Alleged Affairs Are All Over The News Right Now. There's A Reason Why We Can't Look Away.

Believe it or not, there's social value in gossip.

Unless you’ve been blessed to live under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that the news cycle has been pretty TMI lately.

Tabloids and social media are rife with stories of rumored affairs between public figures we’d rather not imagine having sex.

First, there were reports that former President Donald Trump was getting chummy on the campaign trail with Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist who’s 47 years his junior. Comedian Bill Maher suggested that their relationship had turned romantic ― former first lady Melania Trump had been spending time in New York City, after all ― and the pair did look close in photos at events. Mercifully, Loomer shut down the speculation on her podcast last month.

Meanwhile, Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. was spotted getting close to a Florida socialite in August even though he’s been engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle for years.

Then there was the RFK Jr. mess: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ― another presidential hopeful, until recently ― denied having what’s been described as a sexting affair with Olivia Nuzzi, a New York Magazine political reporter who profiled him last year. (Kennedy has been married to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Cheryl Hines for a decade.) Nuzzi was placed on leave from her job after disclosing “a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign.”