Sean Penn, 64, and his 30-year-old girlfriend have sparked an online debate following their recent red carpet debut.
The couple arrived at the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco on Saturday (November 30) as the 64-year-old Academy-award winner was being honored for his successful career as an actor and director.
For the special occasion, Penn - best known for his roles in Dead Man Walking, I Am Sam, and Mystic River - opted for a simple look, donning a classic suit and tie.
Meanwhile, his new partner - Valeria Nicov - wore a glamorous strapless black gown with draping in the front.
Check out the couple below:
The Hollywood A-lister and his younger girlfriend have been linked since early September when they were spotted kissing while walking in Madrid. They were also captured locking lips at Los Angeles International Airport in early October.
Fans have been left divided by the new relationship, especially considering Penn's new girlfriend is younger than his two children.
Penn shares a 33-year-old daughter, Dylan Frances Penn, and a 31-year-old son, Hopper Jack Penn, with ex-wife and actress Robin Wright.
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Over on Reddit, one social media user questioned if some actors feel "ashamed" or "uncomfortable" with such a younger partner.
Another user on a second forum wrote: "His kids are both older than her, I wonder what they really think about their dad’s dating choices as his ex-wife was his daughter’s age."
"Sleeping with someone who wasn't born yet when you were 33 is just... unsettling," someone on X (formerly Twitter) said, while one more quipped: "Worse than looking like the dad is looking like the granddad!"
But not everyone was against their relationship as one user defended the actor and said the commentary was "ageist", News.com.au reported.
Of course, the pair are two consenting adults and surely should be allowed to live happily together and appear in public without such backlash.
The couple’s romance comes after Penn - who was briefly married to Madonna in the 80s and recently split from his third wife, Leila George - said he was “thrilled every day” that he was not in a serious relationship during an interview with The New York Times in June.
“If I’m going to be in a relationship, I’m still going to be free, or I’m not going to be in it, and I’m not going to be hurting. I don’t sense I’ll have my heart broken by romance again,” he told the publication.
Penn also opened up about one of his marriages, although he did not share which marriage he was referring to, and claimed the background noise of his life "was a ‘Housewives of Beverly Hills’ or another thing called ‘Love Island'".
“Not even being in the room – I’m not saying this to be cute – I was dying. I felt my heart, my brain shrinking. It was an assault,” he added.