Catherine Zeta-Jones is facing backlash after recalling a fan encounter on Late Night with Seth Meyers that many viewers branded “really inappropriate” and “creepy”.
The 55-year-old Wednesday star was promoting the second season of the hit Netflix series when she told Meyers that she’s been gaining a “new generation of fans.”
She then shared an anecdote that left some in the audience uncomfortable.
“I was hitting golf balls with Michael (Douglas) the other day at the driving range. I was practising, and this really cute 12-year-old boy came up and asking for my autograph, and it was like really cute, and then I went ‘Haha. When I’m 70 this cute little boy will be like 33,’” she told Meyers.
The host replied: “Now can Michael tell when you’re doing math in your head like that?”
Catherine continued: “Yeah, he usually thinks I’m wondering what club to pick, and I’m not. I’m going, ‘at that time I’m sure it’ll be fine.’”
Meyers then quipped: “That’s good. As long as you know not to give them your number when they’re 12.”
Fans call remarks “wild” and “awkward”
Clips of the interview quickly circulated online, sparking heated debate across social media.
Some argued the comment was a harmless joke, but others called it “creepy” and “unacceptable”.
On TikTok, one user wrote: “Ew. Why would she say that?!”
Another added: “That was highly inappropriate damn.”
A third said: “I just know she regretted saying that the second it left her mouth.”
One more comment read: “Creepy.”
Others expressed disbelief: “That twelve y/o boy comment was frickin wild.”
Another posted: “That twelve yr old what nowwww.”
“It's creepy. Who has these thoughts when they have an interaction with a 12 year old,” one viewer asked.
“I’m more perplexed by why Seth Meyers went along with it - someone should’ve said this isn’t okay,” another argued.
One critic wrote: “Listen, I know she is married to a much older man, but she was one whole adult when she made that decision. 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.”
Other reactions included: “Well that was awkward,” and: “What an odd thing to say.”
Celebrating 25 years with Michael Douglas
The controversy comes just weeks after Zeta-Jones marked her 25th wedding anniversary with Michael Douglas, 80.
“We’ve been married 25 years, it’s something to celebrate,” she said. “And they said it would never last! It’s a journey of learning and loving and fun, and the prospect of reaching a 25-year anniversary is really quite thrilling. I remember my mum and dad celebrating theirs.”
The Welsh actress and the Hollywood icon tied the knot in 2000 at New York’s Plaza Hotel, a pairing that raised eyebrows due to their 25-year age gap. Today, the couple share two children, Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22.
She recently admitted that work commitments filming Wednesday meant they couldn’t celebrate on the exact date.
“I’ve been working a lot this year and he’s been so supportive. I think we’re going to be doing a party around the holidays because I’ll be shooting season three. It’s such a short period of time I have off.”
Zeta-Jones has also spoken candidly about the “ups-and-downs” in their marriage.
The pair briefly separated in 2013 during Douglas’s cancer battle and her bipolar disorder diagnosis, but reconciled in 2014. “It's impossible for there not to be ups and downs if you live with the same person and wake up with them every day,” she told The Telegraph in 2023.