Why These Stars Don't Believe in Monogamy: Scarlett Johansson, Shailene Woodley, Ethan Hawke and More

Celebrities weigh in on why the don't think it's ''natural'' to be with one person

By Kendall Fisher Feb 15, 2017 8:43 PMTags

Scarlett Johansson made headlines this week for coming out and saying she doesn't believe monogamy is "natural."

"I think the idea of marriage is very romantic; it's a beautiful idea, and the practice of it can be a very beautiful thing," the 32-year-old actress told Playboy. "I don't think it's natural to be a monogamous person. I might be skewered for that, but I think it's work. It's a lot of work, and the fact that it is such work for so many people—for everyone—the fact of that proves that it is not a natural thing."

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She continued, "It's something I have a lot of respect for and have participated in, but I think it definitely goes against some instinct to look beyond."

And she's not alone.

Here are seven more celebs who have explained why they don't believe in monogamy either:

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Shailene Woodley: In an interview with Elle magazine in 2014, the Divergent star admitted she doesn't believe monogamy is incorporated into our chemical makeup as humans.

"I just haven't met anyone where I was like, 'Wow, I could definitely see myself spending a season of my life with you,'" she said. "I don't even know if humans are genetically made to be with one person forever." 

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Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith: In an interview with Howard Stern in 2015, the actress said she gives her husband all the freedom he wants. 

"I trust that the man that Will is is a man of integrity. He's got all the freedom in the world, and as long as Will can look at himself in the mirror and be OK, I'm good," she said, adding, "You gotta trust who you're with, and at the end of the day, I'm not here to be anybody's watcher. I'm not his watcher. He's a grown man."

In another interview with Huffington Post, she noted they are both allowed to do "whatever" they want. "Our perspective is, you don't avoid what's natural. You're going to be attracted to people," she said. "In our marriage vows, we didn't say forsaking all others."

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Ethan Hawke: The actor came out and admitted he doesn't think cheating is a major issue.

"People have such a childish view of monogamy and fidelity. 'He's cheated so he's bad, she's cheated so she's bad,' as opposed to a recognition that our species is not monogamous," he explained. "To act all indignant, that your world has been rocked because your lover wasn't faithful to you, is a little bit like acting rocked that your hair went gray."

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Cameron Diaz: Though she's now married to Benji Madden, in 2014, the actress questioned the idea of monogamy and marriage.

"A lot of people chase after it because they've been told, 'This equals happiness.' They chase it, they get it, and they find out, 'Why did I think this was going to make me happy? I'm miserable!'" she told InStyle magazine. "I don't know if anyone is really naturally monogamous. We all have the same instincts as animals. But we live in a society where it's been ingrained in us to do these things."

She later clarified that she was speaking from the beliefs of her The Other Woman character, telling Good Morning America later, "Monogamy, I think, is a very important part of relationships working."

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Hugh Hefner: It's no surprise that the Playboy mogul doesn't believe in monogamy, and when talking about the Tiger Woods scandal in 2009, he explained why.

"Marriage is just a convenience," he told E! News.  "It's very nice for raising kids, but the notion that monogamy lasts forever is a wish!"

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Emma Thompson: She's been married to Greg Wise for nearly 14 years, but that hasn't stopped the actress from weighing in on the topic of monogamy.

In a 2013 interview, she explained, "Monogamy is an odd state, and actually it's an odd state for women. I think that we're locked into certain ideas and certain romantic ideals that have shaped our thinking about relationships for some time."

She continued, "And I do sometimes wonder about whether there are alternatives, and about whether our fury and rage and disbelief and horror about infidelity is quite realistic."

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Tom Ford: The famous designer has been with his partner since, basically, forever and married him in 2014. However, he's always been honest about monogamy.

For example, in an interview with Arena, he said "I think that monogamy is artificial. I do not think it's something that comes naturally to us...The relationship I've been in for 18 years—I don't even want to get into this because he's going to read this and I'm going to be in so much s--t!"