I took photos of a celebrity cheating on his wife. Should I sell them?

Starshine Roshell weighs in on this and other quandaries

Starshine Roshell
(Image credit: Jackie Sallow Photography)

Dear Starshine,

Last year when I was visiting relatives in the Philippines I spotted a very well known American actor in a popular mall. Although he was wearing sunglasses and a cap, I recognized him immediately. He was with an attractive woman and they were holding hands and kissing. On an impulse, I discreetly took pictures of them. When I returned home, I showed them to my wife, who informed me that this actor has been married with children for years and that the woman in the photos is not his wife. We shook our heads, chuckled, and forgot about it. Then a couple of weeks ago, my daughter, who is well-versed in celebrity gossip, discovered the photos on my computer. She has been urging me to sell the images, saying they might be worth thousands of dollars. She says the man is a louse for cheating, and that being publicly shamed would be a just reward. My wife says she isn't comfortable with selling the photos, but also keeps saying, "We could sure use the money." On my daughter's urging I Googled the actor in question and have sifted through photos of him and his family (out shopping, frolicking gaily on the beach, etc.). They seem happy enough. But I would want to know if my spouse were cheating on me. And yes, I would not mind being thousands and thousands of dollars richer. Would selling the pictures be the correct thing to do?


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Starshine Roshell

Starshine Roshell is a veteran journalist and award-winning columnist whose work has appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, New York Post and Westways magazine. She is the author of Keep Your Skirt On, Wife on the Edge and Broad Assumptions.