Catherine Zeta-Jones is facing backlash after she recalled an interaction she once had with a 12-year-old fan.
During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday, Sept. 4, the actress, 55, recounted being approached by the child for an autograph while at driving range with her husband Michael Douglas.
“This really cute 12-year-old boy came up and asked for my autograph and it was like really cute. And then I went ‘Aha… When I’m 70, this cute little boy will be like 33.’” she shared.
“Now can Michael tell when you’re doing math in your head like that?” Meyers replied.
“Yeah he usually thinks I’m wondering what [golf] club to pick, but I’m not. I’m going, ‘At that time, I’m sure he’ll be just fine'” she added.
Fans quickly called out the actress for what they felt to be inappropriate comments.
“It’s a good thing she didn’t become a school teacher,” wrote one user on X. “Is it just me or this is kinda weird…………” said another.
Others called her behavior “creepy,” with some going as far to say the actress should be “arrested.”
On Reddit, a thread about her comments quickly gained traction online, with commenters echoing the thoughts shared on X.
“Why did her mind automatically start thinking about the child that way?” said one user. “I’m more perplexed by why Seth Meyers went along with it- someone should’ve said this isn’t okay.”
“Listen, I know she is married to a much older man, but she was one whole adult when she made that decision,” added a third, “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. 🤮”
The Academy Award-winning actress has been married to Douglas, 80, since 2000. The couple share two children together: son Dylan and daughter Carys.
Zeta-Jones currently stars on Wednesday as Morticia Addams, with season 2 now streaming in full on Netflix.
A rep for Zeta-Jones did not immediately respond to Parade.com’s request for comment.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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