The feminine and whimsical designs of American fashion designer, Betsey Johnson are her trademarks. In addition to her career, Betsey’s fame is credited to her short-term marriage to John Cale, a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground.
Following her separation from John Cale, she moved on with Jeffrey Oliviere. Just like her first relationship, Betsey’s union with Jeffrey ended in divorce in 1984. She again gave love a chance and married Brian Reynolds in 1997 and they are still together today.
Meet All Betsey Johnson’s Husbands
John Cale
As was previously mentioned, Betsey first got married to John Cale, the co-founder of Velvet Underground, an American rock band. John is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who has worked in a variety of musical genres over the course of his six-decade musical career.
The Judge who officiated Betsey’s wedding with John restricted her from wearing the pants she designed for her wedding
Betsey has admitted that she married John Cale in her underwear after a City Hall judge told her in 1968, that women weren’t allowed to marry while wearing pants.
The fashion icon stated in a recent TikTok video that there were severe laws regarding what women could and couldn’t wear at the time, so she was compelled to make a last-minute wardrobe change as she and the singer were getting married.
But Betsey, who is renowned for defying convention with her designs, changed right there in front of the court instead of going home to change. She was then seen only wearing the ‘crotch-length’ blouse and her underwear.
Why her marriage with John ended in divorce
Jukebugs.com was able to find 2 accounts that explain why the estranged couple split up. John began by outlining how their competing schedules were primarily to blame. Also, John claimed that Betsey was always working and frequently spent weeks in either San Francisco or Los Angeles, where her factories were located.
He further said that he came to realize their career paths were so divergent and they live in completely different worlds. For John, Betsey seemed able to pass in and out of his world with ease, but he could not negotiate hers. For this reason, he got lonely and would usually find someone else.
On the other hand, Betsey said their marriage was affected by John’s excessive drug use. According to her, she started going to work every day wondering if he’d be alive when she got home, and the stress of all that uncertainty began to take its toll on her. Also, she said that she was a night person and she was the girl who was at work every morning at 8:30 a.m. sharp.
Although the estranged lovers got divorced in 1969, Betsey has said she and John remain great friends and he’s still her favorite husband.
John Cale later got clean and moved on with other partners
Cale later got clean and now cautions against heroin addiction. He met Cynthia “Cindy” Wells, also referred to as Miss Cinderella or Miss Cindy of the GTOs, in 1971 and got married soon afterward only to divorce in 1975.
He also married Risé Irushalmi, his third wife, on December 6th, 1981. Eden Cale was their only child together, but in 1997, Cale experienced another divorce.
Betsey still relates well with John despite being estranged for so many years
When asked if she was still in touch with her ex-husband John in 2011, Betsey responded in the affirmative and spoke highly of their relationship. According to her, they come in and out of other’s lives, but no matter how many years go by, when they connect, it’s 1968. She also said he’s constantly as frantic and active as she is and sometimes she thinks out of all her boyfriends and husbands and he was the best one.
Jeffrey Oliviere
Betsey then went on to wed Jeffrey Oliviere in 1981, but they also got a divorce in 1984. The reason for the couple’s divorce has not been made public but is alleged by sources to be a result of irreconcilable differences.
Brian Reynolds
After her relationship with Jeffrey went south, Betsey moved on to tie the knot with Brian Reynolds in 1997, and the two are still married to date. Not much is in the public space about Brian but in addition to being a fashion designer, his wife is also an actress, known for Jane by Design (2012), Clueless (1996), and Point&Shoot (2004).
SEE ALSO: Jacklyn Zeman Husbands: Meet The Men She Married And Kids
All You Should Know about Her Kids
When Betsey learned she would soon become a mother at age 33, her relationship with the child’s father, whom she refers to only as Joe, was already in shambles. She later gave birth to her daughter, Lulu, and also brought her up all by herself.
Additionally, she committed to take a break from client meetings to tend to her in the restroom. She claimed to attend to business first, but she was constantly cuffed to her hip.
Her 46-year-old daughter now has two daughters of her own and lives near her mother in Malibu.
Meanwhile, at age 57 when Betsey discovered she had breast cancer, She continued to work during treatment and told no one except her daughter. The fashion artist said she had her boobs done and one day she woke up and the left one was gone, deflated overnight. According to Betsey, that saved her, because she found this pea-sized lump in her breast.
She was concerned that it was displaying weakness and that if word got out, no one would buy her fabric. She didn’t know a single fashion businesswoman with cancer out of all the ladies she knew. In those days, nobody discussed it. But nine months later, she broke the taboo when she spoke up at a fashion show about her experience. According to her, the audience was incredibly supportive.
