Inside Bruce Springsteen's Alleged Illicit Affairs During Both of His Marriages

He sang about heartbreak, longing, and redemption — and lived them all. Bruce Springsteen's two marriages have been filled with passion, turmoil, and resilience, charting a personal journey as complex and compelling as the songs that made him "The Boss."

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen may be "The Boss" on stage — but behind the scenes, his love life has been marked by heartbreak, betrayal, and scandal across both of his marriages.

Bruce Springsteen and Julianne Phillips' Complicated Love

Springsteen's first marriage was to Julianne Phillips, a model and actress once featured on the cover of "New Jersey" magazine. Her manager had arranged for her to meet a famous personality who described himself as "aggressively heterosexual."

When they hit it off, the courtship quickly turned serious. Just days before their wedding, Bruce shared a casual night with Phillips' brothers and father, playing pool and singing along to his own hits blaring from a jukebox. Nobody in the bar knew the difference between his voice and the one playing on the jukebox.

Their wedding took place at 12:15 a.m. in a church in Lake Oswego, Oregon, but it wasn't a fairytale beginning. Phillips reportedly cried after the ceremony, a sign of the emotional turmoil to come.

Inside "Born to Run": A Confession of Fear and Insecurity

In his 2016 memoir "Born to Run," Springsteen opened up about his troubled emotional state during that first marriage. Sitting across from his new bride in an upscale Los Angeles restaurant, he admitted to battling his own insecurities.

"A part of me tried to convince myself that she was simply using me to further her career or to get... something," he wrote.

But even as he confessed to those doubts, Springsteen clarified that Phillips' love had been genuine.

"Julianne loved me and didn't have an exploitive or malicious bone in her body," he declared.

Despite knowing this deep down, he said he couldn't make peace with it. He constantly sliding between rage, fear, distrust, insecurity, and deep-rooted misogyny that often fought with his better side.

"I became hypersexual, then non-sexual, suffered multiple anxiety attacks, and swung from one side of the graph of funky human behavior to another, all the while trying to keep a lid on it," he confessed.

Looking back, Springsteen admitted that he handled his marriage the wrong way and created "a psychological distance" from Phillips — even as she tried to reach him.

Patti Scialfa: The Bandmate Who Became the Boss's Second Bride

During his "Born in the U.S.A." tour, Springsteen's bond with Patti Scialfa, a musician in his E Street Band, deepened into something more. She was closer to him in age and had lived the same demanding road life that Phillips never fully shared.

"Patti is a wise, tough, powerful woman, but she is also the soul of fragility, and there was something in that combination that opened up new possibilities in my heart," he said in his memoir.

The affair ended his first marriage. Phillips, then 28, filed for divorce in 1989 citing "irreconcilable differences." Their settlement was kept private, but after the split, she revived her acting career, appearing in films like "Fletch Lives" and "Skin Deep."

By June 8, 1991, Springsteen was ready to try again. He and Scialfa married in a garden wedding at their $14 million Beverly Hills estate — a world away from the New Jersey backstreets that had shaped his career.

Because Scialfa had not been married before, she wanted a "real storybook wedding," one guest revealed.

Surrounded by pink and white roses, twinkling lights, and a candlelit glow, the pair exchanged vows they had written themselves. Springsteen wore a traditional black tuxedo — the same style he had worn at his 1985 wedding to Phillips.

It was, by all accounts, a perfect Hollywood wedding for rock royalty. But more than a decade later, scandal would once again threaten to tear his marriage apart.

The Housewife, the Gym, and "The Boss"

In 2005, Bruce Springsteen's name made headlines once again, this time linked to allegations of an affair with Ann Kelly, a housewife from New Jersey.

The relationship allegedly began innocently enough, with casual chats on the treadmills at a high-end gym in Red Bank. But according to Ann's soon-to-be ex-husband, Arthur Kelly, those workouts soon turned into lunches — and eventually, a full-blown affair.

Accusations of infidelity surfaced in 2009 when Arthur, then 46, filed for divorce after 17 years of marriage. He claimed in court papers that Ann had rendezvoused with Springsteen while he was in the hospital recovering from heart problems. Arthur also alleged that the rock star became a frequent topic during the couple's marriage counseling sessions.

Workouts reportedly spilled into lunches at a nearby café, with Ann's two daughters sometimes tagging along. The girls got to know Springsteen so well that they called him "Bruce," according to court records.

There were other signs, Arthur claimed. In 2007 and 2008, unsigned Valentine’s Day cards – without stamps or postmarks – mysteriously appeared in the Kellys' mailbox in West Long Branch.

Springsteen personally gave Ann front-row tickets to his "Magic Tour" rehearsals on September 24 and 25, 2007, at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park. Ann was so captivated by the performance that she allegedly told Arthur's mother, "It felt like Bruce Springsteen was singing to me."

In 2008, when Arthur underwent open-heart surgery in Cleveland, Ann was allegedly dining with Springsteen at the Turning Point restaurant in Long Branch.

Despite the allegations, Springsteen's friend reportedly stated at the time, "Bruce and Patti continue to have a terrific marriage and are very devoted to each other and their children."

The Moment His World Shifted

Springsteen has since reflected on how his life first turned toward Scialfa years earlier. The pair met at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, where Scialfa had been singing.

She had just stepped down from the stage, yet her voice, according to Springsteen, was still ringing in the room.

Springsteen was blown away by the "gorgeous redhead singing like Ronnie Spector or Dusty Springfield." Ultimately, he introduced himself, and the rest was history.

As for why he chose to marry Scialfa, Springsteen revealed, "I knew she saw me for who I really was. A complicated, messy person. I didn't have to pretend. I was broken. She was broken in her own way, and we were each other's personal projects."

34 Years On: A Love That Endured

Despite the rumors and rocky moments, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa remain together to this day.

On June 9, 2025, Scialfa celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary with a heartfelt tribute. "Our one year anniversary…. Bruce surprised me with a beautiful party ….. today marks 34 years … even though we already had Evan and Jess was on the way…. spent the evening with Bruce Sam and our granddaughter Lily… [sic]" she shared.

It was a glimpse into a relationship that, while forged in scandal, has endured through decades of fame and turbulence.

While Springsteen's life has often mirrored the emotional peaks and valleys of his music, one thing remains constant: his enduring connection with the woman who has shared his stage, his songs, and his storms.

For a man who built his legacy on tales of restless hearts and redemption, Bruce Springsteen's story of love and loyalty is as complex — and as deeply human — as any ballad he's ever sung.