Michael Douglas Subjected To Ageist Comments As He Steps Out With 20-Year-Old Daughter

Oct 02, 2023 by apost team

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have gone through a lot of ups and downs. Their lives have changed a great deal since they moved between the United States and Bermuda with their children, Dylan Douglas and Carys Zeta-Douglas. Overcoming the pressure of being the daughter of a Hollywood actor and granddaughter of Kirk Douglas, another famous celebrity, it is commendable to see Carys carving out a niche for herself. Although she isn’t necessarily interested in acting, Carys is following other passions of her own — ones that are more than achievable given the notable fame of her parents and her late grandfather. Like her mother — noted actress and style icon — Carys seems to have an interest and eye for fashion and even has had the opportunity to pursue it!

Carys’ mother, Zeta-Jones, aspired to be an actress from a young age. Despite her family’s humble background, she made it to Hollywood and became a breakthrough actress in the ’90s and early 2000s. Carys’ father, Michael, is also a prominent actor and producer in Hollywood, with his father, Kirk, being a classic Hollywood staple in the acting industry. Carys’ parents got married in New York on Nov. 11, 2000, after Michael officially got divorced from his previous wife, Diandra Luker. Zeta-Jones and Michael share more than just an affinity for acting; they also share a birthday on Sept. 25, but 25 years apart.

On an episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Michael explained how the age gap between him and his wife has even caused confusion for people when it comes to his daughter. On June 8, 2021, Michael confessed to show host Kelly Clarkson how people mistake his daughter Carys for his granddaughter. Carys, meanwhile, admitted that she too, has been the target of jokes about her father’s age.

Michael is an actor and producer who has been in the industry for several decades. He produced “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” back in 1975, which has been dubbed one of the greatest films ever made. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Michael went on to produce several films in the following years. As an actor, he has received numerous awards and accolades, especially for his portrayal of Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street” in 1987.

His wife is just as successful, having found a niche for playing a variety of characters filled with versatility. Zeta-Jones has starred in a plethora of films including “The Mask of Zorro” in 1998 and “Ocean’s Twelve” in 2004. Like Michael, she has also received critical acclaim for her outstanding work in the industry.

Michael set his eyes on his now-wife for the very first time in 1998 at the Deauville Film Festival in France after they were introduced to one another by mutual friends Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith. According to the actor, the two might have had a rocky first encounter. Nevertheless, they made it work in the end.

"I probably made a big mistake," he said as per TODAY. "But I looked at her, and I said, 'I just want to tell you, I'm going to be the father of your children.' And she looked at me, and she said, 'I've heard a lot about you. … I guess it's all true! Good night.'"

Despite their image as the ultimate Hollywood relationship goals, Michael and Zeta-Jones have had their fair share of ups and downs during their relationship. In 2010, Michael was diagnosed with tongue cancer. The actor then went through chemotherapy and radiotherapy and was eventually given the clear by his doctors a year later.

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On Dec. 31, 1999, Michael proposed to Zeta-Jones at his home in Aspen, Colo.

"Both of us were sick as dogs because we had (the) flu," Michael recalled in 2016. Later the same year, they got married.

"I don't take any of this for granted," Zeta-Jones told People after their wedding. "When I look at Michael, I run around like a little girl. I can't believe I came into his life and he came into mine."

Just a few months after the couple got engaged, rumors of them expecting a baby were in the air.

In August 2000, the pair welcomed their first child, Dylan. Dylan was Zeta-Jones' first child and Douglas' second. His first son was Cameron Douglas, who was born in 1978 to his then-wife Diandra Luker.

In 2010, Michael Douglas even spoke to the importance of family, telling The Guardian that he regrets not paying more attention to his son during his first marriage.

"During my first marriage, my career was the most important thing in my life," Michael Douglas told The Guardian. "I clearly know I made mistakes. There were absences. My eldest son, Cameron, is in the middle of a very, very difficult and tragic time. Cameron has made a couple of big mistakes in his life. He's paid the price. On the other side of it, he's sober. The kids really miss him, and he misses them. I've taken them to visit. Now that my own priorities are entirely different, I'm always encouraging people to wait to have a family – get yourself sorted career-wise first as much as you can."

While Michael and Zeta-Jones’ decades-long marriage has had its fair share of challenges — from Michael’s cancer diagnosis to a temporary split in 2013 — the pair have always found their way back to each other.

Zeta-Jones opened up in an April 5, 2021 piece from The Wall Street Journal Magazine about the factors that keep the foundation of her marriage to Michael so strong, and interestingly, it is simple enough: "First of all, we have a lot of fun together," she told the publication. Zeta-Jones also addressed the age gap between the two of them, which has often been the fodder for many tabloid stories over the years.

"My husband is 25 years older than me; that's not a secret. With any relationship, it wouldn't be normal if there weren't any ups and downs," Zeta-Jones added. "The constant is love and respect. We've never, ever lost our sense of humor, and we enjoy each other's company."

Michael has his own thoughts about what makes a strong relationship.

"I think it's not taking the person closest to you for granted. Sometimes you make more of an effort with strangers ... than we do with the person closest to us. And I think we're very blessed to have a lot of mutual respect," he told Access in 2019.

Zeta-Jones discussed the family's move to Bermuda during her interview with The Wall Street Journal Magazine and how beneficial it was for her and Michael’s relationship.

"My husband and I spend a lot of time together because, unlike so many couples, we've never had a 9-to-5 job where it's consistent ... So we've had in our relationship huge amounts of time where we've been just us. We lived on the island of Bermuda for 12 years bringing up our kids. We respect each other's space, and our humor is just long-lasting," she said.

Despite the obstacles set in Michael and Zeta-Jones’ path, their love has endured. The pair have enjoyed life as a family together raising their beautiful children.

Michael and Zeta-Jones welcomed their second child, daughter Carys, on April 3, 2003. She lived in Bermuda with her parents and older brother, Dylan, until 2009, and then the family moved to rural New York State in 2016. Because the family has always been away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood, Carys even admitted once that she didn’t even know her father was an actor.

Carys told Town & Country magazine in an interview:

“I thought my dad was a pancake maker. I didn’t know he was an actor. Honestly.”

Despite Carys not knowing her father’s profession for quite some time, the famous parenting pair made a point of making sure that Carys knew that she was living an extraordinary life. In 2017, she attended Fashion Week for the first time. The following year, Carys went to New York a second time and enjoyed the fashion shows and parties all over again, including those of Michael Kors and even Dolce & Gabbana. She was probably thrilled to be able to attend the event for the second year in a row, even though she was only a teenager.

Carys told Town & Country in her interview:

“Fashion has been so important in my life, because my mom is like a fashion icon to me. I’m always looking through her closet.” 

Carys even has her own favorite item from her mom Zeta-Jones's closet:

“She has this one thing, and it’s absolutely crazy. It’s this pink kimonoey coat, but it has this fur and these fringes. It’s just so cool.”

On June 8, 2021, Michael Douglas was featured on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" and opened up about a mix-up that happened to him at his daughter Carys’s high school graduation. All of the parents were congratulating one another when one parent said to him, “You must be so proud of your granddaughter.” Michael opened up about how the encounter was awkward as he said, “It’s a little rough.”

The 78-year-old actor laughed as he said:

“I’m not going to take it personal. I know they’re just trying to be nice.” 

The graduation was not traditional but rather virtual. Micheal told Clarkson:

“We had a lovely experience. It was a virtual graduation. We couldn’t actually be in the same room that she was in because of COVID protections and all of that.”

He continued as the two laughed:

“It was so wonderful and we’re so proud of her, but I’ve got to tell you, Kelly, it’s a little rough when you’re going out the doors and the other parents are saying, ‘Oh congratulations ... you must be so proud of your granddaughter.’”

Now that Carys has graduated with an international baccalaureate and her brother Dylan has graduated from Brown University, Zeta-Jones and Michael will have an empty nest. Michael spoke to the adjustment as he said:

“There is that moment when they’re gone and they’re out of the house ... and you look at each other and in the back of your mind, you’re thinking, ‘What are we going to talk about?’”

Since Zeta-Jones and Michael’s marriage has already lasted over two decades, we’re sure they’ll adjust to life with an empty house just fine.

Michael isn’t the only one who has to endure unwanted moments due to being a much older parent. Carys recounted how she was once affected so deeply when she walked into a drugstore and saw a scandalous tabloid headline about her father. 

“There’s this picture of my dad and it’s like, Michael Douglas Cancer Again, Dying In a Month. I just started crying. I was like, ‘Why didn’t my parents tell me this?!’ Only it wasn’t true. People just always want a story to tell,” she lamented.

She also said she had gotten used to the snide remarks over the years about her dad’s age. “People would be like, ‘Your grandpa’s here to pick you up,’” she gave as an example.

However, this hasn’t stopped Carys from loving and supporting her dad, as was the case during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. She joined her parents on the red carpet, looking beautiful and very much her gorgeous mother’s daughter as she linked arms with her dad. Both she and Zeta-Jones also posed for a photo of them kissing Michael on the cheek from either side. 

While photos from the event captured nothing less than a loving and beautiful family, some did not have positive opinions of them, mostly targeting Michael over his aging looks. Users left comments such as “next role ....the mummy,” “Very frail,” and “He looks dead.” However, the nasty remarks are unlikely to get Michael’s spirits down, seeing as to how committed he is to being a father. He once said:

“I am consumed with being a father and with my responsibilities as a husband. I never anticipated starting a family at my age. I'm genuinely happy to let Catherine work, while I stay at home with the children. I cherish this time."

What do you think of the snide comments? Do you think Michael Douglas has a beautiful family? If so, let us know then pass this along to all the Douglas fans you know!