Catherine Zeta-Jones blasted for 'creepy' comment about pre-teen fan
'I am absolutely appalled that she thought this would be a cute story to share with the world'
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Catherine Zeta-Jones is catching heat on social media after she made a “creepy” comment regarding a 12-year-old male fan.
During a recent appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Zeta-Jones, 55, opened up on how she has gained a “new generation of fans” after joining the cast of Netflix’s Wednesday.
“What was really great about what’s happening … is that I’ve got this new kind of generation of fans,” she told Meyers.
“I was hitting golf balls with (her husband) Michael (Douglas) the other day on the driving range, I was practicing, and this really cute 12-year-old boy came up and asked for my autograph,” Zeta-Jones said.
“He was, like, really cute. And then I went, ‘Ha ha! When I’m 70, this cute little boy will be like, 33.’”
Meyers asked if Douglas, who is 80, understood that she was doing the mental math in her head.
“He usually thinks I’m wondering what club to pick. But I’m not. I’m going, ‘Hmm. At that time, I’m sure it’ll be just fine,’” she joked.
Zeta-Jones then defended her potential future dating choices, noting that Douglas is “25 years older” than her.
“That’s true. So you get one of those, too?” Meyers said, prompting her to reply, “Yeah. Thanks.”
The actress’ comments quickly went viral, prompting nearly 300 comments on a Reddit thread.
“Listen, I know she is married to a much older man, but she was one whole adult when she made that decision,” one person wrote. “Thinking and speaking about a literal child in this manner is unacceptable and I am absolutely appalled that she thought this would be a cute story to share with the world. Girl, just stop.”
“Weirdly, to me at least, he actually was around her often when she was a kid. Like she’s basically describing her own situation, but she was the kid. I wonder if she’s rationalized that f***ing weirdness so much she has actually lost sight of how f***ing creepy it is,” another added.
“I watched this twice to make sure I wasn’t misunderstanding. F***ing EW,” a third person wrote.
Zeta-Jones and Douglas, who share two children together, were married on Nov. 18, 2000 after they first met in 1998 when the Romancing the Stone star asked his publicist to arrange a meeting between the two.
Last November, the Welsh actress celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary with a snap on Instagram.
“24 years ago, I said, I do. Happy Anniversary darling Michael. Our love is like a hole in one… You have to see it to believe it♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️love you,” she wrote.
Back in 2019, Douglas told Us Weekly that it was important to “talk things out” to make sure their relationship stayed fresh.
“I think it just comes out of courtesy,” Douglas told Us. “You know, I think sometimes we take the person closest to us for granted. I would say sometimes we make more of an effort with strangers than we do with the person who’s closest to us. And I’ve always tried to remember how fortunate I am and what an extraordinary lady she is and daily remember (of) that kind of respect.”
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