Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Son Dylan Gets Called Out For ‘Disrespectful’ Antics While Praising His Parents

Feb 22, 2023

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas continue to have one of the longest-lasting marriages in Hollywood, given that they have been together for more than two decades. And although they have a significant age gap of 25 years, Zeta-Jones and Michael have shown that age is nothing but a number between two adults who choose to love and cherish each other for life.

Beyond sharing their lives together, the couple also shares a birthday on Sept. 25. While Michael is at the end of his 70s, and Zeta-Jones is just starting out in her 50s, the two are supportive of each other despite being at different times in their lives. Just like every couple, Zeta-Jones and Michael have had a number of hardships and times when their relationship was not exactly rosy. In the recent past, the couple has dealt with grief, health scares and personal turmoils, but the two have stayed together as a strong unit. 

Moreover, despite the difficulties that come with constantly being in the spotlight, the couple seems to have made every effort to keep their relationship and family strong. This includes their decision to move away from the United States for more than a decade to give their children a chance to grow up in a more normal environment. Their lives changed a great deal when they moved to Bermuda, along with their children Dylan Michael Douglas and Carys Zeta Douglas.

Overcoming the pressure of being the son of a Hollywood actor and grandson of another famous celebrity, Kirk Douglas – it is commendable to see 22-year-old Dylan carve out a niche for himself.

However, a February 2023 red carpet appearance alongside his famous parents got people talking for all the wrong reasons — in particular, that he lacked manners! Read on to learn more about Dylan's antics that upset fans.

On Sept. 25, 1944, Michael was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Hollywood actors Kirk and Diana Douglas. His parents got divorced when he was 6 years old, and Michael saw his father only during holidays.

As a child, Michael went to the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and later on attended the Choate School, an elite private academy. He developed an interest in show business at a very young age. He spent a lot of time with his father Kirk on film sets over the summers, and even as a teenager, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become an actor. Michael requested his dad to find him some suitable acting roles.

Kirk, being a protective father, didn't want either of his sons to get entangled in the baffling world of the film industry, but Michael had made up his mind and was unstoppable. Michael turned down an offer to study at Yale University and instead moved to California and enrolled himself at the University of California Santa Barbara.

"I grew up on the East Coast and was going to go to an Ivy League School, but at the last minute I decided to be a hippy," he said. "It was the protest movements on the war, peace movements were going on at our university. It was a fantastic time," he said.

While in California, he continued to persuade his father Kirk for that one opportunity that could open the doors of Hollywood for him. Finally, he bagged his first acting assignment in 1966. 

Michael made his debut in the role of an uncredited driver in "Cast a Giant Shadow," where he shared screen space with his father.

"I was fortunate to grow up and watch how my father behaved – how Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, and Frank Sinatra were at the house all the time," Michael said on "The Talks." "You see stars with their insecurities and how they conduct themselves, so I think that's kept me level."

After he obtained his Bachelor's degree in 1968, Michael moved to New York City to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Michael received his training at the American Place Theatre and the Neighborhood Playhouse. During this period he performed in off-Broadway productions. 

Before he starred in films, Michael played a small role in the television series "The F.B.I." His work impressed the producer Quinn Martin who offered Michael his breakthrough role in the cop series "The Streets of San Francisco." The program first aired in 1972 on prime time, and became one of ABC's highest-rated series, ensuring Michael three Emmy Award nominations for his performance. He also directed two episodes, which gave him an insight into showbiz.

In 1975, Michael went on to produce the classic "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," a movie that's considered one of the greatest ever made. The film won five Academy Awards, including the Best Picture Award for Michael himself. By then, Michael was one of the most sought-after producers and directors. His next production "The China Syndrome," where he starred opposite Jane Fonda, received even more Academy Award nominations and was lauded as one of the best films of the year by the National Board of Review.

Michael emerged as one of Hollywood's leading stars following his portrayal as Gordon Gecko in "Wall Street," "Falling Down" and "The Game."

In the late 1990s, Michael met the love of his life, Zeta-Jones. He'd been her admirer even before they met after she caught his eye when he watched "The Mask of Zorro." 

"I'm watching this movie, and I go, 'Wow, who is this girl? She's incredible,'" Michael recalled. 

The two stars finally met in 1996 at the Deauville Film Festival.

"I had been told Michael Douglas wanted to meet me," Zeta-Jones recalled in a 2001 interview with Larry King. "I was a little nervous because I didn't quite know what he wanted to meet me about."

However, some of Michael's first words to her could have ended in disaster. "I said to her after about half an hour, 'You know, I'm going to be the father of your children,'" Michael recalled, as quoted by E! News. "It sounded good, and she said, 'You know, I've heard a lot about you and I've seen a lot about you, and I think it's time I say goodnight.'" 

Nevertheless, the couple began to date and started thinking about their future. 

"He certainly didn't want me as an ex- girlfriend on his list, and I certainly didn't want 'Michael Douglas' as an ex-boyfriend on my list," she said. "We looked at each other one day and said, 'We're having a lot of fun together.'"

Michael and Zeta-Jones have a 25-year age difference, which led their relationship to be all over the media. On Dec. 31, 1999, Michael proposed to Zeta-Jones and they got married in 2000.

"I don't take any of this for granted," Zeta-Jones told People during their wedding. "When I look at Michael, I run around like a little girl. I can't believe I came into his life and he came into mine."

Just a few months after the couple got engaged, rumors of them expecting a baby were rife.  

In August 2000, the pair welcomed their first child, Dylan. Dylan was Zeta-Jones' first child and Michael's second. His first son was Cameron Douglas who was born in 1978 to his then-wife Diana Luker.

In 2003 Zeta-Jones and Michael were blessed with their second child – daughter Carys. Their marriage, like any other, has also been through a lot of obstacles, but in the end, their love beat all the odds. Now, their little ones are not so little anymore, and Dylan has opted for an entirely different career than that of his parents.

At just 22 years of age, Dylan has had the fortune of living in several different places already. He has all the makings of an adventurer. 

Dylan spent most of his childhood in Bermuda, where the family moved in 2001 when he was just a 1-year-old baby. Being popular celebrities at the time, Zeta-Jones and Michael decided that it would be better for the children to grow up away from the limelight and constant attention from the paparazzi. 

In Bermuda, they felt that their privacy was being respected. They chose Bermuda as Michael's mother was a native of the islands and he had spent many summers there as a teenager.

"Bermuda creates an environment for us away from the entertainment business, and gives our kids independence and freedom where showbiz isn't on everybody's lips," Michael told the Bermuda Sun, as reported by People. "It's a lovely, lovely place."

However, their bliss was short-lived, and the family had to move back to New York after Dylan was diagnosed with dyslexia.  

Because Dylan couldn't read till the age of 5, Zeta-Jones and Michael decided to move back to New York where he could attend a special school. He was enrolled at the Windward School, which specializes in accommodating students with dyslexia.

The following years were a difficult time for the Douglas family. While Dylan was settling into his new school, his half-brother, Cameron, was sentenced to seven years in prison for drug dealing offenses, according to Variety. That following year, Michael was diagnosed with stage IV oral cancer and underwent an eight-week course of chemotherapy and radiation. While the star eventually pulled through, the stress of his diagnosis proved to be too much for his wife Zeta-Jones to handle. According to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the actress told the public in a 2011 statement that Zeta-Jones had checked herself into a mental health facility for bipolar disorder treatment. 

The adversity took a toll on the family and, in 2013, Zeta-Jones and Michael announced they would be separating. Thankfully, their split was only brief, and the couple emerged stronger and wiser by the end of it. 

During a fundraiser event at Windward School, Dylan delivered a touching speech in which he honored the school for helping him through his family's tough times. 

"At home, I was alone, but at school I was far from lonely," he said in his speech, shared on Instagram by his mother Zeta-Jones. "At Windward I was free. It was like the Mecca of dyslexics."

"In 2010 everything was normal again at home, I could finally see my mum again and my dad was cancer free," he went on to add. "Everything was beautiful again."  

In 2010, while speaking to The Guardian, Michael opened up about the values he wants to pass on to his children and how proud he is of them. 

"Neither of us is overwhelmed with worry about which school or college they are going to be going to," said Michael. "We just want them to be good citizens of the planet. They're not spoiled or obnoxious. They're well-mannered, confident, pretty worldly. My son deals with dyslexia to a degree – it runs in the family and my brother has it. He goes to a special school. We're old-fashioned parents, they've got British nannies and we get nice compliments from people. Our children make us proud."

In 2018, Zeta-Jones took to Instagram to share that she was dropping off Dylan at his dorm at Brown University. "Let the lectures really begin! I love you Dylan. Good luck in the next exciting and enlightening chapter of your life," Zeta-Jones captioned her post. In 2020, Dylan, along with some fellow students, founded Make Room, a progressive political organization.

Dylan loves adventure sports like skydiving, which makes his father Michael uneasy. 

"He just did a skydiving thing," Michael revealed to Ellen DeGeneres in 2019. "But I remember that age. It's a hormonal thing, I think, for boys, testing yourself. I just think it — you know, what I did not like is he was the first one to jump. "I said, 'Don't be the first one to jump!'" he continued. "Let a couple other people go off first to test it."

For Father's Day in 2021, Dylan posted a picture of him and Michael on Instagram along with an emotional tribute:

"Dad- every year on father’s day I find it hard to articulate how much you mean to me. ... I love you so much it honestly hurts. Happy Father’s Day"

On Feb. 7, 2023, Dylan accompanied his parents to the Los Angeles premiere of his father's film "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," but things didn't go off without a hitch. All three were interviewed by Entertainment Tonight, and Dylan even had the chance to gush about his parents. When asked whether he preferred his father's or mother's roles more, Dylan replied:

"There's some competition, friendly competition. It's great to see both my parents still doing great work, and I'm just happy to be here."

He then joked about there being "a great part" for him out there, even if it was as a host on ET. He added how proud he was of his parents:

"I'm very, very proud, I mean obviously, they're great actors, both Academy Award-winning actors, but they're great parents and that's a side that not everyone gets to see but I get to see every day in and out."

Dylan's famous folks were touched by his words, as Michael embraced him and Zeta-Jones said, "Thank you sweetie," as she elaborated on how good it felt to hear such kind words from her son:

"It does feel good. He's been in college all these years, and now he gets to go out and about with us, it's fun."

Nevertheless, Dylan committed a faux pas that viewers couldn't excuse — chewing gum throughout the whole interview! People commented:

"Dylan has to learn manners. His chewing gum here is not the place. He has no respect for his parents or the occasion. He looks spoilt."

"When ppl are interviewing you. Do not chew your gum so disrespectful Dylan." 

"What the heck is he chewing? Gum? he needs to work on that. For a kid of privilege, he doesn't have much for manners."

Despite Michael's previous comments about his children being well-mannered, it would seem some of the public disagrees.  

What are your thoughts on Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' son Dylan Douglas? Do you think he was being disrespectful by chewing gum during the interview? Let us know your thoughts, then pass this on so others can weigh in too!