Selena Gomez's 'throuple' with Beckhams: Gwyneth Paltrow and Dolly Parton embrace atypical Hollywood marriages

 Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton are among stars who have had unconventional relationships

Selena Gomez made headlines when she jokingly declared that she was in a "throuple" with Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham. 

The 31-year-old singer and actress, who has established a close friendship with the couple over the past year, shared a slideshow of photos featuring the trio as they rang in the New Year on a vacation to Mexico.

"Fine calls us a throuple #foreverplusone," the Disney Channel alum wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.

The carousel that Gomez shared included images in which the three were seen having a group hug and cuddling together on yacht.

Selena Gomez, inset middle, joked about being in a "throuple" with Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz in January. Other celebrities have openly discussed their unconventional pairings. (Getty/Dolly Parton Instagram)

NICOLA PELTZ BECKHAM JOKES SHE'S IN A ‘THROUPLE’ WITH SELENA GOMEZ, BROOKLYN BECKHAM

Earlier this month, Peltz Beckham, 28, facetiously addressed their three-way relationship in an interview with Cosmopolitan. 

"Oh my God," the "Bates Motel" actress joked. "We're like, ‘Yeah, we are a throuple.' We are all three best friends."

Peltz Beckham and the 24-year-old son of soccer legend David Beckham and fashion designer Victoria Beckham tied the knot in April 2022.

During her interview with the outlet, Peltz Beckham opened up about her bond with Gomez. Over the past few months, the two have showcased their friendship on social media, posting snaps in which they were seen having sleepovers, enjoying dinners out and attending parties together.

"I had met her once in passing a few years ago, and then we all went to this event in September, the Academy Gala," she recalled. "We just clicked and had the best time. And then we became super, super close. I feel like she's my soul sister. I love her so much."

Peltz Beckham continued, "She's truly one of the most amazing people I've ever met in my whole life. The kindest person ever. Truly, her heart is gold. I feel like I've known her forever."

After celebrating the New Year, Gomez and Peltz Beckham revealed that they cemented their friendship with matching angel tattoos on their forearms. 

The daughter of billionaire Nelson Peltz and former model Claudia Heffner Peltz referenced their new ink in a February Instagram post. 

"I love this girl so much @selenagomez angel sister," she captioned a photo in which she and the "Only Murders In The Building" star were seen in matching outfits while dining out together.

Last week, Beckham shared his thoughts on his wife's friendship with Gomez and their "throuple" during an appearance on "The Jennifer Hudson Show."

"She says we're a throuple," Beckham said of Gomez as he flashed a smile. "She's such a sweet girl, obviously very talented." 

He added, "I love when my wife makes new friends, especially really great friends. We all get along."

While the trio's joking mentions of their "throuple" status raised a few eyebrows, many other celebrities have had unconventional relationships in the past — including threesomes, living separately, swinging or speculation that the relationship is imaginary. 

Here's a look at six famous couples who have openly discussed their atypical pairings.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuck

Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk lived separately until almost a year after they were married. (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk began dating after meeting on the set of "Glee," which he co-created, in 2014. The 50-year-old Goop founder and the 52-year-old producer married in September 2018 but did not begin living together until almost a year later.

Paltrow revealed their unorthodox arrangement in a June 2019 interview with the Sunday Times. The Academy Award winner shared that she and her husband lived together four nights a week after which he returned to his home in Brentwood.

"Oh, all my married friends say that the way we live sounds ideal, and we shouldn’t change a thing," Paltrow told the outlet. 

The actress went on to say that her intimacy teacher, Micaela Boehm, supported the couple's choice to not live together full-time as it created "polarity" which keeps their marriage fresh.

In August 2019, Paltrow explained that the two also wanted to give their children time to adjust to their union and new blended family. "The Politician" star shares daughter Apple, 18, and son Moses, 16, with her ex-husband, Chris Martin, 46, while Falchuk is father to daughter Isabella and son Brody, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Suzanne Bukinik.

Gwyneth Paltrow's intimacy teacher agreed with their arrangement, saying it created "polarity." (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

"Married life has been really good," she told InStyle at the time. "We took a year to let everybody [in the family] take it in and let the dust settle. And now we’re moving in together this month."

She continued, "I adore my husband. He’s brilliant and deeply kind. I feel like he’s a real equal, too. And he pushes me in the best ways. I really like being married. It’s fun."

During an October 2019 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Paltrow said that she had Falchuk had "merged, and it's great."

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Paltrow reflected on their decision to initially live apart, saying, "I think, really, because we each have two teenage children whom we love very much, but we were just trying to be mindful and give them a little space and not move too quickly."

Dolly Parton and Carl Dean

Dolly Parton and her husband Carl Dean have been married for 56 years after first meeting a laundromat on the first day that the future country legend moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Dean's public absence over the years had led to speculation that he is imaginary, which Parton addressed in a 2020 interview. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, have been married for 56 years after first meeting a laundromat on the first day that the future country legend moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Parton was 18 at the time, while Dean was 21. The two tied the knot two years later in May 1966.

The couple have rarely been pictured publicly together over the decades. In 2011, the 10-time Grammy Award winner, 77, revealed at a concert that she and Dean, 79, had only attended one industry event together, back in 1966, when Parton won her first songwriting award at a BMI dinner.

"Carl and I got dressed up, he was in a tux, and we drove to the dinner," Parton recalled, according to The Boot. "We got out and walked up the red carpet and went inside and sat through dinner and the awards, and I went up and got my award.

"After the dinner, we walked back out, and they brought us our car — I don't even remember what we were driving then — and we got in it and headed for home," the hitmaker continued, "Carl turned to me and said, 'Dolly, I want you to have everything you want, and I'm happy for you, but don't you ever ask me to go to another one of them dang things again!'"

Dean's public absence over the years had even led to speculation that he is imaginary, which Parton addressed in an 2020 interview with Entertainment Tonight.

"A lot of people have thought that through the years because he does not want to be in the spotlight at all," the "Here You Come Again" singer told the outlet. "It's just not who he is. He's like, a quiet, reserved person and he figured if he ever got out there in that, he'd never get a minute’s peace and he's right about that."

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"I've always respected and appreciated that in him and I've always tried to keep him out of the limelight as much as I can," Parton continued. "He said, 'I didn't choose this world, I chose you, and you chose that world. But we can keep our lives separate and together.' And we do and we have."

Over the years, Parton has provided glimpses at their life in interviews and has occasionally shared throwback photos of herself with Dean on social media. In 2021, she shared a throwback snap of the two, writing, "Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!"

Last Valentine's Day, the "Jolene" singer marked Valentine's Day by posting an image of herself with her longtime love. She captioned the photo, "Happy Valentine’s Day y’all! Remember to squeeze your loved ones a little tighter today and tell them you love ‘em!"

In 2016, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows during a private ceremony in Nashville.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher 

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher's romance surprised fans because of their 15-year age gap. (Christian JENTZ/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher surprised fans and gained widespread media attention in 2003 when they revealed that they were dating. The "Ghost" star was 40 at the time while "That 70s Show" alum was 25. Despite their 15-year age gap, the two went on to tie the knot in September 2005. 

However, they separated in 2011 amid allegations that Kutcher had been unfaithful to Moore, and they finalized their divorce in 2013. Moore detailed the demise of their marriage in her 2019 memoir "Inside Out." She claimed that their union had begun to unravel when Kutcher wanted to introduce multiple sexual partners into their relationship.

"I wanted this marriage to work, and I was willing to do whatever it took, to jump through any hoop," the actress, now 60, wrote. "So when he expressed his fantasy of bringing a third person into our bed, I didn’t say no. I wanted to show him how great and fun I could be." 

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"Having other people in our marriage presented a totally false sense of power, and an absolutely temporary sense of excitement. There were two different people we opened our relationship to, and they didn’t have bad intentions; they held it in the right space. To this day, I know I could reach out to either of them for friendship; one is now married and has a kid. They were good people, but it was still a mistake."

Demi Moore recalled how having threesomes with Ashton Kutcher led to the end of their marriage. (Photo by Jeff Vespa/WireImage)

"Part of the point of monogamy is the energy of somebody making the sacrifice or the choice for you, and that you thereby hold this special place that no one else can have. As soon as another person is brought in, you are no longer being held in that sacred spot," she added.

Moore recalled that she later discovered Kutcher had cheated on her with a 21-year-old woman at their home while she was out of town. She remembered meeting the woman while she was at a bowling alley with her daughter Rumer – whom she shares with ex-husband Bruce Willis — and Kutcher. Moore wrote that Kutcher had told her the woman had slipped her phone number to him during the outing.

"When we got home that night and he showed it to me, I said, ‘That is just gross. We were there with our kid, and she was there with her mother and her sister!’ I had a visceral response — it was revulsion. So the fact that he then pursued her felt like a real ‘F--- you.’"

The New Mexico native recalled that the "Your Place Or Mine" star had told her that the threesomes led to his cheating.

"Because we had brought a third party into our relationship, Ashton said, that blurred the lines and, to some extent, justified what he’d done," she wrote.  "I think he felt remorse, but he was also looking for a way to deflect blame, to maintain his own perception of himself as a decent family guy. Ashton did not compensate for his behavior by being extra solicitous and kind. In retrospect, I think all of this was his way of trying to get our of our marriage."

Kutcher married his former "That 70s Show" co-star Mila Kunis two years after their divorce.

Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton

Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton were together for 13 years. (Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

Despite never marrying, Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton were together for 13 years and share two children, son Billy Raymond and daughter Nell. After meeting on the set of Burton's 2001 film "Planet of the Apes," they collaborated on seven additional movies, including "Corpse Bride," "Big Eyes," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and "Alice in Wonderland."

The two famously never lived together, instead residing in twin London houses next door to each other that were connected with a hallway. Bonham Carter opened up about living separately from Burton in a 2008 interview with the Evening Standard.

"In any relationship, after the first year is over, you can't help but want your own space," she said. "We have different telly tastes and both work from home. But things obviously aren't that bad between us, or I wouldn't have gotten [pregnant], would I? I'm very happy."

Helena Bonham Carter, right, and Tim Burton famously never lived together, instead residing in houses that were next door to each other. (John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images)

In a 2010 interview with Radio Times via the Telegraph, Bonham Carter explained that their unusual living arrangement was partially due to Burton's snoring.

"We just have two houses knocked together because mine was too small," she said. "We see as much of each other as any couple, but our relationship is enhanced by knowing we have our personal space to retreat to."

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"It’s not enforced intimacy. It’s chosen, which is quite flattering – if you can afford it," Bonham Carter added.

"Tim does snore, and that’s an element. We’ve tried lots of remedies that don’t work. He has a deviated septum and doesn’t want an operation."

"The Crown" alum and the "Edward Scissorhands" director split in 2014.

Thomas Middleditch and Mollie Gates

Thomas Middleditch said that swinging "saved" his marriage to wife Mollie Gates. (Barry King/Getty Images)

"Silicon Valley" star Thomas Middleditch married costume designer Mollie Gates after they met on the set of the 2014 comedy "Search Party." The pair announced their engagement in June 2015 and married in August of that year.

In September 2019, Middleditch gave a bombshell interview to Playboy magazine in which he revealed that he and Gates were swingers, though he added that "it’s now called being ‘part of the lifestyle.’ The term ‘swinging’ is old." 

The Emmy nominee had previously opened up about visiting an adult swingers club in Atlanta with Gates, "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" writer Zach Shields and Shields' girlfriend.

During his Playboy interview, Middleditch was asked whetrher he and Gates were familiar with the swinging scene.

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"I don’t know how much I can say, because I don’t want my wife to be mad at me," he replied. "Only after I got married was I like, 'Mollie, I’m sorry, but we have to get nontraditional here.' To her credit, instead of saying, 'F--- you, I’m out,' she was like, ‘Let’s figure this out.’"

He continued, "To be honest, swinging has saved our marriage. We have different speeds, and we argue over it constantly, but it’s better than feeling unheard and alone and that you have to scurry in the shadows."

Middleditch admitted that he thought his urges to sleep with other people would end once he fell in love and got married, but they did not. He said he realized that it was "a part of me" that he had to embrace because "repression sucks."

The actor told the outlet that he and Gates had established rules and boundaries once they agreed to be "part of the lifestyle."

"Mollie and I have created our own rules, and compared to most of the people we’ve met who do this kind of s---, our rules are strict," he noted. "We’re not off on our own; we’re together, a unit. It’s a perpetual state of management and communication, to the point where it’s like, 'All right, we’ve got to stop. Chill.' I’m gas, and she’s brakes."

Mollie Gates, left, eventually filed for divorce from Thomas Middleditch in May 2020, citing "irreconcilable differences." (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Middleditch said that the lifestyle could be complicated at times because he was a celebrity and often had fans throwing themselves at him. 

"Personally, that’s one of the trickier elements of it all, because Mollie doesn’t get that and yet she has to witness it. I’m like, 'Come on, what about this chick who’s obviously really into me?' And Mollie will say, 'Yeah, she’s into you. Where do I fit in?' That question comes up," he said. "There’s a lot of negotiation, and adding fame sometimes makes it easier and sometimes complicates things.

"That’s the forever-changing landscape in our relationship, because it’s about everybody feeling safe. The internet is a possibility for meeting people, but Instagram f---s up marriages," he continued. "If your partner brings this very forward person from Instagram to you, you’ll be like, 'Do you guys have a thing?' Whereas if your partner bumps into someone, and they start a conversation, it all happens in front of you."

"It’s a game of inches on a minefield to try to predict who’s going to feel safe. My first concern is Mollie. Anything that happens has to be run by the queen."

Gates filed for divorce in May 2020, citing "irreconcilable differences." The former couple's divorce was finalized in April 2021 and Middleditch was ordered to pay Gates a settlement of $2.625 million. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the steep payment was due to the claims that the "B Positive" star had made in the Playboy interview.

At the time of the settlement news, Middleditch faced sexual misconduct allegations, stemming from a 2019 incident with a club-goer, according to People magazine. Per the outlet, no criminal or civil charges have been brought, and Middleditch has not publicly commented on the allegations.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been married since 1997. (Getty Images)

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith tied the knot in 1997 after a few years of dating. They first met in 1990 when she auditioned for a role on the Oscar winner's hit TV series "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." They share son Jaden, 24, and daughter Willow, 22. Smith is also father to son Trey, 30, whom he shares with his ex-wife Sheree Zampino.

In July 2020, Smith made an appearance on an episode of Jada's Facebook Watch series "Red Table Talk," and the two discussed the "entanglement" that she had had with rapper August Alsina. Jada said that she had had a "relationship" with Alsina, who was 25 at the time, four-and-a-half years earlier, when she and Smith had separated with the intention of divorcing. 

In 2021, Smith opened up about his unconventional marriage in an interview with GQ while he was promoting his memoir, "Will." In his book, Smith recalled that their marriage "wasn't working." 

"We could no longer pretend," he wrote. "We were both miserable and clearly something had to change."

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Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith discussed Jada's "entanglement" with another man during an episode of her Facebook Watch series "Red Table Talk." (AP, File)

Smith told GQ that their union eventually stopped being monogamous, and both had engaged in sexual relationships with other people.

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"Jada never believed in conventional marriage … Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship," Smith explained. "So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up. There were significant endless discussions about, what is relational perfection? What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection."

He continued, "We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison. And I don’t suggest our road for anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms we’ve given one another ... and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love."

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