Veteran journalist Connie Chung’s Hollywood love life before marrying Maury Povich has suddenly captured public attention, as her husband recently blurted out that she “messed around with stars” when they first began dating.
The revelation came during the premiere episode of his new podcast venture “On Par with Maury Povich,” described as “a fearless, funny, and refreshingly honest conversation about power, press, and partnership” between the longtime media power couple.
The 85-year-old talk show host casually mentioned his wife’s celebrity romantic history while discussing her newly released memoir, “Connie,” published in September 2024.
During their candid conversation, Povich discussed Chung’s rise to fame, saying pointedly, “You became a big star, and you kinda messed around with stars.”
Chung immediately challenged her husband, questioning whether he hadn’t engaged in similar behavior. Povich firmly denied “messing around with stars” but laughed off not remembering the first or last names of the non-celebrity women he did date in his heyday.
The couple then delved into the 78-year-old broadcast journalist’s past romantic encounters, which she details extensively in her memoir.
In her book, she discussed how many men in New York, including a musician, asked her out to date.
“I went to his place, and he said, ‘I play in a band,’” Chung recounted on the podcast about one particular date with a member of the Eagles, Glenn Frey. When she asked him to play something, he performed “Hotel California,” leaving her surprised, as she recognized the hit song.
According to her memoir, this happened while the two were in his car, and she was initially reluctant to go out on a date with him.
She then called Povich, who was living in Philadelphia at the time, to tell him about dating “an Eagle” – which he misinterpreted as a Philadelphia Eagles football player.
During the interview, Povich also mentioned Warren Beatty, quoting his sister Lynn Povich, who once remarked about the actor, “Every woman that came to California had to go through him; it was like an immigration system.”
Chung acknowledged that Beatty “loved women journalists” while confirming she wasn’t the only one who caught his attention.
According to the book, her romantic résumé included actor Ryan O’Neal, to whom she once reportedly suggested, “Your place or mine?”
When O’Neal replied, “Up to you,” to which Chung responded boldly, “Follow me.”
Despite these revelations about their early relationship and her turning him down multiple times, Chung and Povich officially wed 40 years ago.
At their wedding, Povich’s famous sportswriter father offered a telling toast: “Well, Maury, you got lucky again.” The couple later adopted a son after their long and very public struggles to conceive.
In a November 2020 interview with “Access Hollywood,” Povich admitted feeling jealous about the stars Chung dated before their marriage. This jealousy exists despite allegations that Povich himself has had numerous affairs since they married in 1984, including a reported fling with one of his top producers.
A 2006 lawsuit alleged that Maury had a relationship with Donna Benner Ingber, who was 20 years his junior. Court documents also revealed his talk show was allegedly a “hostile workplace” where alcohol and pornographic videos were commonplace, along with parties known for “inviting open and notorious sexual activities.” According to the National Enquirer at the time, the lawsuit, launched by another producer on The Maury Show, left Connie “humiliated.”
Chung’s early life stands in stark contrast to her later celebrity status. Raised in suburban Maryland, the Washington Post reports, she lived at home until age 29 while reporting for CBS’s D.C. bureau and becoming her family’s breadwinner.
Her memoir also reveals darker moments from her past, including being molested by the same family physician who delivered her as a baby.
While Chung’s romantic past with Hollywood elites like Beatty, O’Neal, and Frey might raise eyebrows, it ultimately speaks to her remarkable journey from a sheltered Maryland home to the epicenter of American media and entertainment. These relationships, formed when both Chung and Povich acknowledged their arrangement as non-exclusive, ultimately gave way to one of media’s most enduring marriages.
