Even celebrities get cheated on, and it has nothing to do with them

It seems like every week famous men, men on the internet and men we know in real life, end up doing something to reiterate the “men are trash” trope. Granted, it’s usually a very small minority of the public ruining it for everyone, but they do a pretty good job of smashing everything in the metaphorical china shop with their actions.

Liar, cheater, heartbreaker 

First up in the men-who-have-no-respect-for-women line-up? Sebastian Bear-McLard, Emily Ratajkowski’s soon-to-be ex-husband. Four years after they tied the knot in an uber-chic City Hall ceremony, it’s emerged that Bear-McClard allegedly cheated on EmRata. Multiple times. 

Rumours began swirling earlier this summer when, on July 15, a source close to the model claimed that she planned to file for divorce as a result of infidelity. “Yeah, he cheated,” the source told Page Six. “He’s a serial cheater. It’s gross. He’s a dog.” Around the same time, Ratajkowski was spotted out and about, sans wedding ring – it was also noticeably missing from recent Instagram posts. 

On July 18, another source told People that the couple was going their separate ways. “They split recently. It was Em’s decision. She is doing ok. She is strong and focused on her son. She loves being a mom,” the insider said, claiming that the model will indeed be filing for divorce. 

The duo’s whirlwind courtship began back in 2018, when they wed just two weeks after going public with their romance. Many assumed that things would fizzle out given how quickly they had gotten together, but the couple had actually been friends for quite a while by that point. “We knew each other for a long time before and he likes to joke, ‘Yeah, everyone thinks we got married quickly, but you vetted me for two years’,” Em told Busy Tonight at the time. 

Sebastian first proposed at a restaurant without a ring – a proposition which Emily politely declined. “He proposed to me at Minetta Tavern, and he didn’t have a ring so I was like, ‘Mmm, nah,’” she told Jimmy Fallon. “And then he took the paper clip that the bill was paid with and made me a ring, which I actually thought was really romantic.” 

Gawker reports that the next time Bear-McClard was in the news, he was dodging $160,000 in rent on his Bleecker Street loft by claiming he was a struggling artist. In 2019, The New York Post reported that Bear-McClard filed a “worthless application” to register his $4,200-a-month unit under the city’s Loft Law and stopped paying rent. Ratajkowski defended him in a series of since-deleted tweets, writing, “I’m proud he’s fighting the good fight against a real estate conglomerate that bought the building he lives in for 40 million and has continued to spread misinformation on its tenants in order to profit.”

The building owner eventually paid Bear-McClard and Ratajkowski an unknown sum to leave the apartment. They subsequently bought a $2 million house in LA, and Ratajkowski gave birth to the couple’s first child, Sylvester Apollo Bear, in March 2021.

So, not only did Emily birth Sylvester’s child but she also publicly defended him when the internet wanted blood. 

While the rumours that Bear-McLard cheated are still unsubstantiated, the cultural response has been interesting, to say the least. Largely met with shock, horror and complete outrage, the general consensus seems to be; if Em Rata got cheated on, then there’s no hope for the rest of us. “I’m sorry but who the f*ck is Em Ratajkowski’s husband cheating with? Imagine having the kind of confidence to think you could do better than Em Ratajkowski. This is why we need to bully men more,” one person tweeted. 

As much as I felt that, it’s also quite a problematic viewpoint to take because it inadvertently implies that a woman’s worth is based on how she looks. No one is tweeting to say “how dare Bear-McClard cheat on New York Times best-selling author Emily Ratajkowski”. And therein lies the issue.

It’s worth pointing out that neither Emily nor Sebastian have confirmed the news of their split as of yet. 

Paternity scandal

Which brings us to Tristan Thompson; one could not write a piece about men who have annoyed us, without mentioning him… as one tweeter so rightly pointed out, I ain’t never seen Tristan Thompson in the news for basketball. 

Most recently, he made headlines after word got out that he and Khloé Kardashian were expecting their second child together via surrogate. 

According to reports, the pair started the surrogacy process back in November 2021 – well before Khloé knew that he had fathered a son with Maralee Nichols… while he and Khloé were still dating. “Khloé and Tristan already had the baby in the works when the scandal hit. By then, Khloé was just like, ‘I’m going to be doing it by myself,’” an insider told Page Six at the time, adding that Khloé found out about the paternity lawsuit at the same time the rest of the world did. 

This isn’t the first time that Thompson has cheated on Khloé though. In 2017, shortly before the couple welcomed their first daughter, True, Thompson was seen kissing more than one woman at a hookah lounge. A short time later, he was spotted kissing Kardashian family friend, Jordyn Woods – ultimately ending Kylie Jenner’s years-long friendship with Woods. Thompson has been spotted with several unidentified mystery women since then, with cheating rumours tailing him wherever he goes. 

Khloe Kardashian: "Tristan, we have a baby on the way. I'm begging you, please stop making me look like a fool."

Tristan Thompson: pic.twitter.com/rxp9zcLxha

— RDM ???? (@RDM702) July 18, 2022

Initially denying that he had been involved with Maralee, Thompson eventually admitted to the whole thing, addressing the situation in a post he shared on social media. “Today, paternity test results reveal that I fathered a child with Maralee Nichols,” he wrote at the time. “I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son.”

“I sincerely apologise to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately … Khloé, you don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you. You don’t deserve the way I have treated you over the years. My actions certainly have not lined up with the way I view you. I have the utmost respect and love for you. Regardless of what you may think. Again, I am so incredibly sorry.”

Becky with the good hair

Six years ago Beyoncé almost set an entire legion of fans on husband Jay Z when she released Lemonade, an audio-visual masterpiece about infidelity, forgiveness and love… thus igniting a slew of cheating rumours. 

All those Beyoncé jay z memes are killing me ? #whocheatsonbeyonce pic.twitter.com/ZfCjQzAGsq

— Nadine Bishay (@Nadzzz24) April 28, 2016

A year later, Jay Z admitted that he had in fact cheated on Bey, confirming the rumours to The New York Times. “You have to survive. So you go into survival mode, and when you go into survival mode, what happens? You shut down all emotions. So, even with women, you gonna shut down emotionally, so you can’t connect. In my case, like, it’s deep. And then all the things happen from there: infidelity,” he told the publication. As fans suspected, Becky with the good hair was involved. 

And who can forget the Solange elevator incident? Leaked security footage showed Beyoncé’s sister Solange and Jay Z engaging in a heated argument at the 2014 Met Gala. People presumed that Beyoncé was at the heart of the disagreement, but the family never directly explained what happened… which inevitably sparked yet more divorce rumours. “Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologised to each other and we have moved forward as a united family,” they said in a statement at the time. 

“I did something that I had no business doing, and I regret it,” Jay Z later told David Letterman of the whole nasty business. “We did the hard work of going to therapy. We love each other, so we really put in the work for years. I like to believe we’re in a better place today. I’m proud of the father and the husband that I am today. Let me stick with this and come through the other side. I see how that looks.”

This love 

This week, Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine has found himself at the centre of celebrity cheating rumours. This just days after it was revealed that his wife of eight years, Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo, is pregnant with his third child. Oh, and he apparently wants to name his new baby after his mistress too. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the drama, read on…

Four days ago, Prinsloo confirmed suspicions that she was pregnant, uploading a photo of her reflection (bump and all) to Instagram alongside a trio of other photos captioned “recent”.

Less than one week later and that news has quickly been overshadowed by whispers of infidelity. 

The allegations stem back to model Sumner Stroh, who last night uploaded a TikTok video in which she claims to have had an affair with Levine.  “Essentially I was having an affair with a man who is married to a Victoria’s Secret model,” Stroh says in the video. “At the time, you know I was young, I was naive. Quite frankly, I feel exploited. I wasn’t in the scene like I am now so I was definitely very easy manipulated.

@sumnerstroh embarrassed I was involved w a man with this utter lack of remorse and respect. #greenscreen ? original sound – Sumner Stroh

“Maroon 5 is practically elevator music at this point, so I’m sure you know who Adam Levine is,” she continues, before admitting that she and Adam had been seeing each other for “about a year”. Though Stroh never specifies the time period that the two were together, she claims that Levine reached out to her again recently – just after news of his wife’s pregnancy was announced. It’s at this point that the video cuts to a screenshot of a DM Levine supposedly sent Stroh. 

It reads: “Ok serious question. I’m having another baby and if it’s [a] boy, I really wanna name it Sumner. You ok with that? DEAD serious.” 

today I learned that Adam Levine is married to a VS model

then I learned that he cheated on her after 8 yrs of marriage while she’s pregnant w/ their 3rd child

and 3 secs after THAT I learned he wanted to name the child he’s expecting after his mistress

hold on I need a minute pic.twitter.com/ewNtlo3WLT

— juls ? (@liljulsie) September 19, 2022

the "adam levine wants to name his baby after the woman he cheated with" allegations are wild. also wild? why did he send a ????emoji 3 mins after sending the most bonkers message i've ever seen in my life pic.twitter.com/6N562kp6bO

— kelsey weekman (@kelsaywhat) September 19, 2022

“I’m in hell, like I have to be in hell at this point,” Sumner says to the camera. “I wanted to handle this privately, I never wanted to come forward because obviously, I know the implications that come with doing what I do – making money the way I do and being an Instagram model. So, being tagged with a story like this, I know the stereotypes,” she later added. 

What prompted her to speak out, you ask? It seems that some of her inner circle aren’t as trustworthy as she might have thought. “I had sent some screenshots recklessly to a few friends I thought I trusted and one of them had attempted to sell to a tabloid. So, here I am.”. 

The video has since gone viral online with 1.1million likes and a whopping 14.7million views so far. As one onlooker pointed out, Levine and Prinsloo have been together for over a decade now – first getting together way back in 2012, before they tied the knot in Cabo San Lucas two years later. 

Stroh claims that she was under the impression that Levine and Prinsloo’s marriage was over though, which is why she feels taken advantage of. “The most important part that I did definitely gloss over [in my video] is that I was under the impression that their marriage was over,” she said in a second TikTok uploaded not long after the first. “I believed that they were keeping it quiet to avoid the negative press because, as I had said, I was new to LA so I just assumed that with celebrities of that calibre, that that’s just how it was.”

@sumnerstroh Replying to @alanasanders89 ? original sound – Sumner Stroh

“That’s why I feel exploited because he knew that I believed everything he said,” she explained. “Also he was DMing me straight from his verified Instagram account, I didn’t have any reason to further question it. But I now realise that was likely a manipulation tactic of his, you know, hiding in plain sight.”

Stroh says that she “cut things off” with Levine as soon as she realised that he and Prinsloo were still together. “In retrospect, I wish I would have questioned things more. I wish I wasn’t so naive, but you know, being naive is not an excuse for what I did and the role I played in this. Again, in no way was I trying to gain sympathy,” she reiterated. “I fully realise I am not the victim in this. I’m not the one who’s really getting hurt here, it’s Behati and her children and for that I’m so, so sorry.”

after Adam Levine cheating on his wife let’s remember & normalize the fact that cheating was never about a woman’s lack of beauty, worth or anything for that matter but instead a man’s abundance of insecurities, unworthiness & desperation. don’t let men manipulate that reality

— s h e n n a ??? (@shenna_brook) September 19, 2022

When apologizing for cheating publicly I hate the -we will get through it together part from a man.

Don’t speak for her. You’ve done enough

— Chrishell Stause (@Chrishell7) September 20, 2022

Amid the drama, several more women have since come forward, claiming that Levine also sent them flirty messages online too. Levine denied cheating on Prinsloo with Stroh or any other woman, writing, “I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period of my life. In certain instances it became inappropriate.” He later added that he had been taking “proactive steps” to make up for his misgivings with his family. “My wife and my family is all I care about in this world. To be this naive and stupid enough to risk the only thing that truly matters to me was the greatest mistake I could ever make. I will never make it again.”

However, after Levine proclaimed that his family “will get through it together,” an old interview resurfaced online… one that takes away from his recent “apology”. Sharing his thoughts on infidelity, the Grammy winner previously told Cosmopolitan, that “monogamy is not in our genetic makeup”. “People cheat. I have cheated,” he continued. “And you know what? There is nothing worse than the feeling of doing it.”

Prinsloo has not publicly spoken out about the allegations.

Pointing fingers

There is a societal predisposition to blame ourselves for how others treat us – if only we were thinner, nicer, had smaller fingernail beds… the list goes on, much of it ridiculous nonsense our brains try to use to convince us it’s our fault. And with the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, Khloé Kardashian, Beyoncé and Behati Prinsloo sitting atop the pretty people hierarchy, it’s hard to fathom how anyone could cheat on them… if a man couldn’t even stay loyal to them, then there’s no hope for the rest of us, right? 

Wrong. This way of thinking suggests that when a man cheats, it’s due to a woman’s own lack of desirability. The onus is put back on the woman. “What’s wrong with her?”, we question, while the man gets off scot-free, once again. As author Jessie Stephens noted when discussing the EmRata/Bear-McClard divorce rumours; Ratajkowski isn’t the point here. Her husband reportedly cheating on her is not some kind of indictment on her value, physical or otherwise. This is true of Khloé Kardashian, Beyoncé and Behati Prinsloo too. 

@emrata #stitch with @sarasadmomfoster ? original sound – Emrata

Men are so often excused for their behaviour, while their partners are villainised for sticking by them… but a woman being cheated on says nothing about her and everything about the *person (*most often a man) who cheated on her.