The trope of older men dating younger women is a well-worn one when it comes to Hollywood. Or in short—meh, it’s normal. Just look at Leonardo DiCaprio and his slew of different girlfriends, or once-married Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes with over 16 years of age difference.
However, when the switch is flipped and society is forced to contend with the concept of ‘The Older Woman’, not only is the paradigm less widely praised, it’s often unfairly called into question. That being said, it hasn’t stopped many famous women from dating—and sometimes marrying—men many years their junior.
1. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas (10 years age gap)
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Arguably one of the most famous older-woman-younger-man relationships in Hollywood in recent years, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas caused a stir when they stepped out together at the 2017 Met Gala, although their relationship wasn’t made official until mid 2018.
Since news of their coupledom broke in 2018, the pair have dealt with strong (and often unjust) online reactions to their 10-year age difference. Priyanka addressed the double standards surrounding people’s opinions on their age difference in a June 2019 interview. “People gave us a lot of shit about that and still do,” she said. “I find it really amazing when you flip it and the guy is older, no one cares, and actually, people like it.”
Evidently, their age gap doesn’t bother Nick. The musician, who seems to have a preference for older women—having had previous relationships with Delta Goodrem and Kate Hudson—apparently feels that Priyanka’s age makes her “even more attractive” to him.
2. Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa (12 years age gap)
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The Cosby Show actress Lisa Bonet, 52, and Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa, 40, met in a jazz club in 2005, tied the knot in 2017, and have been together ever since.
Bonet, who gave birth to their first child in 2007 (her second, having had Zoë Kravitz during her marriage to Lenny Kravitz) and their second in 2008, has never addressed their age gap publicly. She has, however, opened up about why Momoa is a great partner. ‘’What is cool about Jason is that he is an alpha male who stands for love and family,” she said in a 2018 interview with Porter.
“And to circle back to my own wounds, having an absent father, then to be met by a man of that stature, is really incredible. Jason embodies a rare form of masculinity in this day and age—he is a leader; he is generous. Just in terms of charisma, physique, the right use of power, responsibility, work ethic, you can go down the line.”
3. Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez (6 years age gap)
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Jennifer Lopez may have turned 50 in 2019 (and threw the most extravagant birthday party to celebrate it), but her fiancé Alex Rodriguez, 44, has yet to join her in the same age bracket. The pair have been together since 2017, getting engaged in March 2019, and each have two children from their previous marriages.
4. Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling (6 years age gap)
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Eva Mendes, 45, and Ryan Gosling, 39, first met on the set of their movie The Place Beyond The Pines in 2011. Together for almost a decade, the pair have two daughters together, and though the gorgeous couple rarely speak about their relationship, at the 2017 Golden Globes Awards, Ryan publicly thanked his ‘’sweetheart lady’’ after accepting the award.
‘’I just would like to try and thank one person properly and say that while I was singing and dancing and playing piano and having one of the best experiences I’ve ever had on a film, my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer. If she hadn’t have taken all that on so that I could have this experience, it would surely be someone else up here other than me today. So, sweetheart, thank you.’’
5. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon (10 years age gap)
Nick Cannon said he'd marry Mariah Carey AGAIN if he had the chance. https://t.co/OVz8cH3By5 pic.twitter.com/pNldu7Qogo
— HollywoodLife (@HollywoodLife) September 27, 2019
Mariah Carey, 49, and Nick Cannon, 39, dated for only two months before they tied the knot in 2008. Although they parted ways after eight years of marriage, the pair remain on good terms and co-parent their children, Morocco and Monroe, spending many of the holidays together.
6. Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher (16 years age gap)
Potentially the most renowned older-woman-younger-man couple of the ’00s, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher met in 2003 and publicly debuted their relationship at the premiere of Demi’s Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.
Marrying in 2005, their 16-year age difference became the source of many tabloid headlines at the time. She was also one of the first women to be branded with the now-problematic label ‘cougar’, which she addressed in a 2009 interview with W magazine.
“I’m certainly not the first person to have a relationship with a younger man, but somehow I was plucked out as a bit of a poster girl,” she said (quote via Marie Claire U.K.). “I don’t know why that is!”. In relation to the ‘cougar’ tag, Demi jokes: “I’d prefer to be called a Puma”.
7. Shakira and Gerard Pique (10 years age gap)
International superstar Shakira, 43, and her soccer champion partner Gerard Piqué, 33, began dating in 2010, after meeting on the set of her “Waka Waka” music video. They have two sons together, Milan, 6 and Sasha, 4, and incidentally both share the same birthday, February 2 (10 years apart, obviously).
In a 2013 interview with ELLE U.S., the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer opened up about how meeting Piqué restored her faith in love. “I think, if you can prove the existence of God, it can only be proven through love. I even had lost my faith for a while. I was becoming agnostic,” she said.
8. Miranda Kerr and Evan Speilberg (9 years age gap)
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Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr, 36, initially thought her nine-year age difference with the Snapchat Founder, 29, was too big to take him “seriously” when they met in 2015.
“I was like, ‘He’s cute… but he’s way too young to take seriously,'” she told U.K. newspaper The Times in 2017. She also told Porter magazine that, while Spiegel is younger than her, he’s mature beyond his years. “He’s 25, but he acts like he’s 50. He’s not out partying,” Kerr said in 2017. “He goes to work in Venice [Beach in L.A.]. He comes home. We don’t go out. We’d rather be at home and have dinner, go to bed early.”
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