Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

Anthony Weiner’s Crush on Huma Abedin — and 4 Other Things to Know About Them

Image by Getty

After six years of a scandal-ridden marriage, Huma Abedin, a top aide for Hillary Clinton, announced she would splitting up with husband, ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner.

The news came after The New York Post published a fresh set of allegations that Weiner had, yet again, been caught sending sexual text messages.

We’re taking a brief look back at Abedin and Weiner’s stormy relationship, with some surprising facts you might not know about the former couple (Bill Clinton officiated at their wedding?!)

Image by Getty

Weiner said he was infatuated by Abedin from the start.

“I started seeing her around,” Weiner said in an interview with the New York Times Magazine. “and I was like, ‘Wow, who is that?’ And I was not the only one. It’s not like she’s this lightweight beautiful person in fancy outfits. She’s like this intriguing, fascinating creature.”

Image by YouTube

He tried to get a date with her — by buttering up Hillary Clinton.

Weiner first asked Abedin on a date during a Democratic National Committee retreat. She initially begged off, saying she had too much work to do. Weiner then turned to Hillary Clinton, and asked if she would give Abedin the night off. The then-senator gamely agreed, saying: “Of course all you young people should go out!”

Image by Getty

The two got married in 2010, with Bill Clinton officiating the wedding.

Hillary Clinton also chipped in by hosting the couple’s engagement party.

Image by getty images

After Weiner’s first scandal, Abedin said that she felt like she “couldn’t breathe.”

“I felt like I was in an airplane really high in the air,” she told the New York Times Magazine. “And all of a sudden, the plane is coming apart at the seams, and I am just doing all I can to hang on for dear life. That is what it felt like.”

Image by YouTube

They’ve already considered separating.

During a scene in the documentary “Weiner,” Abedin tried to help her husband recall when he started sexting. “It was back when we were talking about separating,” she tells him.

Thea Glassman is a Multimedia Fellow at the Forward. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @theakglassman.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.