Anthony Kiedis’ girlfriend Eileen Kelly explains how she feels about age gap
Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis’ girlfriend, Eileen Kelly, has opened up about her 'much older boyfriend'.
Kelly, 30 and Kiedis, 63, have been spotted out a number of times over recent months, and now, Kelly is speaking out about their relationship.
Baring all in a recent Vogue essay titled My Boyfriend Is Double My Age, Kelly, without mentioning Kiedis by name, penned: “My own boyfriend is more than twice my age, which is either alarming or impressive, depending on who you ask.
“It’s my first time dating someone significantly older, and sometimes I joke with friends that I’ve been missing out my whole life.”
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Kelly also said that dating an older man means he’s ‘simply had more time to get his s**t together,’ and isn’t biding time before ‘swiping on someone better’.
Elsewhere, the 30-year-old shared that the pair met at a birthday party, and bonded over the fact they regularly visit Hawaii, with Kiedis owning a home there.
The couple then planned a date, and Kelly revealed that the 33-year age-gap didn’t even register to her at first. However, before the date, she admitted to seeking advice from her best friend, who had also dated much older - who called Kiedis a 'spring chicken'.
Discussing public perception on age-gap relationships, Kelly said people respond differently based on 'who occupies which side of the gap'.
Using pop icon Cher, 79, who is currently dating music executive Alexander 'AE' Edwards, who is around 40 years younger, as an example, Kelly said the public reaction was. broadly, 'Good for her'.
However, she claimed that when the shoe was on the other foot, the man is labeled as 'creepy' and 'gross,' while people say the woman 'must have daddy issues'.
“Is it really so difficult to imagine that connection can exist across generations, and that two people of different ages can find something real in each other?” she questioned.
Elsewhere in the article, Kelly expressed her love for her boyfriend, but emphasized her independence, stressing she’s ‘not at risk of losing everything’ if they break up.
Kiedis is yet to publicly speak on the relationship between himself and Kelly, which comes after a number of high-profile relationships.
The Grammy Award winner is father to son, Everly Bear Kiedis, who he shares with ex-partner, model, Heather Christie.
Everly, Kiedis’ only child, was born in 2007, making him 18 years old. Speaking to Louder Sound in 2014, the Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman said: “He was born right after we came off a tour, which was very cosmically correct.
“Being a father is the coolest trip I’ve ever taken.”
What celebrity age-gap couples have said about their relationships
Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor
Age gap: 32 years
Sarah Paulson, 51, and Holland Taylor, 83, first crossed paths in 2005, but didn’t start dating until Taylor slid into Paulson’s Twitter DMs a decade later.
Addressing the media reaction to her relationship in an interview with The Guardian in 2020, Paulson said: “I think people are fascinated by it, because it’s so not typical. Except for if you look around at plenty of well-known or recognisable couples, when they’re heterosexual couples, it just runs rampant, and I don’t see anybody becoming obsessed by those relationships.”
Speaking about the age gap, the American Horror Story star told El País last year: “For many, our age difference [31 years] is very disconcerting. That’s why I like to represent something so positive and unconventional, because living by predetermined social norms is boring, and why would you follow a path that isn’t yours?
“So yes, I like to represent something so positive. And at the same time, my relationship belongs to me.”
Cher and Alexander Edwards
Age gap: 40 years
Cher, 79, and Alexander ‘AE’ Edwards, 39, met at Paris Fashion Week in September 2022, with the ‘Believe’ singer confirming their romance on social media just months later.
While Cher has insisted that age isn’t an issue, she previously explained that sometimes AE ‘has no idea who I’m talking about’.
She told Extra in 2023: “The other day, I said: ‘Do you know who, I don’t know, Clark Gable, [is]?’ [He] said: ‘Yes, of course,’ but most of my references… He’ll look at me and go: ‘I wasn’t born yet.’”
Nonetheless, during an appearance on CBS Mornings in November 2025, the 79-year-old revealed that the pair ‘laugh all the time’.
“I just love him,” Cher said of her beau, and when asked what message she had for people critical of their relationship, she bluntly said 'whatever'.
She added: “They’re not living my life. Nobody knows what goes on between us, but we just have a blast.”
Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver
Age gap: 46 years
Legendary actor and centenarian Dick Van Dyke, and his wife, Arlene Silver, 54, met at the 2006 SAG Awards, where Silver was working as a make-up artist.
They tied the knot in 2012 and appear to have been going from strength to strength ever since.
Opening up about their age gap, Van Dyke told People last year: “We thought it might be [a problem] in some regard, to some extent, but it hasn't really.
“I'm infantile to start with. I think I'm about 13, so that's been a problem and she's quite mature for her age, so I don't think we haven't had any problem with age at all.”
In a previous interview with the outlet, the Mary Poppins star claimed that ‘everybody said it wouldn't work’.
Silver chimed in: “Yeah. I mean it's like eerie how well it works. People the same age don't last.”
Topics: Celebrity, Sex and Relationships
Kiesha Dosanjh