Yoko Ono Once Oddly Requested May Pang Have Relationship With Her Husband, John Lennon

In a new documentary titled The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, John Lennon’s ex-girlfriend May Pang tells the story of her romance with the Beatles member. The film— which also features recordings and an interview with John’s oldest son, Julian— debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022.

In the film, Pang gave details about how her relationship with John started and how his then-wife, Yoko Ono, orchestrated it. Pang worked with the couple as an assistant for a couple of years before she and John started seeing each other.

Pang was initially not interested in John

Dating her boss was definitely not part of Pang’s job description or plan. At 19, Pang got a job as an office assistant for the Beatles’ label, Apple Records. In 1970, she  relocated with Yoko and John to become their personal assistant.

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Coincidentally, Pang joined the couple at the time their marriage hit a rough patch. Yoko wanted time to herself but was willing to work it out with John at the same time. In 1973, Yoko asked 22-year-old Pang to date her husband in order to keep her marriage.

“She came in and sat across from me and said, ‘I’ve gotta talk to you,” Pang recalled. “And then she says, ‘You know, John’s gonna go out with other people.’ And I thought, ‘OK, now we’re into another territory. Who can this be? We are adding another person to this mix?’ And then she says, ‘But you know what? You don’t have a boyfriend.’”

Pang was bewildered and immediately declined. “He was not John Lennon as everybody out there saw him,” she explained. “He was John Lennon, this man I worked for. … So I wasn’t interested.”

Pang and John eventually bonded, to Yoko’s discomfort

Though mutually reluctant at first, Pang and John found each other and bonded over their shared love for music. Their first kiss was in the elevator of the Dakota, where John and Yoko lived. “He (John) charmed the pants off of me,” Pang reminisced.

In the documentary, Pang also revealed that she cried when they first had sex. “It was a big surprise. Despite everything that was said, it was he who pursued it more than anything else,” she said. “I was just trying to hold back.  And you don’t want to be hurt either.”

The unexpected romance blossomed as they enjoyed music, dinners, trips, and quality time together. For Pang’s 23rd birthday, John got her an orange Plymouth Barracuda. Due to the brewing romance between her husband and Pang, Yoko was uncomfortable and would check in up to 15 times a day.

Pang was instrumental in rebuilding Yoko and John’s relationship

By 1974, Pang and John moved in together, and Pang helped to mend the bond between John and his first son, Julian. In the same year, John agreed to Yoko’s divorce request but got pushback from her as she wanted him back. However, John and Pang’s relationship ended in 1975. “Our time together never really ended as it were. We didn’t get closure,” she revealed.

John died in December 1980 after getting shot by a crazy fan outside his New York City residence. “I don’t know if I have actually coped with [his loss] completely. I just think of the happy moments, the things that we’ve done together. I feel like he’s still surrounding me. So, no matter what, he’s there,” Pang spoke about John’s death. The documentary, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story premieres on April 13.