Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Reader's DigestWhile the world listens with bated breath to the ridiculously frustrating 911 call and wonders about the whereabouts of Demi Moore's estranged husband Ashton Kutcher (not to mention Demi's three lovely daughters), let's face it, pretty much everyone's assuming this whole midlife debacle is all about Ashton.
Well, according to a friend who's known Demi for a very long time, Ashton—and everybody else—can think again on that score:
"This is not just about Ashton," insists a close Moore pal who's known Demi during many points in her life, i.e., both when she's been clean and sober—and when she wasn't (mainly when she was much younger). "I'm sure Ashton would like to think it's all about him."
"What [Demi's] going through now is not just things not working out with Ashton," the longtime Hollywood colleague and friend says about Moore and her estranged hubby. "It's really more about the toll it takes on any ambitious woman in this town."
Meaning what, exactly?
"Meaning constantly having to prove you're not just a pretty face but a talented actor, as well. Constantly having to prove you're a good mother, not just a celebutante around town who goes to parties instead of looking after her family. Having to stay sober in a town that's so not.
"Demi's had a fight in her for many years, before Ashton ever came along."
So, did Demi's romance with her much-younger husband help or hinder Moore, ultimately?
"Oh, help, very much so," insisted the super-close Moore pal. "She loved him, and he her! Don't forget that. But this was before…trouble began."
Yeah, guess rumored hot-tub episodes with nubile blondes and the endless guessing game of whether or not you're wearing your wedding ring would suffice as trouble.
Especially after you've been knee-deep in it for ages—or so some of Demi's pals would have you think.
What about it, Awful readers, shouldn't Demi get a break from having to work so hard to have it all for all those years? Or not?
Just remember whatever you think, this recent episode in the 49-year-old beauty's life is not just about a man. That I certainly agree with.