11 Long-term Celebrity Couples with Large Age Gaps Whose Relationships Have Stood the Test of Time

Mar. 15, 2025

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi , Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas.Photo:Kelly Sullivan/Getty; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Dave Benett/Getty

Kelly Sullivan/Getty; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Dave Benett/Getty

Love conquers all — even significant age gaps.While the age difference between a couple can present some challenges, these couples have managed to make their relationships work. FromBeyoncé and Jay-Zwho are 12 years apart toEllen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossiwho are 16 years apart toHolland Taylorwho is 30 years older than her love,Sarah Paulson, these celebrity pairings have proven that age can sometimes just be a number.Below, see some of the celebrity couples who have large age gaps but are completely compatible nonetheless.

Love conquers all — even significant age gaps.

While the age difference between a couple can present some challenges, these couples have managed to make their relationships work. FromBeyoncé and Jay-Zwho are 12 years apart toEllen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossiwho are 16 years apart toHolland Taylorwho is 30 years older than her love,Sarah Paulson, these celebrity pairings have proven that age can sometimes just be a number.

Below, see some of the celebrity couples who have large age gaps but are completely compatible nonetheless.

01of 11Jay-Z and BeyoncéJay-Z and Beyonce.LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via GettyAge Difference:12 yearsMarried:16 yearsJay-Z and Beyoncé have been together since the early aughts and though they have a 12-year age difference between them, the power couple have managed to make their long relationship work.The pair, who began dating sometime between 2000 and 2001, got married in a super secret ceremony in 2008.Asked whether or not she felt pressure to get married,Bey told Ellen DeGeneres, “I mean it’s different for everyone, I was really young [when we first began dating] I’m only 27. So I was really young and I feel like it’s important for women and men to have their own goals and their own life before they can complete someone else.“They share three kids — daughterBlue Ivy, 12, plus twinsRumi and Sir, 7.

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Jay-Z and Beyoncé

Jay-Z and Beyonce.LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty

LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty

Age Difference:12 years

Married:16 years

Jay-Z and Beyoncé have been together since the early aughts and though they have a 12-year age difference between them, the power couple have managed to make their long relationship work.

The pair, who began dating sometime between 2000 and 2001, got married in a super secret ceremony in 2008.

Asked whether or not she felt pressure to get married,Bey told Ellen DeGeneres, “I mean it’s different for everyone, I was really young [when we first began dating] I’m only 27. So I was really young and I feel like it’s important for women and men to have their own goals and their own life before they can complete someone else.”

They share three kids — daughterBlue Ivy, 12, plus twinsRumi and Sir, 7.

02of 11Viola Davis and Julius TennonViola Davis and Julius Tennon.SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via GettyAge difference:12 yearsMarried:21 yearsViola Davishas has never been shy about letting the world know that her husband Julius Tennon is an answered prayer.“I said I want a big Black man from the South who’s probably been married before. Has kids, because I don’t want any pressure in that department,“she told Oprahof her prayer back in 2022.“Someone who’s maybe been an actor who understands the artistic community,” she continued. “Someone who goes to church and loves God. I said, ‘If you give me that, I’ll start going to church, God. I really will. I’m committed to it.’ And then I signed off, just like writing a letter.“Shortly thereafter, Davis met her husband on the set of the CBS seriesCity of Angelsin 1999. They wed in 2003.Davis and Tennon sharedaughter Genesis, 14,whom they adopted in 2011.

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Viola Davis and Julius Tennon

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon.SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty

SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty

Age difference:12 years

Married:21 years

Viola Davishas has never been shy about letting the world know that her husband Julius Tennon is an answered prayer.

“I said I want a big Black man from the South who’s probably been married before. Has kids, because I don’t want any pressure in that department,“she told Oprahof her prayer back in 2022.

“Someone who’s maybe been an actor who understands the artistic community,” she continued. “Someone who goes to church and loves God. I said, ‘If you give me that, I’ll start going to church, God. I really will. I’m committed to it.’ And then I signed off, just like writing a letter.”

Shortly thereafter, Davis met her husband on the set of the CBS seriesCity of Angelsin 1999. They wed in 2003.

Davis and Tennon sharedaughter Genesis, 14,whom they adopted in 2011.

03of 11Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de RossiEllen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.Kelly Sullivan/GettyAge Difference:15 yearsMarried:16 yearsThough Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi first laid eyes on each other in 2001, it wasn’t until 2004 that they got together romantically. At the time of their first meeting, de Rossi hadn’t publicly come out as a lesbian, but shetold PEOPLEit was love at first sight. “I remember thinking that she was the coolest, most fascinating, beautiful, funniest person I’d ever met,” she said.The couple dated for four years before getting engaged in May 2008. They tied the knot in August of the same year.

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Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.Kelly Sullivan/Getty

Kelly Sullivan/Getty

Age Difference:15 years

Though Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi first laid eyes on each other in 2001, it wasn’t until 2004 that they got together romantically. At the time of their first meeting, de Rossi hadn’t publicly come out as a lesbian, but shetold PEOPLEit was love at first sight. “I remember thinking that she was the coolest, most fascinating, beautiful, funniest person I’d ever met,” she said.

The couple dated for four years before getting engaged in May 2008. They tied the knot in August of the same year.

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Camila Alves McConaughey and Matthew McConaughey

Camila Alves McConaughey and Matthew McConaughey.Rick Kern/Getty

Rick Kern/Getty

Age Difference:13 years

Married:12 years

“She showed up, and she moved right to left in front of my eyes across that club,” the actor told PEOPLE of their first meeting. “It wasas if she was floating. And I did not say, ‘Who is that?’ I said, ‘Whatis that?’ And then introduced myself. Since that evening, I have not wanted to spend time with any other woman.”

The pair welcomed their son Levi Alves on July 7, 2008 and then added to their family with Vida Alves born on Jan. 3, 2010. They would go on to get married in June 2012 before welcoming their third child Livingston Alves on Dec. 28, 2012.

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Sam Taylor-Johnson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Sam Taylor-Johnson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.Ian West/PA Images via Getty

Ian West/PA Images via Getty

Age Difference:23 years

Aaron Taylor-Johnsonand his wife Sam first met when he was auditioning to play a youngJohn Lennonin Sam’s directorial debut about the musician’s early life,Nowhere Boyback in 2008.

“And that sort of fascination, because he’s younger than me, which you know, we couldn’t really fathom the fascination … it’s sort of gone away a little bit.”

Aaronis also stepdadto Angelica and Jessie Phoenix, Sam’s older daughters, whom she shares with her ex-husband Jay Jopling.

06of 11Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-JonesMichael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.Arnold Jerocki/GettyAge Difference:25 yearsMarried:24 yearsIt seems the key to Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas' long-lasting relationship is open admiration. The couple, whoshare the same birthday— September 25 — posted sweet tributes to each other this year, with Zeta-Jones writing, “Happy Birthday to Michael and to me!! This was us on our birthday 25 years ago!” alongside ablack-and-white throwback picof her husband planting a kiss on her cheek.Douglas then responded, “To my birthday sister, I love you with all my heart! May your new year be the best!@catherinezetajones❤️,” in his own birthday post.The couple first met back in 1998 at the Deauville Film Festival. They were engaged in 1999 and got married the following November. They share two children — son Dylan, 24, and daughter Carys, 21. Douglas also has on older son, Cameron, 45, whom he shares with his ex-wife Diandra Luker.Through their two decades together, Zeta-Jones and Douglas have never made their age difference an issue.“My husband is 25 years older than me; that’s not a secret,” she told theWall Street Journalin 2021.“With any relationship, it wouldn’t be normal if there weren’t any ups and downs. The constant is love is respect. We’ve never, ever lost our sense of humor, and we enjoy each other’s company.”

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Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.Arnold Jerocki/Getty

Arnold Jerocki/Getty

Age Difference:25 years

Married:24 years

It seems the key to Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas' long-lasting relationship is open admiration. The couple, whoshare the same birthday— September 25 — posted sweet tributes to each other this year, with Zeta-Jones writing, “Happy Birthday to Michael and to me!! This was us on our birthday 25 years ago!” alongside ablack-and-white throwback picof her husband planting a kiss on her cheek.

Douglas then responded, “To my birthday sister, I love you with all my heart! May your new year be the best!@catherinezetajones❤️,” in his own birthday post.

The couple first met back in 1998 at the Deauville Film Festival. They were engaged in 1999 and got married the following November. They share two children — son Dylan, 24, and daughter Carys, 21. Douglas also has on older son, Cameron, 45, whom he shares with his ex-wife Diandra Luker.

Through their two decades together, Zeta-Jones and Douglas have never made their age difference an issue.

“My husband is 25 years older than me; that’s not a secret,” she told theWall Street Journalin 2021.

“With any relationship, it wouldn’t be normal if there weren’t any ups and downs. The constant is love is respect. We’ve never, ever lost our sense of humor, and we enjoy each other’s company.”

07of 11Harrison Ford and Calista FlockhartHarrison Ford and Calista Flockhart.Emma McIntyre/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via GettyAge Difference:20 yearsMarried:14 yearsThough they have been married for 14 years, Harrison Ford and his wife Calista Flockhart have been together for 22 years, as the pair started dating in 2002.TheIndiana Jonesactor met theAlly McBealalum at 59th Golden Globe Awards in 2002 and though Ford was still married to his second wife Melissa Mathison at the time, she hadfiled for legal separationin 2001. Their divorce was laterfinalizedin 2004.Ford and Flockhart would go on to create a quiet life together. He adopted Flockhart’s son Liam, 22, who she had welcomed via adoption in 2001, prior to having met Ford.The actor is also father to four other children — Malcolm, 38 and Georgia, 34, who he shares with Mathison, as well as Benjamin, 58, and Willard, 55, whom he shares with his first wife, Mary Marquardt.

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Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart

Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart.Emma McIntyre/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

Emma McIntyre/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

Age Difference:20 years

Married:14 years

Though they have been married for 14 years, Harrison Ford and his wife Calista Flockhart have been together for 22 years, as the pair started dating in 2002.

TheIndiana Jonesactor met theAlly McBealalum at 59th Golden Globe Awards in 2002 and though Ford was still married to his second wife Melissa Mathison at the time, she hadfiled for legal separationin 2001. Their divorce was laterfinalizedin 2004.

Ford and Flockhart would go on to create a quiet life together. He adopted Flockhart’s son Liam, 22, who she had welcomed via adoption in 2001, prior to having met Ford.

The actor is also father to four other children — Malcolm, 38 and Georgia, 34, who he shares with Mathison, as well as Benjamin, 58, and Willard, 55, whom he shares with his first wife, Mary Marquardt.

08of 11Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jason StathamRosie Huntington-Whiteley and actor Jason Statham.Elianto/Mondadori Portfolio/GettyAge Difference:20 yearsTogether:14 yearsRosie Huntington-WhiteleyandJason Stathamhave been together since 2009. The British couple crossed paths at a party in London and “it was instant chemistry,” she said in a Q&A session on her Instagram Story, perThe Daily Mail.The pair have been going strong since then. They got engaged in January 2016, and welcomed their first child together, sonJack Oscar, on June 24, 2017. They then expanded their family five years later with the birth of daughterIsabella Jameson Feb. 2, 2022.Asked what the best part of being with an older man is, Huntington-Whitely toldGlamour,“His knowledge and strength are really inspiring and attractive, and that can come with a man who’s had a bit of time.“She continued, “We have a connection that has nothing to do with age. Work comes and goes, but if you have someone at home who thinks you’re the greatest person in the world, that keeps you going.”

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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jason Statham

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and actor Jason Statham.Elianto/Mondadori Portfolio/Getty

Elianto/Mondadori Portfolio/Getty

Together:14 years

Rosie Huntington-WhiteleyandJason Stathamhave been together since 2009. The British couple crossed paths at a party in London and “it was instant chemistry,” she said in a Q&A session on her Instagram Story, perThe Daily Mail.

The pair have been going strong since then. They got engaged in January 2016, and welcomed their first child together, sonJack Oscar, on June 24, 2017. They then expanded their family five years later with the birth of daughterIsabella Jameson Feb. 2, 2022.

Asked what the best part of being with an older man is, Huntington-Whitely toldGlamour,“His knowledge and strength are really inspiring and attractive, and that can come with a man who’s had a bit of time.”

She continued, “We have a connection that has nothing to do with age. Work comes and goes, but if you have someone at home who thinks you’re the greatest person in the world, that keeps you going.”

09of 11Jeff Goldblum and Emilie LivingstonJeff Goldblum and Emilie Livingston.Gilbert Flores/Variety via GettyAge Difference:31 yearsMarried:10 yearsGoing to the gym turned out to be great forJeff Goldblumin more ways than one: He met his wife, former OlympianEmilie Livingston, at Equinox.“We were at Equinox on Sunset Blvd., the gym. I saw her from across a crowded room, and I marched up to her, entranced, and began some kind of conversation,” he toldWiredof their meet-cute.They got married in November 2014 and welcomed their first son, Charlie, less than a year later, in July 2015. They welcomed their second son, River, in April 2017.Though he admitted there are some generational differences Goldblumtold Hoda Kotb, “Well, so far, I’m full of vitamin A and nothing has gone wrong,” due to the age gap.

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Jeff Goldblum and Emilie Livingston

Jeff Goldblum and Emilie Livingston.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Age Difference:31 years

Married:10 years

Going to the gym turned out to be great forJeff Goldblumin more ways than one: He met his wife, former OlympianEmilie Livingston, at Equinox.

“We were at Equinox on Sunset Blvd., the gym. I saw her from across a crowded room, and I marched up to her, entranced, and began some kind of conversation,” he toldWiredof their meet-cute.

They got married in November 2014 and welcomed their first son, Charlie, less than a year later, in July 2015. They welcomed their second son, River, in April 2017.

Though he admitted there are some generational differences Goldblumtold Hoda Kotb, “Well, so far, I’m full of vitamin A and nothing has gone wrong,” due to the age gap.

10of 11Sarah Paulson and Holland TaylorSarah Paulson and Holland Taylor.Amy Sussman/GettyAge Difference:30 yearsTogether:Nine yearsProving that sliding into someone’s DMs totally works, Holland Taylor caught the attention of Sarah Paulson after hitting her up on X, formerly Twitter, in 2015. Though the actresses had crossed paths years prior, it wasn’t until they started talking on the social media platform that fireworks sparked.They have been together since and are publicly crazy about each other, thoughTaylor did recently say she occasionally does worry about their age difference.“We have a big generational difference between us, which worries me for her sake. But, you know… what can I do?,” she said. “We do have a wonderful resonance. We are very interested in the same kinds of things, and yet we share big differences.”

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Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor

Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor.Amy Sussman/Getty

Amy Sussman/Getty

Age Difference:30 years

Together:Nine years

Proving that sliding into someone’s DMs totally works, Holland Taylor caught the attention of Sarah Paulson after hitting her up on X, formerly Twitter, in 2015. Though the actresses had crossed paths years prior, it wasn’t until they started talking on the social media platform that fireworks sparked.

They have been together since and are publicly crazy about each other, thoughTaylor did recently say she occasionally does worry about their age difference.

“We have a big generational difference between us, which worries me for her sake. But, you know… what can I do?,” she said. “We do have a wonderful resonance. We are very interested in the same kinds of things, and yet we share big differences.”

11of 11Dick Van Dyke and Arlene SilverDick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver.Monty Brinton/CBS via GettyAge Difference:46 yearsMarried:12 yearsDick Van Dykemet his now-wifeArlene Silver=SAG Awardsin 2006. After chatting at the show, the actor and makeup artist forged a friendship that eventually turned into a relationship after the death of his wife in 2009.Theytied the knotin 2012.“We were friends for so long that when I told people that I know, they were happy about [our relationship], and I was scared,” Silver toldEntertainment Tonightearlier this year.“I mean, the facts, our age difference. But it’s so irrelevant. I think when you see us together, it’s like you don’t even think about it,” she added.“We don’t think about it, we just meet in the middle,” Silver told the outlet, while Van Dyke added, “I was fortunate that I didn’t grow up … It was meant to be.“And around his 97th birthday,he credited his marriage for keeping him young:  “Having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me — that works! My positive attitude, I get that from my wife.”

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Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver

Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver.Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty

Age Difference:46 years

Dick Van Dykemet his now-wifeArlene Silver=SAG Awardsin 2006. After chatting at the show, the actor and makeup artist forged a friendship that eventually turned into a relationship after the death of his wife in 2009.

Theytied the knotin 2012.

“We were friends for so long that when I told people that I know, they were happy about [our relationship], and I was scared,” Silver toldEntertainment Tonightearlier this year.

“I mean, the facts, our age difference. But it’s so irrelevant. I think when you see us together, it’s like you don’t even think about it,” she added.

“We don’t think about it, we just meet in the middle,” Silver told the outlet, while Van Dyke added, “I was fortunate that I didn’t grow up … It was meant to be.”

And around his 97th birthday,he credited his marriage for keeping him young:  “Having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me — that works! My positive attitude, I get that from my wife.”

source: people.com