Why Jennifer Flavin Forgave Sylvester Stallone's Scandalous Affair
Jennifer Flavin and Sylvester Stallone are back together, and they seem happier than ever after their brief separation and her filing for divorce in 2022. It's worth noting that this isn't the first time they've split up and gotten back together. Back in 1994, Stallone had an affair with Janice Dickinson, and ended things with Flavin. However, they managed to reconcile not long after, thanks to the model's forgiveness.
Flavin and Stallone first started dating in 1988, and for the next 6 years, they seemed to be a happy couple. Granted, as noted by People, she had acknowledged in 1992 that she knew there was a chance he was unfaithful. Nevertheless, as she told the outlet two years later, she was completely blindsided when he broke up with her through a letter. Adding insult to injury, the letter wasn't even where she learned of his affair. That would come several days down the line, through her agent. Oh — and reports had begun to emerge that Dickinson's newborn daughter was his child (she wasn't).
Unsurprisingly, Flavin referred to what she went through during that time as the stuff of bad dreams. Even so, in 1996, Los Angeles Times reported that the couple had gotten engaged in April that year. So, what prompted her forgiveness? As it turns out, Flavin's philosophies on life and love had a lot to do that.
Jennifer Flavin says she doesn't take things very seriously
While Jennifer Flavin has never shared exactly what led up to her reconciling with Sylvester Stallone, a joint interview the couple did on their daughters' "Unwaxed Podcast" revealed clues about her personality that may well have played a role in it.
According to Flavin, part of what has made their relationship work as well as it has over the years is that they don't let a lot of things get to them. "I think we just don't take it too seriously," she mused, cuing mock shock from Stallone. However, he conceded that she really doesn't let many things upset her. It certainly seems that was the case back when he had his affair. After all, in her interview with People, despite being in the thick of heartbreak, she was already poking fun at the situation. Speaking to the outlet, she joked that Stallone had seemed a little off leading up to the split, and post-split, she understood that he was obviously a lot more anxious than she realized, for obvious reasons. "It's a good thing I can laugh about it now, right?" she'd quipped at the time.
With humor putting her in a headspace where she was willing to forgive Stallone's indiscretions, it certainly helped her get through that tough time!
That said, Jennifer does take love seriously
While Jennifer Flavin might not take everything personally in her relationship, one thing she does take incredibly seriously is love. As she pointed out on "Unwaxed Podcast," it took her a while to truly love Sylvester Stallone — but once she did, there was no going back. "Love, to me, is very, very deep, and I don't ... love that many people, [so] when I fell in love with him, it was, like, forever," she explained.
It was similar to something else she'd said, in another solo interview with her daughters. Speaking to them about what she says when people ask for marriage advice, she shared that her number one tip, in any loving relationship, was to stick it out when times got tough. "This time shall pass, and you guys are gonna get through this, but don't throw away," she advised. Flavin certainly used that in her own relationship, when she called off her near-divorce from Stallone just weeks after filing. According to friends who spoke with People, she'd wanted to see things improve, and once she saw the effort her husband was putting in, she was ready to move forward.
Close to two decades since Stallone's affair and a separation later, this couple has pulled through all the highs and lows. It probably goes without saying that Stallone is one very lucky man.