Celebrities do all kinds of things that are baffling to the average person. It's hard to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what it's like to move through the world as they do.
That said, there's a marked difference between what you don't understand and what you don't agree with. Over time, we've learned that some of the things we once wrote off as eccentric behaviors are not OK. One of the subjects public perception has greatly changed on is age gaps in relationships.
First of all, let's address the obvious: There are some relationships with large age gaps that work and are perfectly healthy. People of all sexualities and genders experience them. The subtext in Hollywood has largely been that there's something more there. At best, it is uncomfortable and unusual. At worst, it's predatory.
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You'd be surprised at how many of your favorite celebrities have been in relationships that would raise eyebrows today. Celebrity men, in particular, seem to fall into this area often.
Steven Tyler
In 1975, Steven Tyler was 27 when he convinced the parents of 16-year-old Julia Holcomb to sign over guardianship to him so she could live with him in Boston. The two were together for three drug-hazed years.
An age gap appeared again in 1988 when he married clothing designer Teresa Barrick. Steven was 40 and Teresa was 28. There was a 25 year age difference between Steven and ex Erin Brady, who he dated from 2006 to 2013. He was 58 when the relationship began, and she was 33.
Don Johnson
Don Johnson was 23 years old and starring in a movie with Tippi Hedren when he met her 14-year-old daughter, Melanie Griffith. The next year, the two moved in together. They got engaged when Melanie turned 18. They married in 1976 and divorced later the same year.
The two would later reunite, but just before they did, a 39-year-old Don was linked to an 18-year-old Uma Thurman. It would be short-lived. He reunited with Melanie from 1988 to 1996.
After that, he dated and got engaged to Jodi Lyn O'Keefe. Don was 47 and Jodi, who played his daughter on Nash Bridges, was 18.
At 50, Don married 30-year-old school teacher Jacqueline (Kelley) Phleger.
Brad Pitt
In September 2020, we learned that 56-year-old Brad Pitt met his current 27-year-old girlfriend at her 68-year-old husband's restaurant. But this isn't Brad's first time dating someone considerably younger than him.
In 1987, Brad dated actress Shalene McCall. She was 15 and he was 24. The next year, he dated Christina Applegate when he was 25 and she was 17.
In 1989, he began a four-year relationship with Juliette Lewis. She was 17 and he was 26. After that relationship, he dated Gwyneth Paltrow, who was 22 when he was 31. They dated for three years.
The age gap between Brad and his first wife, Jennifer, was just five years. Then came Angelina Jolie, who was 30 when she started dating Brad when he was 42.
John Mayer
John Mayer has been linked to a lot of women. There was Vanessa Carlton, Rashida Jones, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Cameron Diaz, Jessica Simpson, and Jennifer Aniston.
Then, there was Taylor Swift. John started dating Taylor in 2009. She was 19 and he was 32. As Taylor tells it, it was a complete disaster.
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld raised eyebrows in 1993. At the height of his Seinfeld fame, the 38-year-old began dating a 17-year-old, Shoshanna Lonstein. The two dated for four years.
Shortly after, Jerry met his wife, Jessica. The two married in 1999 when Jessica was 28 and Jerry was 45.
Wilmer Valderrama
Wilmer Valderrama was enjoying the success of That '70s Show when he started dating Mandy Moore in 2000. She was 16 and he was 20. They dated for two years.
Next was Lindsay Lohan in 2004. He was 24 and she was 17, but they didn't officially debut as a couple until after her 18th birthday. That year, he was also linked to 18-year-old Mischa Barton.
Wilmer met Demi Lovato in 2010 when she was 17. He didn't agree to date her until she turned 18. He was 30.
The biggest gap is yet is 12 years, between Wilmer and Amanda Pacheco.
Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas was 32 when he got married for the first time. He married 19-year-old Diandra Luker. The two were together until 1995.
Michael then began dating Catherine Zeta-Jones. She was 30 when they started dating in 1999. Michael was 55.
Joaquin Phoenix
Before getting engaged to current love Rooney Mara, who is 10 years younger than him, Joaquin had a more controversial relationship. In 2013, a then 39-year-old Joaquin was believed to be dating a 19-year-old DJ, Allie Teilz. Rumors indicated the two may have been involved when she was even younger.
Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Ventimiglia was five years older than his Gilmore Girls co-star, Alexis Bledel. The two dated from 2003, when he was 26 and she was 21 until mid-2006.
After the relationship, he dated his Heroes co-star, Hayden Panettiere from 2007 to 2009. He was 30 when the relationship began, and she was 18.
Milo was with Kelly Egarian, his date to the 2017 Emmy Awards. She was 34 at the time, nine years his junior.
Chad Michael Murray
Following his quick and disastrous marriage to Sophia Bush, Chad Michael Murray dated Kenzie Dalton. The two met on the set of One Tree Hill, where Kenzie was an extra. She was also the first runner-up in the 2005 Miss North Carolina Teen USA pageant.
Though there were just seven years between them, Kenzie was 17 and Chad was 24. She was still a senior in high school when he proposed. They were engaged for seven years before breaking things off.
Jay-Z
Believe it or not, Jay-Z had a life before Beyoncé. He reportedly dated late R&B star Aaliyah when she was 20 and he was 29 in 1999. There was also a nine-year gap between Jay and Rosario Dawson, whom he dated in 2000.
Of course, Jay-Z and Beyoncé have had a long and largely happy marriage. Many forget she was 21 when they started dating. He was 33.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp started out his dating record by marrying a woman five years older than him, Lori Anne Allison. The tables turned in 1989 when a 26-year-old Johnny dated a 17-year-old Winona Ryder. The two were together for four years.
At 30, Johnny dated 20-year-old Juliette Lewis. In 1994, Johnny was 31 when he started dating 20-year-old Kate Moss. The two were together until 1998.
In 1998, Johnny started his relationship with Vanessa Paradis, who was 26 to his 35. Following that was Johnny's tumultuous relationship with Amber Heard. They began dating in 2012 when Johnny was 44 and Amber was 26.
Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum's personal life is somewhat controversial. After his tumultuous four-year marriage to Geena Davis, Jeff flew solo for quite some time.
In 2014, he started seeing his current wife, Emilie Livingston. Emilie was 31 and Jeff was 61.
Brian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green was reportedly reluctant to date an 18-year-old Megan Fox when she approached him. They met on the set of Hope & Faith in 2004, when Brian was 30. He eventually got over that discomfort, but their relationship was a rocky one.
Nicholas Cage
Nicholas Cage seems to have started dating younger women in more recent years. He was 20 years older than wife Alice Kim, whom he married in 2004. They split in 2016.
Three years later, Nicolas gave marriage another shot. He married Erika Koike in 2019 when she was 35 and he was 55. They divorced just months later.
Billy Joel
Billy Joel married Elizabeth Weber in 1973, when he was 24. The marriage didn't work, but he'd find love again with Christie Brinkley. Christie was 31 and Billy was 36. The two divorced in 1994.
Billy's third wife was chef Katie Lee. She was 23 and Billy was 55 when they married in 2004. They divorced in 2009.
From there, he started dating Alexis Roderick. The two married in 2015. She is 33 years younger than Billy.
