In a black lace, corseted floor-length gown, Catherine Zeta-Jones appeared every part the Hollywood bombshell when she presented an award at the 2025 Emmys earlier this month.
However, her husband of 25 years, Michael Douglas, 80, was nowhere to be seen following the acting legend’s ‘unofficial’ retirement in July.
And after Michael was spotted holidaying solo in the French Riviera earlier this year while Catherine, 55, was busy filming in Ireland, a source now tells us that Catherine’s recent renewed passion for acting has been an unexpected hurdle in their marriage, and that Michael is feeling like an ‘old man’ compared to his much younger wife right now.
The insider tells us, ‘They are like passing ships in the night. The elephant in the room, of course, is Michael. He isn’t really involved in what she’s doing and it’s difficult for him because he’s effectively sitting at home living the life of an old man.’
After wrapping up filming in Ireland for Netflix’s horror sensation, Wednesday, in November, Catherine is set to star in and produce Amazon revenge drama, Kill Jackie, later this year as well as taking on a lead role in movie, The Gallerist, alongside her Wednesday on-screen daughter, Jenna Ortega.
Now the source adds, ‘She’s got a lot on her plate right now and has no intention of giving up on her career or slowing down, far from it. She’s got two projects coming up and on the lookout for more. She’s excited to be out mingling on the scene again and schmoozing with people.
‘Catherine’s in a powerful position in Hollywood and bringing in the pay cheques.’
The couple first met at a film festival in 1998, three weeks after Michael had fallen for Catherine on screen when he first watched her film, The Mask of Zorro. At the time, he was already a huge star, having bagged two Oscars for Wall Street and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
After arranging a drink through his publicist, Catherine later revealed how Michael had told her, ‘I’m going to be the father of your children’ – a line that left Catherine unimpressed and Michael having to grovel.
But after a bouquet of red roses later, they became engaged the following year and tied the knot in a lavish bash at the New York Plaza Hotel in 2000.
And it’s clear that their mutual careers have been a vein that has always run through their marriage, resulting in a full family affair.
When Catherine was pregnant with their second child in 2003, she accepted an Oscar for her role in Chicago, dedicating the gong to her then toddler Dylan and husband Michael. The pair then went on to welcome daughter Carys later that year.
Now, over two decades later, the loyal couple have navigated life together, including Michael’s 2010 diagnosis of oral cancer and their separation in 2013 (they reunited the following year).
But their family has experienced a huge shift over the past two years. Last year, they sold their sprawling New York family home after Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22, flew the nest, and in July, Michael unofficially confirmed his retirement from acting.
Looking tanned and dapper in a cream linen blazer as he attended a film festival in the Czech Republic, Michael – who rang in his 80th birthday on the same day Catherine celebrated her 55th in September – candidly told fans, ‘I’ve had a very busy career. Now, I have not worked since 2022, purposely, because I realised I had to stop.'
He added, ‘I’d been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set.’
He went on to joke that he would be happy to ‘play the wife’ whilst Catherine continues her own dazzling career, but at the time, a source told us the past three years – since Michael last starred in Apple TV series, Franklin – have been tricky for the couple.
‘It hasn’t been an easy road emotionally for either of them,’ they told us at the time.
‘Michael’s life has been so intertwined with making movies, it’s such a huge part of his identity. To have to step away from that is sad for him, there’s no denying it.
'Catherine understands it's the right decision and she knows how lucky they are to have this time together and is still incredibly devoted to Michael. It’s just a matter of figuring out this new normal and learning how to enjoy the slower pace together.’
But a few months on and our source now says that Michael, who revealed last year that he plans to spend ‘six or seven months’ at their property in Mallorca, Spain, already feels like second fiddle.
They tell us, ‘He wouldn’t expect her to drop everything and sit by his side, but it pains him she’s coming home excited and giddy over her career while he’s relegated to the easy chair.
‘When he decided to scale back on work, he thought there would be more date nights with Catherine, but the kids have moved out and now he’s alone in the house more or less.’
To compound matters, Catherine found herself at the centre of a social media storm earlier this month when she appeared on Late Night with Seth Myers and made a joke about a ‘really cute’ 12 year old fan.
Recalling when the boy approached to ask for her autograph when she and Michael were playing golf, she told the audience, ‘It was, like, really cute, and then I went, ‘Haha. When I'm 70 this cute little boy will be like 33’.’ She then added, ‘Yeah, he [Michael] 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’.’
But fans were left unimpressed, with one describing her comment as ‘creepy’ and another adding, ‘I don’t think it was appropriate’.
However, Catherine hasn’t commented on any of the furore, previously revealing how, despite their own 25 year age gap, she and Michael are rediscovering romance as they adjust to life as empty nesters.
‘You forget how many conversations you sort of hide behind in terms of talking about your kids and what's going on next and this and that,’ she said.
‘Then one day you just look at each other … we're 20 years now, so all those good years of paying attention to each other are paying off now.’