Michael Douglas Reveals His Candid Response to Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Ultimatum
Published 12:23 8 Oct 2026 GMT+1Douglas says he kept five women in separate cities, which he thought was a 'respectful' approach
Michael Douglas has revealed that Catherine Zeta-Jones gave him a clear condition early in their relationship: if he wanted to be with her, he could not be seeing anyone else. The 82-year-old details the conversation in his new memoir, One Helluva Ride, according to PEOPLE. Douglas writes that Zeta-Jones, now 57, "told me she understood that I was a single guy who'd come out of a long marriage, but she would only be monogamous."He recalls her telling him: "I'm not interested in dating you if you're dating other people. You can either continue with them or end it and be with me."AdvertAt the time, Douglas was newly separated from his first wife, Diandra Douglas, whom he split from in 1995. He writes that he had been seeing five other women, who knew he was recently separated and in the process of getting a divorce."I made sure they all lived in different cities, which felt like a respectful way to be non-monogamous,' he wrote. According to Douglas, none of the women pushed for more. "None of them asked for a commitment or even asked what else I was up to. I am sure they were seeing other people, too," he wrote. His answer to Zeta-Jones was to ask for a little time. He recalls telling her to wait because he had 'five quick calls' to make, and she replied: "Five? You have to make five calls?"He made them the same day. "That day, I called each one to say I met somebody and would no longer be able to continue seeing them. They all took it well," he added. Douglas says he first saw Zeta-Jones in an early screening of The Mask of Zorro before meeting her at the Deauville American Film Festival in France. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)How did Michael Douglas meet Catherine Zeta-JonesDouglas' memoir doesn't skip the romantic chapters that came before her. He writes candidly about past affairs, including with his Romancing the Stone costar Kathleen Turner and his Basic Instinct costar Jeanne Tripplehorn.By the time he met Zeta-Jones, though, he was already smitten. He first saw her in an early screening of her 1998 film The Mask of Zorro. A few weeks later, he happened to cross paths with her at the Deauville American Film Festival in France, where he was promoting A Perfect Murder.He asked his publicist to arrange a meeting over drinks, and he says he was quickly impressed by more than her looks."She was smart, funny, unpretentious, and, yes, breathtakingly beautiful. She just seemed so confident and self-assured, too," he recalls in the book.He was even more taken with her after a dinner with Zeta-Jones, her Zorro costar Antonio Banderas and Banderas' then-wife Melanie Griffith. There was one problem, though, as Douglas admits he was 'smashed' by the end of the night.As he walked her to the hotel elevator to say good night, he blurted out what would become one of his most memorable lines: "I'm going to be the father of your children.""It wasn't a cheap pickup line. It was the truth," he writes.Douglas and Zeta-Jones married in 1999 and have two children, Dylan and Carys. (Photo by LEWIS WHYLD / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)How many children do Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones haveThe couple married in 1999 and have two children, Dylan, 26, and Carys, 23. Douglas also shares a son, Cameron, 47, with Diandra, 70.Speaking about his relationship with Zeta-Jones today, Douglas says the connection has only deepened."There's just an unknown at a certain point over time," he says. "It goes beyond being attracted to somebody in this matter. It's just an unknown bond of being close and... a mutual respect."Featured Image Credit: Arnold Jerocki/Getty ImagesTopics: Celebrity, Books, Film and TV
