Revisiting the infamous Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau Scandal

Mary Kay Letourneau’s infamous affair with her student Vili Fualaau made headlines in the 1990s – and the scandal continues to grip the nation.

Letourneau’s personal life became a major topic of conversation in 1996 when news broke of her affair with Fualaau, who was a sixth grade student at the time. The former teacher pleaded guilty in 1997 to two counts of second-degree rape of a child and served three months in prison. However, Letourneau continued to have contact with Fualaau despite the court’s order not to do so, resulting in a six-year prison sentence.

After welcoming two children with Fualaau, the controversial couple married following Letourneau’s release from prison. They stayed together for more than a decade before announcing their divorce in 2019.

Letourneau and Fualaau’s troubling relationship gained national attention as they tried to stay out of the public eye. Their life story has since served as inspiration for the Netflix film, May Decemberwhich follows a fictional romance between a woman and an underage boy and the personal consequences they face years later surrounding the truth of their situation.

Scroll down to revisit the shocking scandal and for updates on Letourneau and Fualaau:

How did the scandal unfold?

Letourneau met Fualaau when she was his second-grade teacher at an elementary school in Burien, Washington. Mary Kay was married to Steve Letourneau – with whom she shared four children – when she was later caught spending time with Fualaau, then 12, outside of school. She was arrested in March 1997 and pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree child rape. Mary Kay gave birth to her first child with Fualaau, daughter Audrey, later that year.

Mary Kay was sentenced to six months in prison and three years of treatment as a sex offender in the rape case. She was released after completing half the time and was ordered not to contact Fualaau. However, Mary Kay was found in a car with Fualaau two weeks after serving her prison sentence and her original sentence of seven and a half years was reinstated.

While serving her second stint behind bars, Mary Kay welcomed her second daughter in Fualaau, Georgia, in October 1998.

What happened after Mary Kay’s prison sentence?

After the scandal, Fualaau dropped out of high school and his mother was given joint custody of his two children with Mary Kay. Fualaau asked the court to revoke the restraining order against Mary Kay once he was over 18 and they were officially in a relationship. (Mary Kay, meanwhile, had to register as a Level 2 sex offender.)

Fualaau and Mary Kay co-wrote the 1998 book Un Seul Crime, L’Amour (Only one crime, love)which covered their individual stories of their relationship.

Did Mary Kay and Vili remain in a relationship?

The couple tied the knot in May 2005 and raised their two daughters while largely staying out of the public eye. Fualaau filed for divorce in May 2017 after twelve years of marriage, but subsequently withdrew the request.

In 2019, Fualaau and Mary Kay finalized their legal divorce.

What did Mary Kay say about the controversial relationship?

During a joint interview with Barbara Walters in 2015, Mary Kay addressed whether she felt “guilty” or “disgusted” for abusing Fualaau. “I loved him very much, and I actually thought, ‘Why can’t it ever just be a kiss?'” she said. ‘The incident took place late at night and it did not stop at a kiss. And I thought so, but it didn’t happen.”

Fualaau, for his part, recalled that his mental health took a turn for the worse during the scandal. ‘I’m surprised I’m still alive today. I went through a very dark time,” he said, noting that he had no support system when Mary Kay gave birth to their children in prison.

What happened to Mary Kay?

In 2020, Mary Kay was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and died later that year at the age of 58.

“Mary has fought tirelessly against this terrible disease,” her family said in a statement. “Mary, and all of us, found great strength in bringing together our immediate and extended family members to join her in this uphill battle. We did our very best to care for Mary and each other, while holding her close and staying close to each other.”

What happened to Vili?

Fualaau reflected on Mary Kay’s inappropriate behavior toward him during a 2020 appearance The Dr. Oz show. “I couldn’t look at a 13-year-old and be attracted to that because it’s just not in my head. It’s nothing I’m attracted to. I mean, we all have our preferences, and that’s just not something I would go for,” he said after being asked what he would do if he was attracted to a minor. “I’d probably get help.”

In March 2022, Fualaau and Mary Kay’s daughter Georgia confirmed that her father welcomed a third child.

“Hi Sophia, I’m your big sister! You are so beautiful, I can’t wait to see you grow. I’ll be here by your side no matter what! I love you 💕,” she wrote via Instagram alongside a photo with the newborn. Details about the baby’s mother have remained private since the news broke.

Fualaau and Mary Kay’s eldest, Audrey, meanwhile, announced in August 2023 that Georgia was expecting her first child. Georgia confirmed she was pregnant with a baby boy People a month later. She detailed her six-year relationship with the child’s father, but chose to keep him out of the spotlight.

Why has the scandal made headlines again?

Letourneau’s rape case – and subsequent relationship with Fualaau – was the inspiration behind this Todd Haynescritically acclaimed film May December. The movie stars Natalie Portman as an actress named Elizabeth who travels to meet and study Gracie’s life (Julianne Moore), which she will play in a project. Gracie’s infamous romance with Joe (Charles Melton), who is 23 years her junior, is the subject of the fictional film.

“I found myself really respecting the award [screenwriter] Sami [Burch]‘s script of some of the famous examples of these tabloid stories, such as Mary Kay Letourneau. I was actually looking more for kind of cinematic correlations, because the nature of the script is that you’re in a state of uncertainty about what to make of these people,” Haynes shared. The Hollywood Reporter in May 2023. “The reliability you initially attribute to Elizabeth, the character Natalie Portman plays, begins to be destabilized as the film unfolds. You are in a constant state of reappraisal.”

He continued, “So I was more curious about how we tell this story and how we can make all those ways of reading the film enjoyable and give the audience the feeling that it was going to be a fun film to navigate through.”