Monogamish? Stars on open relationships
May Pang recalls Yoko Ono pushing her into extramarital relationship with John Lennon
CELEBRITY Relationships
Hollywood seems to be a hotspot for drama and infidelity, with many relationships ending in highly public spats and expensive divorces. On the bright side, however, some stars have managed to rethink traditional relationships while under the spotlight, and redefine commitment altogether.
It's not surprising to learn that avant-garde artists like Yoko Ono and John Lennon had an untraditional relationship back in the 1970s. The pair were married but reportedly decided to open things up while they were going through a rough patch in 1973. A young woman named May Pang worked for the couple, and Ono approached her to propose that she start a relationship with Lennon. "John and I have not been getting along," she said, according to Pang. "He is going to start going out with other people. I think you will be good for him.’” Pang protested but Ono insisted that she would arrange everything. "Yoko wanted me to be his girlfriend so she could control the relationship," Pang later reflected. Apparently, neither Pang nor Lennon was particularly excited about the setup at first, but they eventually grew more interested in each other. They started spending more time alone away from Ono, and began an 18-month love affair that Lennon would later refer to as his 'Lost Weekend.' Ono and Lennon were estranged at this point, but they reconciled quite suddenly in 1975, causing Lennon to end his relationship with Pang abruptly.
Pang believes that Yoko Ono brainwashed Lennon into returning to her by sending him to a hypnotist under the guise of a cure to quit smoking. What started out as an experiment ended up as a romance that lasted almost two years and nearly broke Lennon and Ono up for good.
Click through the gallery to find out which other celebs either prefer open relationships to monogamy, or have dabbled in being “monogamish.”