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Mary Kay Letourneau’s 1st Husband Steve Has Found Happiness in His Post-Scandal Life: He ‘Moved On’
Before Mary Kay Letourneau was charged with child rape for having an affair with her then-sixth-grade student Vili Fualaau, she was married to Steve Letourneau. Today, the late schoolteacher’s former college sweetheart has seemingly found happiness in his private life following the sex scandal.
In 2015 — shortly after Mary Kay resurfaced for an interview with Barbara Walters — an insider told Radar Online that he went on to marry twice more and eventually “moved on” with his life after the limelight faded.
When the former teacher was arrested in 1997 — and revealed she was pregnant with her first child by Vili (her daughter Audrey, born on August 7, 1997, while Mary Kay was in prison) — Steve filed for divorce and got custody of their four children, Steven Jr., Mary Claire, Nicholas, and Jacqueline. Despite their mother’s reputation, her adult children have found success and happiness, too. The insider said Nicholas graduated from Georgetown University with a computer science degree, and Steven Jr. – who is less than two years younger than his stepfather – is a father of two.
As for Vili, the 40-year-old father has welcomed three children into his family over the past 25 years. He and Mary Kay had two daughters together, Audrey, 26, and Georgia, 24, and the infamous figure welcomed a third daughter, Sophia, in November 2022. Georgia confirmed the news on her private Instagram page, writing, “Hi Sophia, I’m your big sister! You’re so beautiful, I can’t wait to watch you grow. I’ll be right here by your side no matter what ! I love you.”
Despite the tumultuous childhoods experienced by Mary Kay and Steve’s kids, all of them grew up to be well-adjusted adults.
“I attribute all of that to Steven, not to Mary Kay,” the insider explained. While Mary Kay previously insisted all six of her children (in addition to Audrey, Vili and Mary Kay also share Georgia, born October 16, 1998) have a close relationship, Vili told Barbara Walters, “It’s an awkward feeling, for sure, to be close in age with someone [who is] technically your stepson or stepdaughter.”
Prior to Mary Kay’s relationship with Vili, her marriage with Steve was already on the rocks. The then-couple allegedly had financial problems, and both engaged in extramarital affairs.
Mary Kay’s attorney, David Gehrke, claimed Steve was “emotionally and physically” abusive during the marriage and Mary Kay “went to the hospital for treatment” twice and “police were called,” though no charges were filed. The allegations also appear in the Letourneaus’ divorce case. Steve has not commented publicly on the abuse claims.
In an autobiography penned by Mary Kay and Vili, published in France, titled Only One Crime, Love (Un seul crime, l’amour), Vili alleged that Mary Kay’s first husband threatened him when he first learned of the affair.
“He came to my house and confronted me about it and told me if I don’t want my mom knowing about this or anyone knowing about this, it was going to end. I was worried about everything, about Mary, myself and I said okay, I don’t want this to get out anywhere,” Vili wrote. “The fear of my mom’s reaction and the thought of everyone being affected by it was one of my biggest fears, so I said, for the better of everyone, okay. It was kind of devastating.”
Following her release from prison, Mary Kay married Vili in May of 2005. At the time she was 43 and he was 21. The marriage lasted for 14 years; Vili filed for legal separation in 2017 and their divorce was finalized in August 2019.
When asked about their split in 2017, Steve told People magazine, “I’ve moved on and I have nothing to say.
While things were complicated for the blended family in the mid-90s, the insider said Steve had no problem putting the scandal behind him. He’s worked for Alaskan Airlines for over 30 years, and he had two more daughters (by his second ex-wife, Kelly Whalen).
“He’s gotten on with his life and everything is positive.” the source said. “He is a wonderful man and father. None of the kids have turned out bad and he did it all on his own. Steven is a wonderful, hardworking man. He’s always provided and cared for his family.”
Mary Kay died in July 2020 at the age of 58 following a battle with colon cancer. David Gehrke confirmed her death in a statement to King 5 News.
“It was expected but sad anyway,” he said. “She was a good person.”
Even though Vili and Mary Kay were divorced at the time of her death, he still remained by her side in her final moments. Steve has not spoken out about his first ex-wife’s passing.
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