Michael Douglas's 'birthday sister' post for Catherine Zeta-Jones sparks online chatter as couple share birthday
The 81-year-old actor's caption for his wife prompts mixed reaction online as the pair celebrate their shared Sept. 25 birthdays and near 25th wedding anniversary.
Michael Douglas, 81, sparked online chatter after describing his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones as his birthday sister in a birthday tribute. The couple, who were both born on September 25 but 25 years apart, marked the occasion with posts that drew attention to an unusual nickname.
Douglas’ social post celebrated another year with Zeta-Jones and noted her performance at the Celebrity Ryder Cup. Zeta-Jones responded with affectionate messages and throwback photos, writing that she couldn’t imagine sharing a birthday with anyone else. She also posted a glamorous selfie and a collage in her Instagram Story that hinted at how she spent the night before her birthday.
Reaction in the comments was mixed: some readers asked if he meant sister rather than wife, while others noted the coincidence that they share the same birthday. The couple also drew birthday wishes from fans; actress Octavia Spencer wrote that the birthday coincidence was adorable and wished them well.
Douglas and Zeta-Jones have been married since November 2000 and are approaching their 25th wedding anniversary. They are parents to Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22; Douglas is also father to Cameron, 46, from his prior marriage to Diandra Luker. The couple briefly separated in August 2013 and reconciled the following year.
Douglas has long described their connection as fate, saying he knew Zeta-Jones was the one after seeing her in The Mask of Zorro in 1998. The two met that same year at the Deauville Film Festival and became engaged in December 1999. In a 2015 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Douglas discussed the challenges of marriage in the public eye and said he and Zeta-Jones have worked through difficult times and remain stronger together.
As fans and family shared birthday messages, the couple’s shared date remained a talking point, highlighting the enduring public fascination with their long-running Hollywood romance and the affection they show for one another in public posts as they near their milestone anniversary.