CATHERINE Zeta-Jones has come under fire after making a ‘really inappropriate’ and ‘wild’ comment about meeting an underage fan.
The Oscar-winning actress, 55, shocked fans during a confession on Late Night with Seth Meyers when she recalled a fan encounter and made a remark many branded unacceptable.
Clips of the moment quickly spread online, with critics slamming her choice of words while others defended it as a harmless joke.
The Wednesday actress was promoting the second season of the hit Netflix series when she spoke about how she’s gained a “new generation of fans.”
She told Seth Meyers, “I was hitting golf balls with Michael [Douglas] the other day at the driving range.
“I was practicing, 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.'”
Seth asked, “Now can Michael tell when you’re doing math in your head like that?”
Catherine replied, “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.'”
Seth joked, “That’s good. As long as you know not to give them your number when they’re 12.”
But some fans failed to see the funny side as they found her comment very “inappropriate.”
Taking to the comment section on TikTok, one user wrote, “Ew. Why would she say that?!”
Another added, “That was highly inappropriate damn.”
A third penned, “I just know she regretted saying that the second it left her mouth.”
A fourth fan called the comments “wild.”
MARRIAGE
The star celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary with Michael Douglas last month, laughing at the cynics who said their marriage was doomed.
The acting couple seemed an unlikely match at the start.
The welsh beauty was 28 and about to secure A-list status starring in 1998 movie The Mask Of Zorro with Antonio Banderas, after finding fame in the UK with wholesome ITV show The Darling Buds Of May.
Meanwhile, Basic Instinct star and ladies’ man Michael, then 53, had separated from first wife Diandra Luker, who he eventually divorced in 2000, and had done a stint in rehab for booze and drug issues in 1992.
Catherine said, “We’ve been married 25 years, it’s something to celebrate. 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 anniversary of their lavish wedding ceremony at the five-star Plaza Hotel in New York is in November, but Catherine will be too busy to celebrate on the actual date.
Michael, now 80, doesn’t mind waiting a few weeks for a party.
Catherine said, “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.
“September 25 is both our birthdays. So from September 25 through to Christmas is a pretty busy time.”
During the past quarter-century, cynics have at times believed their predictions that the couple wouldn’t last.
STRUGGLES
The stars themselves have been candid about the struggles they faced.
In 2010, Michael announced he was undergoing intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy to treat stage 4 throat cancer, which he said was caused by the HPV virus.
The year after, Catherine revealed she had been diagnosed with bipolar II, struggling with the stress of her husband’s illness.
Then, in 2013, they announced that they had separated, but reconciled months later, with Michael saying, “I think every couple has their difficult times.
“We’re back, stronger than ever.”
FAMILY LIFE
Surviving the tough spells has made them even more determined to celebrate with their children Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22, together with Michael’s son Cameron, 46, from his first marriage.
The Hollywood pair have amazing careers behind them, with Michael having been in Romancing The Stone and Wall Street, and Catherine in Chicago and Entrapment.
But she says their greatest achievement is simply being parents.
They raised Dylan and Carys out of the spotlight in Bermuda, where Michael’s mother, Diana, was born. In 2009, they returned to New York.
