Mary Kay Letourneau‘s infamous affair along with her pupil Vili Fualaau made headlines in the ’90s — and the scandal has persisted to grip the country.
Letourneau’s personal lifestyles was a significant subject of debate in 1996 when information broke about her affair with Fualaau, who used to be a sixth-grade pupil on the time. The former teacher entered a accountable plea in 1997 to two counts of prison second-degree rape of a kid and served 3 months in prison. Letourneau, alternatively, continued to remain in contact with Fualaau despite being ordered not to by way of the court, which resulted in a six-year jail sentence.
After welcoming two youngsters with Fualaau, the controversial pair got married following Letourneau’s release from jail. They remained in combination for over a decade ahead of saying their separation in 2019.
Letourneau and Fualaau’s relating to dating received nationwide consideration as they tried to stay out of the general public eye. Their life story has since served as inspiration for Netflix’s film, May December, which follows a fictional romance between a lady and an underage boy and the non-public ramifications they face surrounding the truth about their state of affairs years later.
Scroll right down to revisit the jarring scandal and for updates on Letourneau and Fualaau:
How Did the Scandal Unfold?
Letourneau met Fualaau when she was once his second-grade instructor at an elementary faculty in Burien, Washington. Mary Kay used to be married to Steve Letourneau — with whom she shared four youngsters — when she was once later stuck spending time with Fualaau, then 12, out of doors of faculty. She used to be arrested in March 1997 and pleaded to blame to two counts of second-degree child rape. Mary Kay gave birth to her first child with Fualaau, daughter Audrey, later that yr.
Mary Kay used to be sentenced to 6 months in jail and three years of sex offender treatment within the rape case. She was launched after completing part the time and was once ordered to not contact Fualaau. However, Mary Kay was found in a car with Fualaau two weeks after completing her prison sentence and her authentic prison sentence of seven and a half years was reinstated.
While serving out her second stint behind bars, Mary Kay welcomed her moment daughter with Fualaau, Georgia, in October 1998.
What Happened After Mary Kay’s Prison Sentence?
After the scandal, Fualaau dropped out of highschool and his mother gained custody of his two kids with Mary Kay. Fualaau petitioned for the courtroom to drop the no-contact order in opposition to Mary Kay as soon as he was once over 18 and they officially pursued a courting. (Mary Kay, meanwhile, needed to sign in as a level 2 sex wrongdoer.)
Fualaau and Mary Kay cowrote the 1998 book Un Seul Crime, L’Amour (Only One Crime, Love), which coated their person accounts in their dating.
Did Mary Kay and Vili Remain in a Relationship?
The pair tied the knot in May 2005 and raised their two daughters while in large part staying out of the general public eye. Fualaau filed for separation in May 2017 after 12 years of marriage but subsequently withdrew the filing.
In 2019, Fualaau and Mary Kay finalized their criminal separation.
What Did Mary Kay Say About the Controversial Relationship?
During a joint interview with Barbara Walters in 2015, Mary Kay addressed whether she felt “to blame” or “disgusted” for abusing Fualaau. “I cherished him very much, and I kind of thought, ‘Why can’t it ever simply be a kiss?'” she mentioned. “The incident was once a late night time, and it didn’t prevent with a kiss. And I believed that it could, and it didn’t.”
Fualaau, for his section, recalled his mental health taking a turn for the worst amid the scandal. “I’m shocked I’m still alive as of late. I went through a in point of fact darkish time,” he famous about no longer having a give a boost to device when Mary Kay gave delivery to their youngsters whilst in prison.
What Happened to Mary Kay?
In 2020, Mary Kay was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and kicked the bucket later that 12 months at age 58.
“Mary fought tirelessly in contrast horrible disease,” her family stated in a commentary. “Mary, and all folks, found nice power in having our immediate and extended members of the family in combination to sign up for her in this onerous battle. We did our very best to care for Mary and one every other as we stored her shut and stayed shut in combination.”
What Happened to Vili?
Fualaau reflected on Mary Kay’s irrelevant conduct towards him right through a 2020 look on The Dr. Oz Show. “I couldn’t take a look at a 13-year-old and be interested in that because it’s just no longer in my mind. It’s not anything that I’m drawn to. I mean, we all have our preferences, and that’s just no longer something that I might go towards,” he stated after being asked what he would do if he used to be attracted to a minor. “I’d almost certainly cross and seek some assist.”
In March 2022, Fualaau and Mary Kay’s daughter Georgia confirmed that her father welcomed a third child.
“Hi Sophia, I’m your giant sister! You’re so gorgeous, I will’t wait to look at you develop. I’ll be right here by your side it doesn't matter what ! I like you 💕,” she wrote via Instagram along a photo with the child. Details on the baby’s mother have remained private since the news broke.
Fualaau and Mary Kay’s eldest, Audrey, in the meantime, introduced in August 2023 that Georgia was expecting her first child. Georgia showed that she used to be pregnant with a baby boy to People one month later. She detailed her six-year relationship with the kid’s father — however chose to keep him out of the highlight.
Why Has the Scandal Made Headlines Again?
Letourneau’s rape case — and subsequent courting with Fualaau — was once the foundation behind Todd Haynes‘ critically-acclaimed film May December. The film stars Natalie Portman as an actress named Elizabeth who travels to meet and study the life of Gracie (Julianne Moore), who she is ready to play in a undertaking. Gracie’s notorious romance with Joe (Charles Melton), who's 23 years her junior, is the subject of the fictional film.
“I in reality found myself honoring the respect in [screenwriter] Samy [Burch]’s script from some of the well-known examples of those tabloid tales like Mary Kay Letourneau. I used to be in reality looking more for type of cinematic correlatives since the nature of the script is that you just’re left in a state of uncertainty about what to think about those folks,” Haynes advised The Hollywood Reporter in May 2023. “The reliability you characteristic to begin with to Elizabeth, the character Natalie Portman plays, begins to develop into destabilized as the film unfolds. You’re in a constant state of reevaluation.”
He continued: “So, I was extra involved in how will we inform this story and let all of the ones ways of reading the movie be made gratifying and permit the target audience to feel love it was going to be a a laugh film to be navigating.”
What Did Vili Think About His Life Serving as Inspiration for ‘May December’?
After in large part staying out of the spotlight, Fualaau reemerged to share his thoughts on May December.
“I’m still alive and neatly. If they'd reached out to me, we may have labored in combination on a masterpiece. Instead, they chose to do a ripoff of my unique story,” he informed The Hollywood Reporter in January 2024. “I’m indignant by way of all of the challenge and the lack of appreciate given to me — who lived thru a real story and continues to be dwelling it.”
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
Fualaau said he wasn’t delighted to hear concerning the similarities between his courting with Letourneau and the fictitious marriage between Moore and Melton’s characters.
“I love movies — just right movies. And I like ones that capture the essence and complications of real-life events. You know, films that assist you to see or understand something new each and every time you watch them,” he endured. “Those kinds of writers and directors — somebody who can do that — could be absolute best to work with, as a result of my story isn't nearly as simple as this film [portrays].”
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tr%2FMmp6aspmjsm%2BvzqZmnJ2cmq%2BztdOyZKedp6h8r7HWrGarnaaewKrAyKeeZqGem66uu9SsZKaZoq56rK3YZqOerJ%2Bqv6%2BxwK5kmqaUYsOquMhmna6ZnJautnnSnJinnJGhfA%3D%3D