- Actors Kate Beckinsale, 45, and Pete Davidson, 25, have briefly spoken out about their new relationship and age difference.
- In a Saturday Night Live segment, Davidson said the age difference "doesn’t really bother us," and called out the double standard between men and women dating younger partners.
- In an interview with the LA Times, Beckinsale said she's "surprised by the interest" in her romance with the SNL star.
Kate Beckinsale and Pete Davidson only sparked dating rumors early this year, but they've already become one of the most buzzed-about celebrity couples in just a few short months. They haven't spoken out much about their relatively new relationship, but what they've said so far speaks volumes. (Their not-so-subtle, and at times memeable PDA moments are also quite telling.)
Here's how the couple is reacting to criticisms about their age difference and the public's interest in their romance.
Davidson called out the double standard on judgments about their ages.
Davidson, 25, freely spoke out about dating Beckinsale, 45, in a Saturday Night Live segment in early March. Though he didn't call her out by name, he didn't deny it when his co-star Colin Jost announced he has a "new girlfriend." Using his signature blunt humor, Davidson pointed out the double standard between women and men who date younger people. He went on to give a whole laundry list of older men who've had younger partners.
"Apparently people have a crazy fascination with our age difference, but it doesn’t really bother us," he said. "But then again, I'm new to this. So if you have questions about a relationship with a big age difference, just ask Leonardo DiCaprio, Jason Statham, Michael Douglas, Richard Gere, Jeff Goldblum, Scott Disick, Dane Cook, Derek Jeter, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee, Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn, whoever the president of France is, Mel Gibson, Billy Joel, Mick Jagger, Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, Kelsey Grammer, Larry King, Larry King, Larry King, Rod Stewart, and Donald Trump."
Beckinsale doesn't understand the hype.
After hinting at their relationship with witty Instagram comments, Beckinsale opened up about dating Davidson for the first time in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
"I’m surprised by the interest," she told the paper. "I’ve never been in this position before — never dated anybody who comes with their own bag of mischief. It’s all quite shocking, and something to get used to. I think if you liked the person less, you would bow out of it. If that were the main thrust of the relationship, there would be a problem. But it’s not."
The actress also pointed out the inherent sexism of speculating about a woman's romantic life. "I’d rather not have people hiding outside my house," she added. "It’s a little old fashioned to have a woman’s personal life [looked at like that]. It’s a little bit tired."