Jennifer Esposito and Bradley Cooper got quietly married in late 2006. Four months later, their marriage was over. Jennifer filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Bradley barely breathed a word about it then or in the years that followed. Perhaps it was just a lust thing that burned out spectacularly. Perhaps – as was widely theorized – Jennifer found out something about Bradley and she couldn’t live with it. We really don’t know. We do know that in her 2014 memoir, she described a relationship with an unnamed man, whom she called “funny, smart, cocky, arrogant, and a master manipulator.” Many believed she was referencing Bradley.
As we discussed yesterday, on Oscar night, David Spade posted a photo of Bradley and Lady Gaga on stage during their “Shallow” performance and Spade remarked “any chance these 2 aren’t f–king?” Esposito replied “ha.” Not the shadiest thing to ever happen, but not the most mature thing either. Again, it’s been 12 years since Cooper and Esposito divorced. But everyone was talking about whether her comment was shady or whether she was about to spill some major tea, etc. Well, Esposito posted this video on Instagram where she tries to explain her “ha” comment and she goes on and on about it. She also says that she didn’t watch the Oscars, nor does she care about the Oscars. Oh, honey.
I would say something harsh about how this is the most we’ve talked about Jennifer in years, but I’m not here to dunk on her. I thought the “ha” controversy was stupid from start to finish – it was a dumb thing for her to comment because of course she knew it was going to get picked up. As for the outlets picking it up and running these super-detailed stories about their four-month marriage… enough on that too. Maybe that was the purpose of all of this though – at no point does Jennifer say “hey, it’s all water under the bridge, I’m very happy for Bradley and his success.” Which would be what someone would say if they were trying to end the story. Meaning, she’s not trying to end sh-t. So… who was the manipulative one again?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Isn’t she on a TV show now? It’s strategic in a bad way. It was a publicity opportunity, but it’s tacky, lol! Hollywood career maintenance makes people do dumb things.
She was on NCIS for one season recently(and was terrible) and then got fired/quit. I don’t think she’s done anything else since.
That was a very fishy story. She claimed she was mistreated because of her celiac disease. But the independent facts of the story and her version did not add up.
Wasn’t she on Blue Bloods? Isn’t that where she claimed she was fired for personal health reasons?
Maybe she was on NCIS too, I didn’t know about that.
She is absolutely dreadful on NCIS.
She was on NCIS and abruptly left after one season. I’ve seen pics of her with Ice-T in relation to SVU so….
She was on Mistresses, too for only one season. I thought she was good but I like those kind of shows. She did so much plastic surgery- it was distracting to watch her.
I think she’s blathering on (in a way that seems condemning of those on Twitter – while she’s on Twitter) in order to CYA. Hwood doesn’t like an outing. She’s afraid of covert Hollywood backlash whether in fact she was laughing or mocking. She should have taken it down once she realized the way it could be/was perceived because either way she’s laughing at or mocking her ex. I don’t know anyone who uses “ha” to laugh…usually it’s “ha ha (ha ha)”. She “isn’t watching the Oscars and she doesn’t know what went on or care what went on” and “her comment was toward Spade’s tweet (not Coop and Gaga – even though she inserted herself RIGHT INTO one of the biggest moments on the Oscars) and her book “never mentioned any X” she calls people “psychotic” (wrong word honey) then starts preaching about “there are so many things going on in the world that need attention” (yet she’s on Twitter making smartass comments about an X – deflect) she says “to spend even a moment on this insanity” (yet she’s devoting her day to a diatribe toward it) then she goes there about “females attacking females”. I could go on but instead I’ll explain why I’m going deep on this…I’m not a huge Cooper fan but IMHO she was snarking at his possibly being closeted (I refer to the rampant rumors for many years). NOT COOL. We don’t out people. Then I watched the video and her talking to people as though they are stupid pissed me off. IMHO she is a manipulator and either a very bad liar or she’s just not very bright. In either case she’s thirsty and full of sh^t
She was on Blue Bloods when in the first seasons, not sure how many. She was Jackie – Danny’s partner. I liked her on that show – I haven’t seen her on anything else. She’s way naive if she thinks that posting a comment like that wouldn’t get negative reaction –
I swear I just saw her on SVU last week. Maybe it’s a different person though.
She is in The Affair on Showtime.
Ugh, I’m sorry, but this is so petty (and pathetic). She’s blatantly into using his success to get her name out there. I mean they were divorced 12 years ago, and this is the second time she’s done this – made veiled comments that MIGHT mean something, when he’s having a career high.
I get it, I get why one may be bitter when the former partner who possibly treated them badly is getting all kinds of accolades and success…but this is just…lame.
If she has something to say about how he treated her badly (or whatever) then she should either come out and SAY it, or stop piping up every time he is within touching distance of an oscar – even if she doesn’t care about the oscars. ugh.
Yes, all this. Very bad form on her part.
I find it especially gross because she knew the media wouldn’t just go over Cooper and her relationship, but also take it as an occasion to be more misogynistic to Irina and Gaga in pursuit of some fabricated triangle. It’s petty as h*ll to do that to an ex, but worse to do that by proxy to two women who did nothing to her.
She’s been an actress for a long time, she knew how the tabloids would run with her comments. And I felt bad for her in the past, but I’m not starting to think just maybe she’s the one with the issues.
agree 100 %. I commented on her “holier-than-thou” post on Instagram along the same lines. It made her look like a hungry, thirsty has-been, which, let’s be honest, she is.
I have to agree. Even if he was horrible to her, the healthy thing would be for her to move on and leave it alone. Or bitch about him in private, not throw stuff like this out on social media.
I imagine it’s hard to see someone you ended badly with in the spotlight like this, but you have to be smart about how you handle it publicly.
She wrote “ha” and then it ended up being picked up all over the place. How is that blatantly using him?
we are talking about her. Just one syllable and we are talking about “I-am-a-talentless-completely-useless-drama-queen-nobody-remembered-till-yesterday” Jennifer Esposito.
The Tweet was “is there any chance these two aren’t effing”. She commented, “Ha” and claims she was laughing which I doubt. “Ha” is, IMO, sardonic. “Ha ha” is laughing. In any case, she’s mocking/laughing at her X who is coincidentally one of the biggest moments on the Oscars and Gaga who is enjoying a major resurgence and won an Oscar. She claims in her video that she didn’t watch the Oscars and has no idea what went on. However it’s construed, it’s mendacious and has an underlying meaning/message.
To quote Tiffany Pollard (New York) – you should have just sat there and ate your food.
All this faux exasperation that people are reacting to her post – how would you not have expected this? Their performance was one of the most commented on of the awards show, so did she honestly think no one would notice that his ex-wife made what looked like a snarky comment?
If you’ve got things to say, then say it. Don’t dance around it and then whine that you’re being misinterpreted because you don’t want to own it.
I love you for referencing New York
Thank you. Her preaching about the problems of the world and how anyone commenting on twitter about this ‘INSANITY’ is ‘psychotic’ all in the cool, calm voice of a practiced manipulating liar is FAR FAR over the top. When I watched it I was so annoyed to have her talk down to people (GASLIGHTING) and I said to the screen “Screw u lady” (I laugh at myself)
There ya go, grabbyhands–perfect. Thank you for boiling it down to its essence.
Years ago Esposito was on a daytime talk show with a feature showcasing people showing off the everyday fashion deals they had scored. A woman proudly showed off her outfit, obviously feeling great about how she looked. Jennifer bashed her and I remember it being so classless that that is all I remember about her – some celebrity bashing an everyday woman who felt awesome for being asked to show off her outfit. I don’t know what went on in her marriage with Bradley Cooper but she certainly didn’t make a good impression on me that day.
She seems really magnetised to drama. I remember she quit Spin City because she was convinced she’d be a movie star, there was a weird thing where she got fired from the set of Shaft, then got fired from Blue Bloods many years later. Obviously, post-Harvey, we can’t necessarily buy into this stuff as a pattern and not deliberate blackballing, but it’s spread into her personal life too, like she got sued by her former business partners (over her celiac bakery that I think folded a few years back) and they accused her of lots of things, she got sued by a contractor who worked on her house, and she caught on fire on a boat last year or something…
She’s just very, very dramatic, and this whole video (which I can’t believe I watched all of) is just not the one. Like Kaiser said, the fact she didn’t say something like “whatever happened years ago, good for Bradley, it’s all good” implies she still has an issue.
I am the same boat as you two. There is something off about her. I remember all of stuff that with her about being fired, sued, quitting. When you always have someone with that much drama but cries wolf at every turn, you wonder if they ever look in the mirror. Some people crave the drama even if they don’t recognize it. I used to feel that way about Halle Berry too but then I decided she might just be a poor choice maker. I don’t feel that way about Jennifer Esposito, I think she is a pot stirring drama queen. The kind of person you back up slowly from and then run as fast as you can the other way.
Her drama is never ending. *She was cut from Blue Bloods because she needed a limited schedule because of celiacs (I’m not a doctor, but I know that it is a dietary disease and that people work full-time with the disease). *She sabotaged her bakery’s investors, including her estranged husband, and told her fans not to eat the baked good (among other strange actions on her part) *She openly said that she filed for divorce from Dowler (her current husband) due to “cruel and inhuman treatment.” after saying he had supported her emotionally and financially through her disease and accused him of the following, “Like he did during the short-lived marriage to me, Dowler now seems to be aligning himself with individuals he thinks could best earn him money,” *Yes her blouse caught fire at a dinner party–that could happen to anyone…her new boyfriend put it out. Bottom line, if I were her, I’d SIMMER DOWN
To say: “it is a dietary disease” shows such a lack of understanding of the implications for real life with this (and a !ot of other) autoimmune diseases…. Stress alone is a huge factor. To not be able to grab any food anywhere is a frustration that most people can not understand. The deep exhaustion that malnutrition can cause…. the depression and anxiety that often follows.
Yeah…. you are certainly no doctor.
While she’s behaved like a nut-job and bitter drama queen, celiac disease is horrible. I have a couple of friends with it and it rules their lives. Eating out becomes an obstacle course because almost everything has gluten in it – salad dressings, beer, mayo, sauces, etc., it’s not just wheat products they have to avoid. When you’ve ingested something with gluten the effects are almost immediate and not pretty. I’ve seen my friends have to do a major rush to the bathroom, doubled over with cramping, break out in sores all over their bodies, and it also causes depression and anxiety as Scylla74 says.
So yeah, she’s an asshole but one dealing with a nasty condition.
“So… who was the manipulative one again?”
Oh there are no saints here, but given the past two years in Hollywood forgive me if I’m more than willing to believe that maybe, just maybe, a super famous male celebrity is not the golden boy the publicity machine shows us.
+1
+1
Agree, BUT she is the one who started those rumors about him, the ones that we’ve all heard, that everyone decided not to speculate on here about the other day. If that is true about him, it was deeply f*cked up thing for her to do even if he is a shady jerk like she also implies.
She didn’t start the rumors about him, his long term , live in, relationship with a man that there are lots of photos of did that.
She never said or hinted anything about his sexuality but his character. And maybe it wasn’t even him (though likely) as she never named the guy. Either way she’s a hot mess in her professional and personal life and needs to maybe get out of showbiz.
@Mia4s
That is a totally fair point, and always worth considering.
BUT, I think in this situation, it is also worth remembering that it isn’t the male celebrity, or any publicity machine, saying that about her. He hasn’t said anything about her. Nobody, in fact, was saying anything about her! She is the one who inserted herself into the conversation (twice), she is the one who used the word manipulative originally, and it’s her own actions that have made people think it might be more appropriately used to describe her rather than him.
+3. Especially after the Mandy Moore/Ryan Adams revelations, I’m not going to immediately bash her for dropping some hints. Mandy also dropped some hints before she dropped her receipts, too.
I have no idea what Jennifer experienced, and she may have nothing big to reveal or want to reveal, but I’m going to reserve judgement on her because I’m not over here entirely convinced that Bradley Cooper is an innocent bystander.
Don’t care much about the “ha” but I don’t buy that she thought Spade’s comment was funny. What he said was not a joke, at least not a “ha, ha” one.
Said it before, but she has a history of the subtle jab, and I’m just never on board with that crap. Say it, mean it, or just stay quiet. The snark only ever looks bad on the speaker.
I agree. A single “ha” is a scoff in my opinion, not laughter. And her video reaction post just doubles down and underscores my reason for disliking this woman. Also, I hate when people inappropriately use the “female on female” issue when crappy behavior gets called out for being exactly that, no gender requirements necessary.
Totally agree.
…jeez..social media is crazy…why on earth should a person have to put out a video to explain a ha comment…also..maybe known names should always have a anon name to make snarky comments.. I myself have 2 phones & use 2 diff names…lol…but in the end you always get caught & thats half the thrill …oops…
AS an experiment I went to google, typed in Jennifer and guess what came up first…not Lopez or Lawrence or Aniston or Garner, but Esposito, so it’s brought her a lot of publicity. I hadn’t given her a thought, but this made me recall her shortlived tenures on some long running tv series. She was on Blue Bloods for two seasons then replaced by an actress who’s been there for years. One season on NCIS then, boom, gone and replaced. Could be a simple explanation or maybe it’s her.
She actually had a long history with an undiagnosed coeliac disease. In Blue Bloods she was relatively new diagnosed and agreed to a part-time job. They paid her part-time but she worked full time and her illness got worse. So she tried to change her work conditions and they put her on unpaid leave without letting her out of the contract. Very shitty behaviour….
Why do I know this? Because I also have, because of my Morbus Crohn, a very strong gluten sensitivity, which made me read her book.
It would be interesting to hear the producers’ side of the story.
Does eating organic help with gluten sensitivity? I read that a lot of people find it gets better when they’re holidaying overseas and they can eat pasta and have pizza in Italy (where glyphosate for desiccant process is banned and glyphosate usage is controlled) without symptoms.
And I also read about a study that linked glyphosate to gluten sensitivity. Preharvest, wheat/grain farmers apply glyphosate to help with the desiccant process. It makes it easier to harvest. Once harvested, the remaining material is sent to feed dairy cows and other livestock. Glyphosate is everywhere in our food system.
Having read about how conventional produce is grown, I’ve eaten probably 80% organic for years though I don’t have gluten sensitivity.
@topsovn: I actually live in Europe and still got all this issues with food. In my 30ies Morbus Bechterew started acting up a lot more which also triggered the more latent Crohn. (Both illnesses showed first signs in my late teens) These days I can not even have tiny portions of gluten and all milk products are a no go. I have a close to “paleo” diet. Not because of “paleo” but because this is actually what causes the least problems. Apart from too much sugar, that is my nonpaleo thing, because I bake a lot.
I mostly eat organic for years and cook a lot from scratch.
I read that lectins are problematic and the theories around it seem quite convincing to me.
I think I am sort of emphasising with Jennifer Esposito because her story to get a diagnosis reminded me off some stuff I experienced. To not find for years the root of your problem and trying to live the life you want to have even so you are always afraid of not being fit when you need to be … it is not easy, also on a psychological level.
I also dated a covert narcissist for two years so probably I am projecting here a little too much …
@Scylla74, thanks for your perspective. I read about the lectin thing via the Steven Gundry book/articles but pretty sure you can minimise them by cooking. Gundry also links Roundup to gluten sensitivity.
@topsovn I also read his book, but I do not think that you can “outcook” an unripe fruit or wheat…. I wish 😉
But I do agree with you that I am pretty sure that a lot of food in the states is even more loaded with unhealthy byproducts than in the EU.
Come on, she knew exactly what she was doing.
Yep. She has a patchy work history, probably partly due to her medical condition, but creates a lot of drama and seems to enjoy it.
Yeah, no, she doesn’t get to play innocent now. She knew EXACTLY what she was doing with that comment- that there would be a million ways to interpret it, and that it would get picked up on everywhere. And it worked. On the heels of a HUGE night for him, it handed the media a hundred new stories to write about him, him and her, him and Irina, him and Gaga. She did this last time too- made veiled comments that everyone was trying to figure out, that may not even have been about him- right on the heels on his second Oscar nomination in 2 years, and suddenly all the conversation was about her comments and trying to figure out were they about him or not.
Doing it the first time was one thing- they were comments extracted from her book, after all, even if the timing and handling was, um, suspect, but pulling this twice? It looks deeply shady, and it’s actually quite mean, when the only thing he’s ever said about her is that she was a great person and it just didn’t work out. And it’s also pretty pathetic- they haven’t had anything to do with each other in over a decade, and their marriage was over after 4 months! FOUR MONTHS! I’ve had library books out longer than that!!
Yeah, I don’t care for him much but I still think this was deeply messed up of her to do because she knew how the media would run with it & if she did the same thing in the past that is suspicious. I’m also aware of the rumor she started, and even if he is a jerk (who knows?) that was uncalled for in many ways.
The whole dumb speculation about Cooper and Gaga would have easily blown over in a day, but she just fueled the flames and now People and E! are writing articles about her (I was curious, so I googled) and recapping her and Cooper’s marriage. I’m guessing she wanted attention.
Totally – she knows what she is doing. Apart from taking some of the shine off this career high for him (i don’t know, maybe he deserves it), I feel like this nonsense puts his current partner in a really shitty position, too. Personally, while the world was speculating on my partners work/relationship with another woman (Gaga), the last thing I’d want is his ex of 12 years ago chucking her 2 cents in, as well. Especially given its the same ex who has previously made veiled accusations, including regarding his sexuality. I kinda feel bad for him, but also for his wife/girlfriend, frankly. Who wants to hear from their partner’s ex, like this? No me, at least.
Did she really hint at his sexuality? Pretty sure she only talked about how shady a character he has.
The ha seems very innocuous to me. So what if she was shading Cooper? Why is it suddenly everyone’s business or concern?
I agree, I feel that some people take social media way more seriously than others, but I don’t know why. Maybe you have to grow up with SM to understand why this is a big deal? No one will be talking about this in a week so it doesn’t really matter, JMO of course.
Thank you! Finally someone said it. So what? We don’t know what went on in that marriage and why automatically assume that the person who is discreet about it is not the one to blame? Just because they are quiet about it?
An on another note:
I am surprised by how upset people in comments on other Cooper threads become when rumours regarding him or his sexuality come up. It is a gossip site. Suspecting that someone may not be completely open about their likes or dislikes is not exactly homophobic. It is also perfectly fine to be bi-sexual and for us to speculate about this or why someone doesn’t want anyone to know. You want to be this or that? Fine. I am not going to shade her who obviously had a beef with him about SOMETHING apparently unspeakable.
I also think it entirely possible that he told her he was a billionaire or could burp rainbow bubbles and it all turned out to be a lie. She seems like something bad happened to her and until the Coop tells me she is over-reacting because..whatever… I will gleefully wonder why and not throw shade.
To answer your question about why people get sensitive about gossiping about Cooper’s sexuality – it’s because we live in a society where one’s sexuality can and does count against them. Because of this reason, it’s totally out of order to mock/question/judge someone for wanting to keep that part of their lives private. It just isn’t and should be up for discussion. Additionally, many of the comments about this man specifically have been tinged with homophobia and mockery – which obviously is not cool.
@Clare I am aware of the fact that we live in a world where my gay son’s sexuality can count against him. I am reminded on a weekly basis. But the moment he chooses to be a movie star and a sex symbol -that changes the whole game. Politicians? Questionable. But if you are a wealthy movie star – maybe give some strength to others not as fortunate as you are? I don’t think someone like John Travolta would face a grim future. If Clooney claimed he swang both ways, who knows- maybe no one would bat an eyelid after a while. So I definitely have a double standard- if you pursue making extraordinary amounts by being a person of public interest in showbiz – it may come with the territory.
I wish she’d stayed silent after the ha. It’s a second glass of wine post and you can’t walk those back. Live with it and move on.
Also, agree she’s getting a name recognition boost and really I have no idea who she is I keep gettting her confused with the Jennifer from Dirty Dancing.
At least she’s been consistent in her disdain for Bradley. I find it so intriguing that she has never moved past it. I really want to know what went done between them.
The blinds have been consistently reporting Bradley is gay for years and Iriyana is a paid beard. Seems Jennifer may have more background than the rest of us as to why he and Gaga aren’t f-ing. If this story were to come out about your closeted ex-husband, “ha” seems like a pretty natural reaction.
that’s what I thought.
Really? If he is really, truly gay and in the closet, then he is deeply, DEEPLY closeted. Because publicly he’s been in a relationship with a woman for close to 4 years, has a child with her, and prior to his relationship with her had a string of other girlfriends. If he’s that deeply closeted and she really does know it, then her reaction seems cruel to me, because for her to laugh at the idea that he could be having an affair with a women only draws public speculation back to the rumours about his sexuality. Sure, maybe “ha!” and a snort would be a natural reaction PRIVATELY in that situation, but publicly? That would seem so wrong to me.
Not girlfriends, but “girlfriends”, mostly the appearence of such.
@anon He was with (or “with” if you go with the theory that it was bearding) Suki Waterhouse for about two years, Renee Z for around the same length, and he was with Zoe Saldana for a while too. (I think it was about a year or so from memory, but I’m too lazy to check :P) And now Irina for nearly 4 years. That’s not a few dates for the sake of appearances, not with any of them. If he is in the closet, that’s pretty deeply so.
He’s a bi in the closet perhaps?
Her veneers (?) look reaaaaaallllllyyyy bad in that video. Too white, maybe?
She still pressed like a panini about Bradley Cooper
I just have to ask myself, –Would I have wanted to married to that? I don’t know or care how Hollywood agreements work. At the least, she has a modicum of my sympathy. At best, I don’t want that kind of feeling out and about, in the bedroom, in the kitchen in the morning. Hollywood doesn’t dictate my life. I have enough to deal with. Count yourself lucky it’s finished, Jennifer Esposito. I have life to deal with.
Oh my. She reminds me of my daughter who has OCD and can’t let things go.
Do all of you not know about his alleged treatment of her? Please read up…
She seems batshirt. I like it.
Ha-ha!
there was only one way to interpret her tweet and it was “sour grapes”
she’s had 12 years to discuss their relationship. hollywood is in the middle of a semi-serious #metoo situation. if you’re going to say something – say it. if he was abusive – say it. if we was a cheater – say it. if we was if he is gay – completely shut all the way up b/c it is no one’s place to out someone and refueling the speculation every few years is gross as hell.
Wow. I’ve never seen her outside of her roles much and now I can’t stand her. What an obnoxious video.
What she said about Bradley was not that different from her reasons for divorcing her second husband: “cruel and inhuman treatment.”
https://nypost.com/2016/03/13/actress-jennifer-espositos-bakery-ensnared-in-43m-suit/?_ga=2.3150963.2114161010.1551280465-1387048947.1550749618
It was petty of her to comment at all.
I think the truth is *probably* that they are both insufferable assholes.
She goes on and on and on explaining how she did not mean anything,not trying to insult her ex,blah blah .”The lady doth protest too much,methinks “😏
makes me think she signed a NDA and wouldn’t be able to pay up if sued
@theotherviv When they were together and subsequently split he wasn’t rich or successful like he went on to be. In fact, she may have been the more successful of the two. I very much doubt this is some Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes she-must-be-quiet-about-him situation.
Miss ma’am sure likes stirring up a whole lot of smoke over a 4 month marriage that ended 12 years ago.
As someone who has had a short, disastrous relationship herself, one that resulted in a child to boot, I find this weird.
I was young, I was stupid. I know better now. He’s probably not the same person, I probably never knew who he truly was anyway, and certainly I’m not the same so there’s nothing to say.
When you choose to go and reply to a snarky tweet about your long-ago famous ex, who you were briefly married to, don’t feign surprise and indignation when people react.
She needs to lay off the teeth whiteners.
I stopped reading into her 4 month marriage to Bradley when I saw that was the first of 3 failed marriages. Bradley may not have been the problem in that equation…
Remember when she allegedly fled the country when she was sued for $43 million over her bakery business?
https://nypost.com/2016/03/13/actress-jennifer-espositos-bakery-ensnared-in-43m-suit/
When you say something so ambiguous to Spade’s statement and you are the ex-wife, how do you expect people to react.
I dunno. There was a blind item years back when they split that was supposedly about them. The gist was, she was late, he was pissed so he tried to choke her out. She escaped, sent friends to pick up her stuff, and got a divorce.
And pretty constant blinds about him making Irina cry in public.
I used to not pay attention to blinds, then there was Harvey, Kevin, and Bryan….