Ageless Love: Woody Allen and Soon-Yi's Enduring Romance After 27 Years
The Eternal Enigma: Woody Allen's Love Life and Scandals Continue to Entangle the World
At 89, the infamous filmmaker Woody Allen (born Allan Konigsberg) has managed to keep his love life shrouded in mystery, but not this time! The veteran director, notorious for his long-term relationships with much younger women, was spotted holding hands with his third wife, Soon-Yi Previn, at Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, CA on Saturday. The 35-year age gap between Allen and Previn has raised eyebrows once again, as the couple celebrated their 27th anniversary.
But let's take a step back and revisit the tumultuous history of this unlikely pair. Born Oh Soon-hee in Korea, Soon-Yi was adopted by Mia Farrow, Woody's former partner, and her second ex-husband André Previn in 1978. Fast-forward to 1992, when Woody began dating Soon-Yi, who was then just 21 years old – a development that sparked controversy and led to a very public custody battle.
The scandalous affair began when Mia Farrow discovered nude Polaroids of her then-21-year-old daughter at Woody's home. Seven months later, Farrow publicly accused Allen of molesting their adopted daughter Dylan Farrow. The allegations sent shockwaves through Hollywood, with many stars and actresses distancing themselves from the troubled filmmaker.
Despite the controversies surrounding his personal life, Woody has managed to maintain a successful career in film. His latest project, the critically acclaimed French-language Coup de Chance, earned $7.8M at the box office in 2023. However, not everyone is convinced by Allen's artistic prowess. Comedian Chelsea Handler, who attended one of Woody's dinner parties with Soon-Yi and the late Jeffrey Epstein (yes, that Jeffrey Epstein), made her thoughts known on Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out podcast: "I was there to make sure he knew and everyone at the table knew how I felt before I left. Like, 'Don't think I'm okay. I'm not okay with this.'"
As it turns out, Woody and Soon-Yi were part of Epstein's inner circle, attending monthly dinner parties at his Upper East Side townhouse. In a bizarre twist, Allen has maintained that he never had a business meeting with Epstein and always had Soon-Yi by his side during their gatherings.
But what about the #MeToo movement? Woody's last American movie, A Rainy Day in New York, was released in 2019, coinciding with the widespread social outcry against sexual abuse. In response to the controversy surrounding his own film, cast members Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Hall, and Griffin Newman donated their salaries to support sexual assault organizations.
In a shocking turn of events, some of Woody's most ardent supporters have since distanced themselves from him. Sean Penn, Diane Keaton, Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin, Cherry Jones, Bill Maher, Jude Law, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Gina Gershon, Jim Belushi, Juno Temple, Michael Caine, and Jeff Goldblum are just a few of the many stars who have publicly denounced Woody's behavior.
On the other hand, Kate Winslet, Drew Barrymore, Evan Rachel Wood, David Krumholtz, Greta Gerwig, Mira Sorvino, Rachel Brosnahan, Jeff Daniels, Peter Sarsgaard, Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, Hayley Atwell, Freida Pinto, Chloe Sevigny, and Marion Cotillard have taken a stand against Woody, refusing to work with him again.
As the saga continues, it remains to be seen what the future holds for this enigmatic couple. With Soon-Yi by his side, Woody has produced and narrated an animated short film, Mr. Fischer's Chair, based on Bobby Fischer's life – a project that is set to release next month.
The question on everyone's mind: will Woody's love life continue to captivate the world, or will the controversies surrounding him finally catch up with him? Stay tuned for more updates from The Scholarly Note (thescholarlynote.com) as this story continues to unfold.
