Keith Thibodeaux, who played Little Ricky on the show, had a front-row seat to the couple’s marital struggles. He would often spend time with their son, Desi Jr., and would frequently overhear intense arguments. “There was always tension,” Thibodeaux revealed. “One time, Desi Jr. and I were playing in the backyard, and we heard a lot of loud arguing, cursing, glass shattering, and screaming. We were scared. Desi Jr. turned to me and said, ‘There they go again.’ I was about 9 or 10 years old.”
But it wasn’t just the arguments that were troubling. Arnaz’s infidelities were also a constant source of tension. Thibodeaux remembered one incident where Arnaz was caught with other women while the couple already had separate bedrooms. “Once, at their home in Palm Springs, she told her chauffeur to drive her down to the Indian Wells Country Club,” Thibodeaux said. “She went to the lounge to have a drink, and Desi walked in with a couple of women on his arm. When he saw Lucy at the bar, he turned around and took off.”
The magazine revealing Arnaz’s infidelity was ironically called ‘Confidential’
Unfortunately, it was impossible for Ball to ignore Arnaz’s extramarital affairs, and the press didn’t overlook them either. Ball’s publicist, Charles Pomerantz, remembered a news article that arrived on the “I Love Lucy” set. “The magazine ‘Confidential’ came out with a story saying Desi was a womanizer,” Pomerantz said. “I gave an advance copy to Desi. Lucy said, ‘I want to read this story.’ It was during a rehearsal day, and she went into her dressing room. Everybody was frozen on the set.”
Despite the turmoil, Ball and Arnaz managed to make their marriage work, and their show continues to be a beloved classic to this day. But it’s clear that behind the laughter and the applause, there was a much more complex story playing out.
