Revisiting the Unknown Mary Kay Letourneau and the Vili Fualaau Scandal

The sad story of Mary Kay Letourneau and her student Vili Fualaau it made headlines in the ’90s – and the scandal has continued to rule the nation.

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

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

Letourneau and Fualaau’s relationship received national attention as they tried to stay out of the public eye. Their life story has served as the inspiration for a Netflix movie, May Decemberwhich follows the fictional love between a woman and a young boy and the personal consequences of the truth about their situation years later.

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

How Does Shame Happen?

Letourneau met Fualaau when she was his second grade teacher at an elementary school in Burien, Washington. Mary Kay was married Steve Letourneau – with whom he shares four children – when he was later caught spending time with Fualaau, then 12, outside of school. He was arrested in March 1997 and pleaded guilty to two counts of 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 sexual abuse in a rape case. He was released after serving half the time and ordered to have no contact with Fualaau. However, Mary Kay was found in a car with Fualaau two weeks after she finished her prison sentence and her original sentence of seven and a half years was reinstated.

During her second stint in prison, Mary Kay welcomed her second daughter in Fualaau, Georgia, in October 1998.

What Happened After Mary Kay’s Jail Sentence?

After the scandal, Fualaau dropped out of school and her mother won custody of her two children with Mary Kay. Fualaau pleaded with the court to lift the no-contact order with Mary Kay if he is over 18 and they pursue a legal relationship. (Mary Kay, on the other hand, had to register as a Class 2 sex offender.)

Fualaau and Mary Kay wrote a 1998 book Un Seul Crime, L’Amour (One Crime, Love)which includes their individual accounts of their relationship.

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Are Mary Kay and Vili Staying in a Relationship?

They tied the knot in May 2005 and raised their two daughters but most of them are unknown to the public. Fualaau filed for divorce in May 2017 after 12 years of marriage but later withdrew it.

In 2019, Fualaau and Mary Kay finalized their official separation.

What Mary Kay Said About Controversial Relationships?

During an interview with Barbara Walters in 2015, Mary Kay said she felt “guilty” or “disgusted” for abusing Fualaau. “I loved him so much, and I thought, ‘Why can’t it just be a kiss?'” she said. “The incident was at night, it didn’t end with a kiss. And I thought it would happen, but it didn’t.”

Fualaau, for his part, recalls his mental health taking a turn for the worse during the scandal. “I am surprised that I am still alive today. I went through a really difficult time,” he commented on not having a support system when Mary Kay gave birth to their children while 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.

“Mariya fought tirelessly against this terrible disease,” her family said in a statement. “Mary, and all of us, found great strength in having our immediate family members and extended family members to join her in this difficult struggle. We did everything we could to take care of Mary and each other as we kept her close and always together.”

What happened to Vili?

Fualaau reflected on Mary Kay’s inappropriate behavior towards her during her 2020 appearance Dr. The Oz Show. “I couldn’t look at a 13-year-old and be attracted to that because it’s not in my mind. It’s not something that appeals to me. I mean we all have things we like, and that’s not something I can go to,” he said after being asked what he would do if he was attracted to a young child. “Maybe I can go and get help.”

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

“Hello Sophia, I’m your big sister! You are so beautiful, I can’t wait to watch you grow. I’ll be here by your side no matter what! I love you 💕,” she wrote on Instagram along with a photo with a newborn baby. Details about the child’s mother have been kept secret since the news broke.

And the first child of Fualaau and Mary Kay, Audrey, announced in August 2023 that Georgia was expecting her first child. Georgia has confirmed that she is pregnant with a boy People after one month. She detailed her six-year relationship with the baby’s father – but chose to keep him out of the picture. Audrey, on the other hand, shared the news in December 2024 that she was expecting her first child with boyfriend Ethan Tela Porter.

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Why Did Scandal Make Headlines Again?

Letourneau’s rape case – and the subsequent relationship with Fualaau – was the inspiration behind it Todd Haynes‘a highly acclaimed film May December. Movie stars Natalie Portman as a character named Elizabeth who goes to meet and study Gracie’s life (Julianne Moore), is set to play in the project. Gracie and Joe’s Bad Love (Charles Melton), 23 years his junior, is the subject of a fictional film.

“I really found myself respecting the difference [screenwriter] Sammy [Burch]A script from some of the famous examples of these tabloid stories such as Mary Kay Letourneau. I was looking more for the kind of cinematic links because the nature of the script is that you’re left in a state of uncertainty about what you’re supposed to think about these people,” Haynes said. The Hollywood Reporter May 2023. “Your loyalty towards Elizabeth, Natalie Portman’s character, begins to deteriorate as the film progresses. You are always in a state of re-evaluation.”

He continued: “So, I was curious to know how we tell this story and all those ways of studying the film are made fun and let the audience feel like it’s going to be a fun movie to navigate.

What Did Vili Think About His Life Working As Inspiration In ‘May December’?

After not being seen, Fualaau reappeared to share his thoughts May December.

“I am still alive and well. If they had reached out to me, we would have worked together on a masterpiece. Instead, they chose to make a ripoff of my first story,” he said The Hollywood Reporter January 2024. “I am disgusted by the whole project and the lack of respect given to me – who lived the real story and still live it.”

Fualaau said he was not happy to hear about the parallels between his relationship with Letourneau and the fictitious marriage between Moore and Melton’s characters.

“I like movies – good movies. And I admire those that capture the essence and problems of real events. You know, movies that allow you to see or do something new every time you watch them,” he continued. “Those kinds of writers and directors – someone who can do that – would be great to work with, because my story is not nearly as simple as this movie. [portrays].”