EXCLUSIVE: Michael Douglas Had a Forbidden Romance With His Mother’s Close Friend When He Was in His 20s — 'She Was My Mrs. Robinson'
Michael Douglas got candid about his relationships in his new memoir.
Oct. 6 2026, Published 2:34 p.m. ET
While Michael Douglas took a break from college, he turned into a bit of a bad boy, riding motorcycles and engaging in a forbidden romance.
In his memoir, One Helluva Ride, the actor recalled having a fling with his mother's friend after stepping away from the University of Southern California, Santa Barbara, for a year, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Michael Douglas Describes Early Affair With Mother's Friend
The relationship started with a motorcycle ride.
Douglas admitted throughout grade school he struggled with attracting female attention. While they were in awe at his father's high-profile status, the girls in his grade were turned off by his age. He was often two years younger than his peers, so girls only used his status to make other guys jealous.
However, as he grew up, he began to attract attention from women much older than him.
In the tell-all tome, Douglas wrote about having a fling with his mother's friend while his mom and stepfather were away. The woman was staying at the family's house at the time.
"She was eyeing the motorcycle, so I asked if she wanted a ride," he remembered.
That motorcycle ride kicked off a sexual relationship after she "wrapped her arms tightly around me." Douglas remembered her pressing "her body against mine." Wary that he might be "imagining it," Douglas initially disregarded the advance.
However, after spending time chatting on the beach, he "picked up on her vibe." When he drove her home, she once again "pressed into him," so he "leaned back." The woman, in response, only "pressed harder," leaving no room for Douglas to question it.
"When we got back to the house, we wasted no time," he shared.
'She Was My Mrs. Robinson'
Douglas claimed he learned a lot about women from the relationship.
Douglas described the woman as his "Mrs. Robinson," a reference to the 1967 film The Graduate. In the movie, Anne Bancroft plays a middle-aged woman who shares a secret affair with a 21-year-old man, played by Dustin Hoffman.
"She taught me a lot about women," Douglas admitted.
Throughout their relationship, he clarified there were "no expectations on either side," which helped with the dynamic.
Nonetheless, Douglas also described the relationship as "complicated." They continued their romance even after Douglas returned to college, and it went on "for a couple of years" when he'd return home.
"I never felt exactly right about it," he added. "But I was really young, and this beautiful and sophisticated woman wanted to spend time with me."
Douglas' Return to College Opened Up New Relationships
He continued to see the woman when he was home from school.
His relationship with an older woman helped fuel some new confidence back in California. After re-enrolling in college for his sophomore year, Douglas lived in a "little commune-type enclave" and started dating a girl named Kathy.
He credited his "Mrs. Robinson" for "a new confidence and ease with women."
Nonetheless, his relationship with Kathy did not last as she was seeing another man behind his back.
Still, Douglas was not discouraged from dating, even linking up with socialite Nancy Pfister in his younger years and later proposing.
Douglas Ditches Infidelity-Filled Life for Catherine Zeta-Jones
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Catherine Zeta-Jones is Douglas' second wife.
Douglas' early love affairs set a tone for his later life when he shared secret relationships with costars Kathleen Turner and Jeanne Tripplehorn, both of which he confirmed in his memoir.
He came clean regarding several extramarital affairs during his first marriage to Diandra Luker. However, he also shut down a claim that he had an affair with Sharon Stone.
After divorcing Luker, he began dating Catherine Zeta-Jones in 1998. Abandoning his playboy ways, Douglas committed to monogamy by calling off several other relationships.
He married Zeta-Jones in 2000.
