Fans of The Real Housewives Of New York braced for impact when the original cast of the beloved show was announced to be coming back together for The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy!
While waiting for the show’s premiere, there was plenty of time to look at all of these beloved stars and remember everything they got up to before making this special comeback. This made it impossible to ignore how Kristen Taekman’s wife Josh was embroiled in controversy, and stands accused of cheating on her. So whatever happened with Josh, and are the couple still together?
Everything we know about Josh Taekman
According to his own LinkedIn page, Josh is “an early innovator in the natural supplement and wellness space” as well as “active in the investor community” which is how he made his money. He is the CEO of EBOOST, a company that makes energy drinks, pre- and post-workout products, and other energy- boosting consumables. He’s also a big part of the music scene: having co-founded Bad Boy Entertainment, which released albums from artists like Notorious B.I.G.. And because hey, who doesn’t need to have three jobs at the same time, Josh also sits on the board of directors for the Playing For Change Foundation.
Josh married Kristen in 2005, and the couple have since eelcomed two children. Cassius Taekman was born in 2010, and Kingsley Taekman was born in 2013. Just two years after Kingsley’s birth, a scandal hit the internet that could have shattered this marriage apart.
Did Josh Taekman cheat on his wife Kristen?
In 2015 a group known as The Impact Team claimed they had stolen user data from Ashley Madison, a website designed to help support extramarital affairs. They leaked pieces of the information threatening to put the rest online if the website didn’t shut down. When those demands weren’t met, they released over 60 gigabytes of data online, including the names and addresses of many customers. One of those names was Josh Taekman’s.
To be fair, simply joining the site does not necessarily mean that Josh was actually adulterous, it’s just undeniably scummy and concerning. At the time, Josh released this statement to People:
“I signed up for the site foolishly and ignorantly with a group of friends and I deeply apologize for any embarrassment or pain I have brought to my wife and family. We both look forward to moving past this and getting on with our lives.”
The full details of the Ashley Madison scandal were detailed in the documentary The Ashley Madison Affair, though it didn’t go into the specific details on every celebrity couple suddenly unmasked by the leak.
Did Josh Taekman and Kristen Taekman stay together?
In the end, the Ashley Madison scandal wasn’t enough to tear their marriage apart. Kristen would leave The Real Housewives Of New York to focus on her family, which seems to have turned out well for her. As she told The Daily Dish, “My relationship is stronger than ever and I think it’s good. I think that every relationship for sure has its ups and downs whether it’s marriage, dating, friendships. I’ve had my ups and downs with friendships too. Yeah, I think it’s good and it does make you stronger.”
Josh seems to have kept himself dedicated to his marriage as well, posting on Instagram, “Happy Anniversary to the most amazing wife, mother and partner 16 years until eternity.”