History Main / RemarriedToTheMistress

* ''Film/DiaryOfAMadBlackWoman'': {{Deconstruction}}. Charles [=McCarter=] planned to do this with his mistress, Brenda, whom he had an affair with for years and even two children. Charles kicked his wife Helen out of their house on their 18th anniversary, justifying it, and the two of them were miserable; he's sick of treating Brenda this way, and Brenda is the mother of his two children. And because Helen signed a prenup, Charles doesn't have to support her financially and can kick her out of the house, though eventually, he agreed in court to support her mother at the senior citizen center. However, when Charles is shot and taken to the hospital, Brenda reveals her true colors when she asks the doctor to take him off of life support, justifying it by saying she doesn't want Charles to live as a cripple, but it's clear that she's after his money he doesn't want to take care of him. However, because Helen was still technically married to Charles, she had power of attorney and told the doctors to keep him alive. Brenda just straight up abandons Charles, takes as much money as she can, and leaves with their two children. Charles was in denial and demanded to know where Brenda and his children were as Helen was taking care of him; Helen, losing patience with him, informed Charles that Brenda left him for dead and as for his children, she wanted to have children with him, but because of the stress of their marriage, she had two miscarriages. Later, Helen informs Charles that Brenda took all his money, so all his servants left and took some of his things with them. Charles eventually accepted that Brenda never loved him and that he was mistaken in treating Helen the way he did. He apologized to Helen for his actions, with her forgiving him, and Charles accepted that Helen had moved on to another man.

* ''Film/DiaryOfAMadBlackWoman'': {{Deconstruction}}. Charles [=McCarter=] planned to do this with his mistress Brenda, whom he had an affair with for years and even two children. Charles kicked his wife Helen out of their house they're 18 anniversary, justifying it, and the two of them were miserable; he's sick of treating Brenda this way, and Brenda is the mother of his two children. And because Helen signed a prenup, Charles doesn't have to support her financially and can kick her out of the house, though eventually, he agreed in court to support her mother at the senior citizen center. However, when Charles is shot and taken to the hospital, Brenda reveals her true colors when she asks the doctor to take him off of life support, justifying it by saying she doesn't want Charles to live as a cripple, but it's clear that she's after his money he doesn't want to take care of him. However, because Helen was still technically married to Charles, she had power of attorney and told the doctors to keep him alive. Brenda just straight up abandons Charles, takes as much money as she can, and leaves with their two children. Charles was in denial and demanded to know where Brenda and his children were as Helen was taking care of him; Helen, losing patience with him, informed Charles that Brenda left him for dead and as for his children, she wanted to have children with him, but because of the stress of their marriage, she had two miscarriages. Later, Helen informs Charles that Brenda took all his money, so all his servants left and took some of his things with them. Charles eventually accepted that Brenda never loved him and that he was mistaken in treating Helen the way he did. He apologized to Helen for his actions, with her forgiving him, and Charles accepted that Helen had moved on to another man.

-->-- '''Sir James Goldsmith''', on marrying his mistress, Lady Annabel Birley

* In the backstory of ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' Prince Yosho combines this with NewOldFlame. As a young man he had a SecretRelationship with a fellow student named Airi (while engaged to [[BrotherSisterIncest his half-sister]] [[RoyalInbreeding Ayeka]]) while both were at the Galaxy Police Academy, but after he ran away and ended up on Earth he eventually married another woman named Kasumi and started a family. After [[WeAreAsMayflies Kasumi inevitably died before him due to his Jurain blood]] he laid low for several years until Airi reappeared and revealed that she had actually been pregnant with his child and since she was ''also'' engaged at the time she ended up breaking it off prior to giving birth. She then introduces him to their daughter Minaho, and Yosho and Airi got back together and became common law married, having another daughter, Kiyone, who was Tenchi's mother. They're both portrayed sympathetically since neither of their engagements was their own choice, and when Ayeka reappears and turns out to have been looking for him all this time, it's evident that he's surprised she's ''still'' carrying a torch for him since he never actually took their engagement seriously and, unlike her, realized it was purely to silence those who objected to his [[UnevenHybrid mostly human heritage]].

* In ''Film/TheDuchess'', The Duke ends up doing this with his mistress Bess Foster after his wife Georgiana dies at the end of the movie. When she first found out about the affair Georgiana was ''not'' happy with either of them, especially since Bess was previously her best friend, but she comes to realize that Bess only had the affair (initially) to regain her children, something she herself experiences later once her own affair with Charles Grey is discovered and she's blackmailed into ending it under the threat of never seeing her illegitimate daughter with Grey again. In the end, Georgiana gives the two her blessing to remarry when she knows she is going to die, while never truly forgiving her husband for his actions. The movie as a whole is an exploration of the DoubleStandard around a husband's affair versus a wife's.
* ''Film/LeBonheur'': Francois, who is HappilyMarried to Therese, winds up having an affair with Emilie anyway, basically because Emilie is sexy and he wants to. Eventually he confesses to Therese, saying that it's no big deal that he has a girlfriend and he still loves her just as much. Therese disagrees, and kills herself. The rather unsettling ending has Emilie simply replacing Therese, moving in to Francois and Therese's apartment, sleeping with Francois in the same bed he used to sleep in with his wife, mothering Therese's children, with everybody carrying on as if nothing happened.

* The more benign version is all but stated to have occurred in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' with King Sumeragi, who was married to Queen Ikona, the mother of his children, at the time he met The Avatar's mother Mikoto, fell in LoveAtFirstSight with her began a relationship with her (possibly taking her as a concubine, [[https://owlcation.com/humanities/Women-in-the-Heian-Court a well known practice among Japanese royalty]] from the Heian to the Meiji era). When Ikona died some years later, Sumeragi eventually married Mikoto; she became the stepmother of his children by Ikona [[ParentalSubstitute and finished raising them]] after Sumeragi's death and the Avatar's kidnapping. There's no apparent angst on the part of anyone involved (aside of Princess Hinoka [[ParentWithNewParamour saying that she had early objections with the arrangement]], but eventually came around and regrets her early behavior), suggesting it was the "everyone knew about it and was fine with it" variant of this trope, and Mikoto is beloved by her stepchildren, her ward [[spoiler: and niece]] Azura, [[TheHighQueen and by everyone in the kingdom]].

** Elizabeth catches her husband cheating on her with the head of their homeowner's association and begins a relationship with Fisk, who she had feelings for years ago but had moved on from, and eventually divorces her husband and marries Fisk, starting a family as seen in ''WebComic/OriginalLife''.

* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Homer and Ned go to Las Vegas, and end up [[AccidentalMarriage marrying cocktail waitresses]] on a bender (despite both being already married at the time). This is explained away as being legal in the state of Nevada[[note]]Except it's not.[[/note]] when Homer goes to have his Vegas marriage annulled, and the judge turns his request down. Meanwhile, Maude Flanders is dead, so rather than having to support two wives, he only has to make the best of things with his Vegas wife. She, however, can't stand Ned's milquetoast lifestyle, and leaves him.

* Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Creator/DrSeuss) had an affair with Audrey Stone Dimond after forty years of marriage to his then-wife Helen Palmer. Distraught over this and a series of health problems in her life, Helen committed suicide in 1967. Geisel married his mistress just eight months later, and they remained married until his death in 1991.

** {{UsefulNotes/Caligula}}'s fourth and final wife Milonia Caesonia was his mistress while he was still married to his third, Lollia Paulina, and Caesonia gave birth to her and Caligula's daughter Julia on or soon after their wedding day after he divorced Paulina after only six months of marriage for allegedly being infertile. His hasty marriage to Caesonia was mostly to make sure that Julia would be born legitimate and be able to become his heir, and it's speculated that Caligula's [[HeirClubForMen desire for an heir]] might be why he got together with Caesonia in the first place, since she already had 3 daughters and thus proven fertility.

* John of Gaunt, father of [[UsefulNotes/HenryTheFourth Henry IV of England]], married his long-time mistress Katherine Swynford after the death of his second wife, and had their children declared officially legitimate. It was a bit of a scandal, because of the adulterous relationship and, moreso, the fact that Katherine's family were minor gentry. When Henry IV became king of England in 1399, he barred his half-siblings and their descendants from the line of succession, but one of them eventually ascended the throne in 1485 as [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor Henry VII]].
* Averted by a much later British king, [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfHanover George II]]. He had mistresses while married to his wife, but she knew, and personally approved each one - they were actually HappilyMarried and quite devoted to each other. On her deathbed she asked him to remarry, and he famously said, "Non, j'aurai des maitresses!" (No, I will have mistresses! - French was, in those days, commonly spoken among the aristocracy and royalty of Europe.) He never remarried.
* UsefulNotes/BorisJohnson very infamously did this with his current wife, Carrie Johnson (nee Symonds); they started an affair while he was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler, and they got engaged and had their first child together before Boris had formally gotten his divorce. It's proven to be quite controversial, with a lot of people arguing - at least before they were married - that she had "undue influence" over Johnson's decisions.

* UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump is also known for this, having cheated on his first wife Ivana with his second Marla Maples (in a heavily publicized early-'90's scandal), then cheating on Marla herself with his third and current wife Melania.

* Upon Queen Maria-Theresa's death in 1683, Louis XIV of France married the woman who had been his mistress for a few years already, Françoise d'Aubigné, also known as Madame de Maintenon. It was a secret, morganatic marriage: although Madame de Maintenon was respected as the King's wife, she was never the queen. It was still a major social climb for a woman who had been born in a prison in the Caribbean.

* In Jennifer Roberson's ''Chronicles of the Cheysuli'', Niall has his insane wife Gisella sent away and lives openly with his mistress Deirdre; when he receives word that Gisella has died, he marries Deirdre even though he himself is on his deathbed.

* Sir James Goldsmith admitted that despite it often being attributed to him the page quote was actually first stated by Sacha Guitry, but Goldsmith definitely practiced this. His third wife Lady Annabel Goldsmith was previously his mistress, and the two married solely to legitimize the two children they'd had while he was still married to his second wife. And after that relationship ended Goldsmith referred to Laure Boulay de La Meurthe, his mistress while he was married to Annabel, as his wife despite the fact that the two never formally married, since for all intents and purposes she was until his death.

* Boris Johnson very infamously did this with his current wife, Carrie Johnson (nee Symonds); they started an affair while he was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler, and they got engaged and had their first child together before Boris had formally gotten his divorce. It's proven to be quite controversial, with a lot of people arguing - at least before they were married - that she had "undue influence" over Johnson's decisions.

** ''The Lernean Hydra'': A doctor admits that after his wife died, he'd have proposed to his assistant if it weren't for this trope (the theme of this particular story is the power of rumors). When an investigation (by public demand) reveals the wife was poisoned, Poirot finds out the murderer was actually a nurse, who thought the doctor would fall for her instead (and caused the investigation in retaliation).

[[folder:Fan Work]]

* In ''Anime/HeatGuyJ'', Kia talks about how his father, a musician named Blues Dullia (an {{Expy}} of Music/JohnLennon) spent years abusing his wife and cheating on her, then finally ditched her when he found out his mistress was pregnant and started a new life with ''her''. Shortly afterwards, Kia's mother passed away, making this a sort of inversion of the trope: the second marriage happened ''before'' the death of Mr. Dullia's first wife. Kia went to inform his father of his mother's death, but couldn't bring himself to do it when he saw his dad playing with the child from that union. It's unknown where Kia went after that, or who ([[MinorLivingAlone if anybody]]) was taking care of him.

[[folder:Fanfic]]
* Downplayed and defied in ''FanFic/TheGirlFromWhirlpool''. Kushina and Minato hold off on being an OfficialCouple for a while after Kushina breaks up with her boyfriend because she felt guilty for cheating on him (although the reasons for the breakup were entirely unrelated).

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Film/TheDuchess'', The Duke ends up doing this with his mistress Bess Foster after his wife Georgiana dies at the end of the movie. When she first found out about the affair Georgiana was ''not'' happy with either of them, especially since Bess was previously her best friend, but she comes to realize that Bess only had the affair (initially) to regain her children, something she herself experiences later once her own affair with Charles Grey is discovered and she's blackmailed into ending it under the threat of never seeing her illegitimate daughter with Grey again. In the end, Georgiana gives the two her blessing to remarry when she knows she is going to die, while never truly forgiving her husband for his actions. The movie as a whole is an exploration of the DoubleStandard around a husband's affair versus a wife's.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast King Maegor The Cruel]] of the Targaryen dynasty, in a direct reference to Henry VIII, had a total of six wives. In particular, Queen Tyanna of the Tower was formerly his Pentoshi mistress before marrying him in the wake of his second wife, Alys Harroway, being executed for (alleged) adultery that resulted in stillborn and deformed children. When Maegor found out that Tyanna had lied about the adultery to get Alys killed, and was the real cause of the stillborn children due to giving Alys poison, he had [[LaserGuidedKarma Tyanna herself executed as well]].
** It also turns out that in a gender-flipped example [[spoiler:Jon Arryn's]] death was a case of TilMurderDoUsPart, with the current spouse [[spoiler:Lysa Arryn]] plotting the death of her husband and then marrying [[spoiler:Petyr Baelish]], with whom she had been having an affair on the side. [[spoiler:Baelish]] eventually offs her as well once she's [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness no longer of any use to him]].
* In the book ''Lives of the Monster Dogs'' Augustus Rank's father married his mistress soon after his first wife and Augustus's mother passed away, in the process revealing he had a son with his mistress, Augustus's half-brother, who would eventually [[CainAndAbel be killed by him]] over the affections of a woman both men loved.
* This was part of Lord Soth's SlowlySlippingIntoEvil in the ''{{Literature/Dragonlance}}'' series. While still married to his first wife Korrine, he and his band of warriors rescued a band of elven priestesses and he instantly fell in love with one of them, Isolde, and began having an affair with her on the side. When Korrine, who had gone to a witch to help them conceive a child (whom the witch warned would represent Soth's soul) gave birth to an abomination, Soth killed her and the child because he thought [[{{Hypocrite}} she had been cheating on him]] [[MistakenForCheating with a demon]], and covered it up to make it look like she and the baby had suffered DeathByChildbirth instead. Eventually, the truth came out and Soth was exposed before the court, and he ran away before he could be punished and got remarried to Isolde, who had also been pregnant with his bastard child at the time Korrine died and eventually gave birth to a healthy child. But then as he was setting off to prevent [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt The Cataclysm]] ''yet again'' Soth was convinced his wife was cheating on him ([[TooDumbToLive by the same three elven maidens who had ratted him out on the truth about his first wife, no less]]) and trying to pull TheUriahGambit on him. He then went to confront her, and because he had been distracted from his quest, The Cataclysm started and a chandelier fell on Isolde and the child as the entire castle began to come down. He [[MurderByInaction chose not to save them]] and Isolde [[DyingCurse cursed him with her last breath]], which caused him to rise again as [[BlackKnight Death Knight]].
* In ''Literature/IClaudius'' the relationship between [[ManipulativeBitch Livia]] and Emperor Augustus is described this way. Once they're actually married, Augustus ends up being unable to [[TheLoinsSleepTonight perform sexually]] with her out of guilt at having stolen her from her first husband, so she arranges for him to have mistresses on the side since the entire marriage is a power play in the first place.
* In the novel version of ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'', where Raymond Shaw's mother was having an affair with John Iselin while still married to Raymond's father, and eventually divorced him to marry Iselin when she became pregnant with Raymond's half-brother. The passage describing this, incidentally, was eventually discovered to have been [[http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Has-a-local-software-engineer-unmasked-The-2572225.php plagiarized almost word-for-word]] from ''I Claudius'' above, including the bits about the wife arranging for other women to satisfy him when he couldn't perform out of guilt.

* Seen in ''Nerilka's Story,'' a side novella of the ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' series which takes place during and after the events of ''Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern.'' Nerilka's father is one of the Lord Holders of Pern, and after he loses his wife (Nerilka's mother) to the plague which besets Pern for a time, he almost immediately moves his mistress in to take her place -- along with her ''entire family''. Nerilka is not pleased and makes a point of removing her mother's personal effects from her rooms before her new stepmother can arrive and claim them for herself.
* In ''Literature/PrettyLittleLiars'', all of the Liars' fathers except for Emily's commit adultery. Two of them--Aria's father Byron and Hanna's dad--divorce their first wives (Ella and Ashley, the girls' respective mothers) and remarry their mistresses (Meredith and Isabel, respectively).

* ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale'': Luke Bankhole had an extra-marital relationship with the main protagonist June Osborne. He left his old wife to marry June and had a new family with her. It's for this reason that when the Gilead regime is established, June is considered an "adulteress" for leading another man astray and is turned into a [[BabyFactory Handmaid]].

** In a version without the spouse actually dying, plus a GenderFlip, in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' Rena's mother divorced her father and married her boyfriend, a coworker, because she was pregnant by the boyfriend. [[BrokenPedestal This devastated Rena, in part because she actually liked the boyfriend before this happened]], not knowing the nature of his relationship with her mother.

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Homer and Ned go to Las Vegas, and end up [[AccidentalMarriage marrying cocktail waitresses]] on a bender (despite both being already married at the time). This is explained away as being legal in the state of Nevada [[note]] Except it's not. [[/note]] when Homer goes to have his Vegas marriage annulled, and the judge turns his request down. Meanwhile, Maude Flanders is dead, so rather than having to support two wives, he only has to make the best of things with his Vegas wife. She, however, can't stand Ned's milquetoast lifestyle, and leaves him.

* The relationship between [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles]] is often simplified as being this, but in reality was a bit more complicated. Charles and Camilla had a relationship in the 1970s, but for various and conflicting reasons (depending on who you ask) officially broke up but remained lovers in secret, even after Charles eventually married Diana and Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles. Eventually, both marriages ended in divorce and the two resumed their public relationship. Charles and Camilla married in 2005, eight years after Diana died in 1997.

* At the start of ''LightNovel/DidntISayToMakeMyAbilitiesAverageInTheNextLife'', the Viscount von Aschem and his daughter are killed by bandits, after which the Viscount's son-in-law claims the title, marries his mistress, and places their daughter as his heir, supplanting the daughter by his first wife (the protagonist). This eventually became a major scandal, as the title belonged to his first wife's family, meaning that he had no claim to it save as regent for the daughter he was supplanting.
* ''LightNovel/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'': Due to Leon's legal wife Lady Zola's family reneging on their responsibilities to take up arms for the kingdom in volume 3, they lose their titles. Lord Bartfort promptly divorces her and gets engaged to his mistress, Leon's mother.

* At the start of ''LightNovel/DidntISayToMakeMyAbilitiesAverageInTheNextLife'', the Viscount von Aschem and his daughter are killed by bandits, after which the Viscount's son-in-law claims the title, marries his mistress, and places their daughter as his heir, supplanting the daughter by his first wife (the protagonist). This eventually became a major scandal, as the title belonged to his first wife's family, meaning that he had no claim to it save as regent for the daughter he was supplanting.