Friends

Hugh Jackman Just Can’t Quit Jared and Ivanka

For the second time on his Front Runner press tour, he’s been asked to address his continued friendship with the First Daughter and Son-in-Law.
Hugh Jackman and Ivanka Trump at a 2010 benefits.
Hugh Jackman and Ivanka Trump at a 2010 benefits.By D Dipasupil/Getty Images.

Hugh Jackman is on a months-long press tour for his new political drama, The Front Runner. It’s taking him from morning talk show to late-night talk show, and there’s been one major story that’s being discussed on the press tour: that he didn’t know wolverines were real animals. Here is live footage of Jackman discussing wolverines with Stephen Colbert:

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Actually, two stories: the other is that he remains close personal friends with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

In June, photographers spotted Jackman and his wife leaving their New York City apartment with Ivanka. And a week before the midterm elections, Donald Trump’s eldest daughter and Kushner attended Jackman’s 50th birthday party in the West Village, where insiders said that though the Hollywood guests were surprised to see them there, everyone was cordial. There’s no running Javanka out of Donna Karan’s capacious loft space like they’re Stephen Miller and Kirstjen Nielsen trying to eat a little guacamole at a Mexican restaurant.

Jackman has defended his friendship with Trump and Kushner now on two occasions: “I’ve known those guys for 15 years,” he told Variety the night of The Front Runner’s premiere, which was just a couple days after the birthday party. “We don’t talk politics at birthday parties.”

And on The View Tuesday morning, co-host Sunny Hostin brought the party up again. “They’ve always been so kind and generous,” he said, offering an example of when Ivanka wrote his late mother-in-law, Fay Duncan, a note when she won the Order of Australia medal for her charity work. “Let’s say your friends of 15 years’ father became president, whether you agree with the politics or not, do you just dump your friends?” he continued. “And I’m like: no. You don’t. I don’t understand.”

When is the right time to take a breakup with a friend? It’s a good question. Is it when they accept positions of power they were never qualified for from their dad? That’s not great, but probably not the time to drop a friend. But is it when they decide to stay in their positions after their dad puts kids in cages? Yes, probably around then.

Kushner said in a 2016 interview that he was “exfoliating” friends. “Anyone who was willing to change a friendship, or not do business because of who somebody supports in politics, is not somebody who has a lot of character,” which seems—and maybe I’m wrong—deeply untrue? Isn’t that the first thing you learn on this Earth: that just because your friends are doing it doesn’t make it right? Friends let you down all the time, but it’s not often that the way friends let you down is so hurtful to so, so many besides yourself.