Aaron Sorkin is perhaps best known as the mastermind behind Oscar-nominated hits like "Moneyball," "The Trial of the Chicago 7," and "The Social Network," for which he won the 2011 Academy Award for best adapted screenplay. However, Sorkin has also worked on a number of iconic movies most folks don’t realize he was involved with, and his talents as a writer have earned him an impressive net worth. As of 2022, he reportedly has a cool $90 million in the bank, per Celebrity Net Worth, and that figure is sure to go up thanks to his current and upcoming projects, like "Being the Ricardos."
However, despite all of his success in Hollywood, things haven’t always been easy for the filmmaker. In 2001, Sorkin was arrested, per The Washington Post, and he’s been candid about his struggle with addiction. During a 2012 commencement speech at his alma mater, Syracuse University, he shared how he "lost a decade of my life to cocaine addiction" and confessed his "big fear was that I wasn’t gonna be able to write without it." Even so, he pushed to get sober, and looking back on the 11 years of sobriety that led him to that point, he enthused, "I’ve written three television series, three movies, a Broadway play, won the Academy Award, and taught my daughter all the lyrics to 'Pirates of Penzance.'" Also rocky has been Sorkin's love life, and we’re breaking down his full, headline-making relationship history below.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Aaron Sorkin |
| Date of Birth | June 9, 1961 |
| Occupation | Screenwriter, Producer, Director |
| Notable Works | "The Social Network", "A Few Good Men", "The West Wing" |
| Awards | Academy Award, Golden Globe Awards |
Addiction Tore His First Marriage Apart
Before Aaron Sorkin became a household name, he was a music-theater major at Syracuse University who, soon after graduating in 1983, realized writing was more his speed. After initially settling in New York, he moved to Los Angeles in 1993 to focus on writing "The American President." As he’d later tell The Independent, the script took him "three years" to complete as he struggled with addiction. It wasn’t until he met Julia Bingham, an entertainment lawyer, that he turned things around.
They began dating, and it was Bingham who encouraged Sorkin to enter rehab in 1995 and get sober. Sorkin and Bingham tied the knot in 1996 and welcomed daughter Roxy in 2000, but eventually divorced in 2005. According to The Independent, Sorkin’s "workaholic habits" paired with a relapse pushed their relationship to the brink. Indeed, in 2001, Bingham had to deal with him being arrested for drug possession at the Burbank, California, airport when TSA agents found illegal substances in his carry-on bag.
Following the divorce, Sorkin focused on sobriety, telling The Observer in 2005 that he was "in recovery." He also focused on raising his daughter, which meant keeping a good relationship with his ex-wife. Proof of their amicable split can be found on Roxy's Instagram, where she posted a photo of her parents being goofy together in 2020 and wrote, "Thankful for my family."
Aaron Sorkin and Kristin Chenoweth Went From Lovers to Close Friends
Aaron Sorkin and Kristin Chenoweth first got together following his divorce in 2005, and what followed was an on-again, off-again romance that lasted "for years," per Parade. The pair broke up for the first time soon after, but when Chenoweth debuted "The Apple Tree" on Broadway in 2006, Sorkin was there to support her, sparking rumors of a reconciliation. They kept fans guessing, and in her 2009 memoir, "A Little Bit Wicked," Chenoweth admitted she didn’t know what their future held.
"I love the man, and whatever happens or doesn’t happen between us in the long run, I always will," she wrote. And she meant it. In 2020, they joined forces to teach a master class at Oklahoma City University, and in 2021, she was still talking about her ex in the nicest terms. "Aaron and I have such deep respect for each other and our work," she told Los Angeles Magazine, explaining, "That’s what I think drew us together, because I’m a workaholic and so was he."
The couple's friendship even survived Sorkin "loosely" basing the character of Harriet Hayes in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" on her. As Chenoweth told Time, he asked for permission, saying he had to write about her because she’s "one of the most wonderfully complicated fantastic women." She agreed, but admitted it was "difficult" to watch Hayes act in ways she never would. What’s more, it was "weird to see fights played out on TV that we had, but it was also an honor," she concluded.
Aaron Sorkin and Kristin Davis Were Smitten
In 2012, Aaron Sorkin was once again linked to a Kristin — this time to Kristin Davis. Rumors that the Oscar winner and "Sex and the City" star were dating began swirling in May, per E! News, with one source claiming they had been seeing each other for "around six weeks." The insider gushed that they were "really happy" and noted that while they’d "known each other a while through mutual friends and would sometimes bump into one another at industry events," their relationship had always been platonic — until then.
Sorkin and Davis confirmed their romance that June when they shared a smooch on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of "The Newsroom." One attendee told People that they "stayed very close at the after party" and "held hands and hugged all night." Davis was reportedly "giggling while Aaron told stories about his prom dates as a youth," and they "posed for pictures with their friends" before leaving together.
Sadly, come August, they had split. InTouch confirmed the news, with an insider explaining that it didn’t work out because they were "very different people." While Davis was "focused on raising her daughter, Gemma," Sorkin was busy "working on his show."
His Relationship with Mandy Stadtmiller Inspired a Famous Character
Mandy Stadtmiller was a gossip columnist for New York Post when she met Aaron Sorkin at a party in 2010. She gave the Oscar winner her number and, as she shared in a personal post on XO Jane, they went on a "few" dates. One night, while at dinner in New York, she reportedly told him about a "takedown" piece she was writing on Bethenny Frankel and, as she recalled, he was unimpressed. So much so that he sent her an email recalling how he got "preachy and condescending" that night but saying it gave him an idea for a character.
Said character was gossip reporter Nina Howard, who appeared on the fourth episode of "The Newsroom" and was played by Hope Davis. However, Sorkin adamantly told his girlfriend "THIS CHARACTER IS NOT YOU." He went on to clarify that he and his writers call the character 'Bad Mandy' (as opposed to real Mandy) because he hadn’t named her yet. Stadtmiller was OK with the idea at first, but after the episode aired, she "fully cried" and felt "totally humiliated."
As she explained, "Maybe it bothered me so much because I realized how close to the character I really was." She went on to add that "what hurt the most watching that first episode — and yes, I realize it is supposed to be 'the opposite' of me — was the close to the bone nailing. Of me."
Did He Really Date Courtney Love?
In January 2014, Page Six reported that Aaron Sorkin and iconic rocker Courtney Love were dating and had been together "for a few months." Love was reportedly staying at Los Angeles' Chateau Marmont while Sorkin was in town working on a number of projects, including "Steve Jobs," and they decided to get together over an apparent mutual admiration. According to one insider who spoke with the outlet, Sorkin was "intrigued by Courtney's wit," while she was attracted to the fact that he was "a great influence on her."
While the Hole frontwoman didn’t respond to the romance rumors directly, Daily Mail pointed to a Facebook post she made on Christmas Day in which she spoke about relationships and appeared
