Ann Kelly: Photo
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From the Star-Ledger:
He may be The Boss, but Bruce Springsteen is also a home wrecker, a Red Bank man has claimed in his divorce papers.
Businessman Arthur J. Kelly named the Jersey rock 'n' roller as the reason for the breakup of his 17-year marriage to Ann C. Kelly, according to a complaint filed in Superior Court in Monmouth County last month.
Arthur Kelly alleged his estranged wife, who lives in Long Branch, "has committed adultery with one Bruce Springsteen, who resides in Rumson, N.J., and Colts Neck, N.J., at various times and places too numerous to mention."
Arthur Kelly is seeking joint custody of the couple's two daughters, 13 and 10, and wants his soon-to-be ex to pay child support as well as a portion of the girls' college education, insurance and extracurricular activities and summer camp costs.
The complaint also says a temporary restraining order was issued between the couple -- though it did not specify on whose behalf -- but the order was eventually dismissed March 26 following a consent order. Arthur Kelly filed the request for divorce the next day.
Springsteen appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on March 19.
Given the news of his alleged adultery, some of the things he said during that appearance drip with hypocrisy.
While talking about his tour and putting the show together, he pontificates about politics and morality.
Morality?
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: You try to find a show that you haven't done before that both sort of contains the history that you share with your audience, contains new music that you've written, and contains some way to capture the moment that's occurring out in the world right now. You know, I think people come... We've had an enormous moral, spiritual, economic collapse. People go to storytellers when those, when times are like that. And our band was built from the beginning for hard times. That was the music we wrote. That was the way that we played. And, uh,... so I think trying to sort of... I think people are out there right now, they're looking for... The country has lost its moral center. It's something you've joked about and I've talked about over the, you know... but it is true. It's almost, it's very... The only thing it can remind me of is a bit post-Watergate, when, when there was a ruthlessness to...
JON STEWART: And that was when you really struck a chord, was that '74, '75....
SPRINGSTEEN: And so it's similar to that in the sense that the idea of work and service to the public being a part of your work feels like it's been stripped away, and that people drank a whole lot of their own Kool-Aid, and there was this subculture of people that basically brought down the country. And we're in the position to do that. And everybody out there is footing the bill. So, and you've seen President Obama struggling to find a... Where's the moral center of the argument he's making right now? You know, it's hard to find.
If the allegations in the divorce papers filed by Arthur J. Kelly are true, it seems a bit odd for Springsteen to be preaching about the moral collapse of Americans and the country having lost its moral center under the Bush administration.
Perhaps he should focus less on politics and more on his alleged personal moral collapse.
If he has been unfaithful to his wife, he's hardly the one to be condemning anyone for being without a moral center.
Cheating on your wife of 17 years is no minor thing.
Maybe she's OK with it, but then they live by a different set of morals.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Bruce Springsteen - Interview | ||||
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UPDATE: Divorce Papers
Divorce complaint page 2 (with Springsteen reference)
From Jay Lustig, The Star-Ledger:
Responding to reports stating that he has been named as the other man in a Monmouth County divorce complaint, Bruce Springsteen today reaffirmed his commitment to wife Patti Scialfa.
A Springsteen representative says that he stands by the statement he posted on his website, brucespringsteen.net, in August 2006. At the time, there were press reports alleging another affair.
"I hesitate to use this website for anything personal believing it should remain a place where fans of my music can come free of the distractions that occasionally arise with the rest of my job," he wrote at that time.
"However, due to the unfounded and ugly rumors that have appeared in the papers over the last few days, I felt they shouldn't pass without comment. Patti and I have been together for 18 years -- the best 18 years of my life. We have built a beautiful family we love and want to protect and our commitment to one another remains as strong as the day we were married."
Same old, same old.
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UPDATE, April 10, 2009: New Jersey mom Ann Kelly denies affair with Bruce Springsteen
The New Jersey mom accused of having an affair with Bruce Springsteen insisted Friday they never shared an illicit love.
Ann Kelly issued the denial through her lawyer, Noel Tonneman, who said she first heard about the alleged romance from the media.
"All she wants everyone to know is that she's denying all this," Tonneman said of her client.
Kelly's lawyer said she still hasn't seen the divorce papers in which spurned husband Arthur Kelly claims his wife of 17 years "committed adultery with one Bruce Springsteen ... at various times and places too numerous to mention."
Tonneman, however, said, "We plan to file on Monday an application to seal these records so this media circus ends."
...Kelly, 44, who was lying low on the Jersey Shore Friday, has not yet spoken publicly about her husband's lurid claims.
Her dad, a local divorce lawyer named Stephen Carton, told the Daily News earlier that his daughter and Springsteen just had a "talking relationship" and knew each other from the gym.
Kelly belongs to The Atlantic Club in Red Bank, but members of the gym were reluctant to discuss her alleged romance with Springsteen.
Kelly also worked out at another Red Bank gym called "Wow!" While Springsteen still has a membership there, Kelly's expired two years ago, a worker said.
The Kelly marriage was marked by violence, and Ann recently filed a domestic-abuse complaint against her husband, Carton said earlier.
Arthur Kelly, 45, was charged with simple assault on March 3 and ousted from the family home in West Long Branch, N.J., police said. Information about the disposition of the assault case was not immediately available.
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Perez Hilton's take on sealing the records:
Ann, is speaking out and claiming the two are "just friends."
However, one insider claims "There have been rumors going around the area for more than a year that they had gotten way too close after meeting at a local gym."
Ann's attorney, Noel Tonneman, is speaking out in her defense. He claims, "All she wants everyone to know is that she's denying all this." Adding, "We plan to file on Monday an application to seal these records so this media circus ends."
Really???? Why seal ANYTHING if there's NOTHING to hide!!!! Are they worried slutty Ann's husband will reveal more information?
As for Ann's dad, a divorce lawyer, he claims his daughter and Bruce just had a "talking relationship." Riiiight. And a snotty friend of hers adds, "I've been friends with Ann for a long time, just let it be."
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UPDATE, April 14, 2009: Judge: Divorce naming Springsteen as the 'other man' will not be sealed
More, from the New York Post.
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UPDATE, April 4, 2010: Bruce Springsteen had 'affair' with New Jersey housewife: court papers
In 2008, Ann allegedly opted to be with Springsteen rather than her ailing husband. While Arthur had open-heart surgery in Cleveland, the singer joined her at a table at the Turning Point restaurant in Pier Village in Long Branch.
As part of the divorce settlement, Arthur took the adultery claim out of his petition and both parties agreed not to talk to the media. At her West Long Branch home last week, Ann declined to comment to The Post. In past divorce filings, she has denied a sexual relationship with Springsteen. However, during a deposition over the summer, she declined to answer any questions about the singer, court papers show.
The breaking point in the marriage allegedly came when Arthur told Ann a witness had spotted her kissing Springsteen in the parking lot of their gym. Arthur also claimed that the day before he filed for divorce, Ann admitted to him that her "relationship with Bruce Springsteen was inappropriate."
Arthur did not return calls for comment.
A spokeswoman for Springsteen declined to comment. However, a friend of The Boss said, "Bruce and Patti continue to have a terrific marriage and are very devoted to each other and their children."
Terrific marriage?
Huh?
12 comments:
It's such a disappointment to be a fan of Springsteen's music, and not a fan of the man himself, as the years go by.
I know, WS.
It's getting harder for me to compartmentalize.
Time will telll, but I bet this is swept under the carpet before long.
We'll never know the whole story so it's kind of hard to make a judgement. But only a loon would make a claim like this if it cannot be proven.
Springsteen's relationship with Patti Scialfa is his business.
Stardom is a double-edged sword. As a public figure, Springsteen enjoys all the perks of fame, but he also has to deal with his failings being anything but private.
When the private becomes public, as it does when one files for divorce, there's a lot of hurt.
It can't be easy for his family when stuff like this comes out.
You'd think that would be a deterrent.
Was an affair worth having to face his three kids and explain to them what's in that divorce complaint?
How strange that people would believe unverifiable allegations dredged up in an ugly divorce. This is the sort of garbage that was thrown at Sarah Palin and her family. Haters of all kinds are always ready to believe the worst.
Yes, these are just allegations.
Still, I would be surprised if businessman Arthur J. Kelly named Springsteen in the complaint without some evidence of the affair.
People get divorced all the time. They don't name celebrities in complaints.
This is beyond a rumor. The allegations are public record in the court system.
Tawdry non-stories like this run for political reasons only.
The divorce complaint offers zero evidence for its allegation.
But that doesn't stop this article from treating the allegation as fact, and then loudly beating the drum of its supposed political implications -- reminding readers that Springsteen is a "preaching" critic of the moral failings of the Bush era.
Preacher, heal thyself.
The moral failings of the Bush era are well-known, as is the privacy of marriage and the integrity of Bruce Springsteen as a public figure.
Sensational non-journalism like this is a big part of the moral and spiritual collapse of the country.
Words have meaning.
I wrote: "Given the news of his ALLEGED adultery..."
"IF the ALLEGATIONS in the divorce papers filed by Arthur J. Kelly are true..."
"his ALLEGED personal moral collapse"
"IF he has been unfaithful to his wife..."
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You say that I'm "treating the allegation as fact."
Obviously, you're wrong.
I also highlight Kelly's denial, the statements from her lawyer, and Arthur Kelly's simple assault charge.
Fair and balanced.
"The divorce complaint offers zero evidence for its allegation."
That's what the court is for. I guess people are so used to trial by PR in our pop culture that they have no clue as to how the justice system works.
It's getting obvious that our education system fails every day to teach about the facts of our system and the process of critical, rational thinking.
"Fair and balanced."
Quit that.
Either you for us or your against us!!!
Tawdry non-stories like this run for political reasons only.
You mean the thriving tabloid business is really ONLY a political thing.
All those gossip rags and tabloid TV shows are really just political operations?
Who knew?
"Politician" Perez Hilton writes:
Ann, is speaking out and claiming the two are "just friends."
However, one insider claims "There have been rumors going around the area for more than a year that they had gotten way too close after meeting at a local gym."
Ann's attorney, Noel Tonneman, is speaking out in her defense. He claims, "All she wants everyone to know is that she's denying all this." Adding, "We plan to file on Monday an application to seal these records so this media circus ends."
Really???? Why seal ANYTHING if there's NOTHING to hide!!!! Are they worried slutty Ann's husband will reveal more information?
As for Ann's dad, a divorce lawyer, he claims his daughter and Bruce just had a "talking relationship." Riiiight. And a snotty friend of hers adds, "I've been friends with Ann for a long time, just let it be."
"But the Judge was mean John Brown. He came into the courtroom and stared poor Johnny down. Said the evidence was clear, Let the sentence fit the crime. Prison for 98 and a year and we'll call it even Johnny 99"
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