Shannen Doherty Slams Tabloid For 'Absolute Lie' Story About Ex's Cheating

Shannen Doherty is setting the record straight about her estranged husband and their collapsed marriage.

The beloved actress recently took to social media to debunk claims that she knew about her former husband, Kurt Iswarienko, cheating on her years before she had to undergo brain surgery. The update, which got fans talking, came shortly after she shared that she learned about Iswarienko's two-year affair just before her procedure.

The week started on an intriguing note for many onlookers when a supposed Iswarienko's inner circle member alleged that he and Doherty had been "living separate lives" for two years before her surgery in January 2023.

According to the insider, the photographer had been upfront about starting a new relationship with someone else while he and the "Little House on the Prairie" actress were living in different states. 

They also claimed that Iswarienko had informed his soon-to-be ex-wife about the relationship right after New Year's 2023, a few days before she fell and underwent an MRI, revealing her brain tumor.

However, on Tuesday, Doherty refuted the narrative on Instagram, calling it an "absolute lie" while emphasizing the importance of truth. She uploaded two images — one featuring TMZ in red letters against a black background and another displaying the allegations in a text thread, and her caption addressed the issue.

"Let's Be Clear, the truth matters. I just received a disturbing phone call that @tmz_tv was going to run a story about me. The story supposedly comes from my husbands friends (soon to be ex) that he told me two years ago he was cheating on me and we have had an open marriage," she began. After labeling the story "an absolute lie," the 52-year-old added: 

"I will address the marriage and affair further on @letsbeclearpod In the meantime .... @tmz_tv please do more due diligence and to the "friends/girlfriend' who tried to put this story out, I realize you're scared of the truth but trying to circumvent it with lies will get you nowhere. #thetruthmatters."

Her comment section quickly flooded with responses from her fans, who were shocked at the attempt to cause Doherty more pain amid her ongoing cancer struggle. 

"Sorry you have to go through this xxx sending love," one commenter wrote, while another expressed, "The audacity to put her through this when she is fighting for her life is unbelievable. I am so sorry you are going through this."

A third person shared, "I'm so sorry to hear you have to go through this, but you have your health to look after. In the end, the truth always wins!!! Sending so much love," as a fourth penned, "Sorry this is happening. Good on you for calling them out. Disgusting."

"I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I hate the media more and more each year. You know your real fans don't believe it and will continue to stand by you," a fifth Instagram user chimed in.

As already mentioned, Doherty had previously admitted to learning about Iswarienko's indiscretion right before she was wheeled in for her surgery in January. Speaking on the situation on the debut episode of her podcast, she said:

"I went into that surgery early in the morning, and I went in after I found out that my marriage was essentially over, that my husband had been carrying on an affair for two years. To not go in that surgery, even though, being very clear, he wanted to go, I couldn't go into that surgery with him there. I felt so betrayed."

Despite that break in trust, the "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum still has hopes about finding love that stands the test of time. Per The Blast, she opened up about her recent realization about giving love a fourth chance during an interview. In her words:

"I was not ready at all before three weeks ago. And something happens. There's always a trigger, just a moment that you have, somebody says something to you, your ex says one thing to you and you're like, 'Okay, yeah, I'm good. I'm good.' I have closure and I can move on in a really healthy way." 

While addressing questions about what the potential relationship looked like, Shannen Doherty admitted her uncertainty about it, saying:

"I have a best friend, a male best friend who we joke that we're married. I don't know if it's that or if it's stumbling upon somebody and just feeling an instant connection. I'm open, and I wasn't [before]."

Acknowledging the "good years" shared with Iswarienko, Doherty, who was previously married to Ashley Hamilton and Rick Salomon, also expressed her readiness to move forward from her past.