Liza Minelli Details Tumultuous, Drug-Fueled Affair With Martin Scorsese in New Memoir
Liza said that Martin turned away from her when she tried to approach him at the 2014 Oscars.
Published March 12 2026, 9:12 a.m. ET
The legendary Liza Minelli's memoir, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! graced bookstore shelves on March 10, 2026. In the book, Liza shares juicy details about her affair with film director Martin Scorsese.
Liza spilled about her and Martin's issues with drug use that often fueled their passionate, tumultuous relationship. She said their affair "had more layers than a lasagna."
Liza Minelli and Martin Scorsese's affair started on the set of 'New York, New York.'
Liza said that she fell for the star while filming the movie musical. Both parties were married to other people at the time: Liza to Jack Haley, and Martin to his second wife, Julia Cameron.
Page Six details how Liza described their relationship. She wrote that both she and Martin had "volcanic tempers." It escalated to the point that, when Liza was out and about with Jack, Martin chastised her for having another affair with the ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.
He said, "How can you do this to me. How can you do this to me!" Liza recalled. Liza did, in fact, sleep with the dancer.
Liza called the affair with Martin "amour fou," which she said is a passionate relationship that becomes a self-destructive obsession. "The relationship becomes a powerful hypnotic drug in every way," she wrote.
Liza explained her connection to Martin, saying, "We were both Italian. Passionate. Intense. Committed to our craft. We both had volcanic tempers … He was a diabolically handsome man who shared my love for film," according to The Guardian.
Their affair continued after the movie musical came out, and Liza asked Martin to direct her Broadway musical, The Act. She ended up firing him, however, when she realized the musical needed a theater director. "It damn near killed me and broke my heart [to fire him]," she wrote.
They continued their affair after that, but not for long. It seems there are still some hard feelings between the two. Liza said that she tried to approach Martin at the Oscars in 2014, but he turned away from her.
Drug use was a large part of Liza and Martin's affair.
Liza wrote about their drug use on the set of New York, New York, and the way it evolved over time. "As we filmed, Marty became a heavier and heavier user of cocaine. It seemed that it was no longer recreational for either of us. It was day and night. On the set, in between takes, and when we went out in the evening," she shared.
She added, "We were constant companions, and I was right there beside him. Line by line, Marty claimed the drug helped his creative juices. Sure it did. Or is that just one more fabulous lie you tell yourself when you’re in the grip of substance use?"
Martin ended up in the hospital from drug use, and Robert De Niro gave him a "tough love" talk, insisting that he clean up his act for the sake of his daughter. Liza got a similar talk from her good friend Elizabeth Taylor. Liza recalled that Elizabeth told Liza would die if she didn't go to rehab. Liza checked herself into rehab in 1984.
The journey to sobriety wasn't easy, and Liza again struggled after a hip replacement. She collapsed at home from OxyContin use and suffered a major stroke. Doctors told her she had a suddenly inflamed brain, which was extremely dangerous. She went back to rehab in 2015, and as of 2026, the star has been sober for 11 years.