizabeth Taylor was my matron of honor. The guest list was incredible – filled with politicians, movie stars, and famous musicians – but it was also incredibly expensive.

She explained that Gest charged all the gifts he couldn’t get for free – from the hotel and celebrities – to her American Express card.

While they were married, Minnelli claimed Gest micromanaged her life, dictating her diet and controlling who she interacted with. She said he monitored her phone calls and ultimately made her feel like a captive.

Their marriage ended in a bitter and lengthy divorce. He initially filed a lawsuit against her, claiming abuse and seeking $10 million, but the court ultimately rejected his claims.

Liza Minnelli recently got back in touch with Desi Arnaz Jr. while working on her memoir with her friend, performer Michael Feinstein.

She recently revealed that Michael gave her the confidence to finally call Desi after many years. She began to apologize for past hurt, but Desi surprisingly stopped her. He told her, “Liza, I only remember the love. Let’s leave everything else behind – I have.” She described him as a true gentleman.

Even though she hasn’t gotten married again after her breakup with Gest, she’s hinted at what she’s looking for in a future relationship.

She explained that her ideal dating life would include a few different types of men. First, she’d like to date a wealthy, sophisticated older man with great style. Then, she’d enjoy being with a passionate man in his forties – it doesn’t matter what his interests are. Finally, she’d also like a casual connection with a young man, perhaps an 18-year-old, who she’d see a couple of times a week but wouldn’t necessarily need to know well.

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2026-02-26 17:40