Hollywood has no shortage of age-gapped relationships, where one person is a lot older than their romantic partner.
In the case of some relationships, the difference between ages was especially extreme, bringing with it quite a bit of criticism for the couples in question.
Take a look at these relationships, which made headlines and caught lots of attention in Hollywood.
Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere
Milo Ventimiglia met Hayden Panettiere on the set of Heroes — where he played Peter Petrelli, and she played Claire Bennet. At the time, Panettiere was 17 years old, and Ventimiglia was 29. Shortly after Panettiere’s 18th birthday, the two announced their romantic relationship.
They broke up after two years. In an interview, Panettiere explained, ”It was never a case of me making a decision, saying, ‘I want to date older men.
’ But I am drawn to people who make me up my game, who bring me up to their level.”
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder
According to Johnny Depp, when it came to Winona Ryder, it was love at first sight. The two met at a premiere in 1989 when Depp was 26.
Ryder was 17 at the time. Despite quickly falling in love, the two only began officially dating about four months after Ryder’s 18th birthday.
Five months later, they were engaged. Depp famously got a tattoo of the actress’s name to mark his love.
He then altered that tattoo to say ‘Wino forever’ after the two ended their engagement three years later.
Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith
Way back in 1972, 22-year-old Don Johnson met the daughter of his costar Tippi Hedren, 14-year-old Melanie Griffith, and fell in love.
The two very quickly became attached, and by the time Griffith had turned 15, they had moved in together.
On her 18th birthday, Johnson proposed. They married in 1976, but less than a year later, they divorced.
After several other failed relationships, the two rekindled their romance and remarried in 1989, which soon led to the birth of Dakota Johnson.
Five years later, they split for good but still remain close.
Bill Wyman and Mandy Smith
When Bill Wyman was 47, the ex-member of Rolling Stones was the subject of quite a controversy. In 1984, he met Mandy Smith, who was just 13 at the time.
It’s unclear how romantic their relationship was at the time.
Their relationship became public when she turned 16, and in 1989, when Smith reached the age of 18, the two were married.
In his 1990 autobiography, he wrote, “She took my breath away…she was a woman at 13.” They divorced just two years later.
Joel Madden and Hilary Duff
Joel Madden, the lead singer of the band Good Charlotte, was 25 years old when he met 16-year-old teen star Hilary Duff in the summer of 2004.
After many speculations on social media, Susan Duff publicly announced her daughter and Madden were dating in 2005.
The relationship didn’t last long, and in 2006 the two split up. A month later, Madden began dating Nicole Richie.
The two are still married and have two children together. Since their split, Duff has gotten married, divorced, and married again.
Jerry Seinfeld and Shoshanna Lonstein
At the height of Seinfeld‘s success in 1993, then 38-year-old Jerry Seinfeld met high school senior Shoshanna Lonstein in Central Park. After exchanging numbers, the 17-year-old began dating the seasoned comedian.
The two dated for four years, with Lonstein even transferring to UCLA to be close to Seinfeld. The two were the subject of media scrutiny and criticism during their time together.
They finally broke up in 1998. Seinfeld met his wife, Jessica Sklar, that same year.
Doug Hutchison and Courtney Stodden
When non-binary model Courtney Stodden had just turned 16, 50-year-old seasoned actor Doug Hutchison talked to their mother and asked if he could become Stodden’s acting couch.
He then asked their mother for approval to marry the model.
Just a week after meeting face to face, they got married. Although Stodden attempted to leave the marriage twice before, it was only in 2018 that they filed for divorce.
Their divorce was finally official two years later.
Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown
Throughout the life of legendary rock & roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis, he was married seven times. Many of his relationships were controversial.
Most relevant here was his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, in 1957.
The two had their first child together when Brown was 14. The boy later passed away in a tragic accident. Their daughter was born in 1963.
In 1970, Brown filed for divorce, sharing in her statement that she had been “subject to every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable.”
Fergie and Justin Timberlake
It’s not just male rock & rollers who date younger people. Fergie was also involved in such a relationship with Justin Timberlake.
When the two were dating, the Black Eyed Peas singer was 23, while Timberlake was 16.
After the two broke things off, Fergie shared in an interview, “Justin and I would go out together and have fun and make out.”
Through the years, she continued to explain that it was nothing serious.
Elvis Presley and Priscilla
This couple might be the most famous age-gap Hollywood couple ever. As the story goes, during his service, 24-year-old Elvis Presley met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu and fell in love.
At first, the relationship was long distance.
Once he returned home, their romance strengthened. At 16, Priscilla moved to Memphis to be closer to the star.
Finally, in 1967, when Pricilla was 21, the two married. They had Lisa Marie just a year later. The two finalized their divorce in 1973.
Steven Tyler and Julia Holcomb
Aerosmith’s legendary lead singer, Steven Tyler, had his own news-worthy relationship at the age of 26, back in 1973.
After a concert, Tyler met his 16-year-old fan, Julia Holcomb. According to a source, the two were “captivated” with each other right away.
Shortly after, Holcomb’s mother signed guardianship over to Tyler so that Julia could join Aerosmith on tour.
He continued to be her legal guardian for the entirety of their relationship. The two finally separated in 1977 after a failed pregnancy.
Chad Michael Murray and Kenzie Dalton
In 2006, then-25-year-old Chad Michael Murry met 17-year-old Kenzie Dalton on the set of One Tree Hill. The actor had just split up with Sophia Bush when he began dating Dalton.
In 2006, Murray and Dalton got engaged, with the young woman still a high school senior — and only eight months after that, Murray and Bush were officially divorced.
Murray and Dalton remained engaged for seven more years, finally calling it quits in 2013.
Prince and Mayte Garcia
Prince and Mayte Garcia met for the first time in 1990 when the then-16-year-old dancer was auditioning to be part of the then-32-year-old star’s tour.
At 17, Prince became Garcia’s legal guardian, allowing her to come with him to the US.
Their explicitly romantic relationship officially began when Garcia turned 19. They married on Valentine’s Day in 1996.
During their marriage, they lost their child shortly after birth. After a failed pregnancy, the two finally broke things off and divorced in 2000.
Tyga and Kylie Jenner
In 2011, Tyga was invited to perform at Kendall Jenner’s Sweet 16 party, where he met young Kylie Jenner.
Reportedly, the rapper began dating Jenner when she turned 17, in 2014 (he was 24 at the time).
Official news of the romance came out only a year later, after Jenner’s 18th birthday. In 2017, they split.
In an interview, Jenner explained why they broke up, saying, ”There was no crazy fight, we just decided…Well, I decided that I’m really young.”
Leonardo DiCaprio and Gisele Bündchen
Leonardo DiCaprio is famous for never having a girlfriend over 25. During his first famous relationship, though, he was 24.
His girlfriend at the time, Gisele Bündchen, was 18 years old. The two began dating in 1999.
They were in an on-and-off relationship for six years. But, by 2005, they broke things off officially.
Years later, Gisele explained that one of the reasons they broke up was her wish to change, which wasn’t shared by him.
Jimmy Page and Lori Maddox
Lori Mattix (Maddox) was first introduced into the world of rock & roll when she was just 13, soon becoming a popular teen model.
After seeing a picture of the teen, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page reportedly fell in love with her.
After avoiding meeting him several times, Page’s manager brought the then-14-year-old to the rockstar’s room, and they began their relationship.
Though they were apparently madly in love, after Maddox turned 16, Page left her for Bebe Buell. They dated again briefly in the ‘80s but quickly ended things once and for all.
Luc Besson and Maïwenn Le Besco
The famed director of La Femme Nikita, Luc Besson, met Maïwenn Le Besco in 1991 — shortly after divorcing his first wife, Anne Parillaud. At the time, Besson was 31, and Maïwenn was 15 years old.
They married just a year later when Le Besco became pregnant at 16. Their daughter, Shanna, was born in 1993.
The marriage ended after Besson began an affair with Milla Jovovich while the two were filming together.
Wilmer Valderrama and Demi Lovato
Former That ‘70s Show star Wilmer Valderrama, then 29 years old, met 17-year-old Demi Lovato in 2010 after filming a PSA together. The musician shared years later that they signed on for the PSA to meet Valderrama, thinking “he was really cute.”
Apparently, it was “love at first sight” for the two. But, the musician explained that they only began dating once she turned 18.
After six years together, the two released a statement on Instagram sharing with fans that they had decided to break up.
Anthony Kiedis and a Fan
This one is quite controversial. Per his admission, during a tour when he was in his mid-20s, Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chill Peppers spent the night with a fan.
She then traveled with them the next day to their next venue.
It was then that she let him know she was a 14-year-old runaway from Louisiana and her father, the chief of police, was conducting a search since she had gone missing.
It was then that Kiedis knew he needed to get her home, but not before spending one more night with her.
Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey
Lita Grey met comedic legend Charlie Chaplin when she was just eight years old. She then worked with him on The Kid in 1921. However, their relationship only began when they met again when she was 15 on the set of The Gold Rush.
Chaplin was 35 when they began their affair in 1925. After Grey found out she was pregnant, the couple married in secret to avoid Chaplin being persecuted.
They had two sons together, just 10 months apart. Reportedly, Chaplin was never faithful, and they divorced in 1927.
Claude Francois and France Gall
French singer Claude François was involved with Eurovision winner, France Gall, around the time she won the international music competition.
At the time, Claude was dealing with the aftermath of his failed marriage to Janet Wollacoot, who left him in 1962.
When François and Gall began their relationship, she was 17 years old, and he was 25. By 1967, two years after beginning their romance, they broke up.
Zach Braff and Florence Pugh
Zach Braff first approached (via social media) Florence Pugh in 2018 when she was 22 years old and he was 43 years old.
The next year rumors began that the two were dating, which was soon confirmed by the couple.
During their relationship, Braff and Pugh were a favorite paparazzi subject, though they were also happy to share their relationship with their fans on social media.
They also adopted a dog together in 2020. In the summer of 2022, they shared that they broke up.
Marvin Gaye and Janis Hunter
In 1973, Marvin Gaye (aged 34) was working on his album Let’s Get it On in Los Angeles when he met 17-year-old Janis Hunter. The two began dating soon after. Gaye’s song “Jan” was a tribute to Hunter. The two married in 1977.
Gaye was 38, and Hunter was 21 on their wedding day. As revealed later in Hunter’s book — After the Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye — the relationship was turbulent, and the two divorced three years later. Gaye passed away just three years after that.
