Charlize Theron Was Accused of ‘Ghosting’ Ex Sean Penn Years Before She Called ‘Dating Somebody in the Industry’ Not a ‘Smart Thing’

26-year-old

Charlize Theron confessed that she slept with a 26-year-old, a person with whom she has a 23-year age gap. She revealed the encounter on an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, where she detailed her sex life.

“I just want to say this in perspective,” Theron, 49, prefaced. “I’ve probably had three one-night stands in my entire life. But I did just recently f**k a 26-year-old and it was really f—ing amazing.”

“I’ve never done that,” she continued. “And I was like, ‘Oh, this is great. OK.’”

Alex Dimitrijevic (2023 – 2024)

Charlize Theron was in a brief relationship with model Alex Dimitrijevic. “Charlize and Alex have been dating for a few months now,” a source told Us Weekly at the time, noting that the pair’s relationship was “still in the early stages” but that they “really like[d] each other.”

Gabriel Aubry (2017)

Charlize Theron denied rumors that she was with Gabriel Aubry, but a source told Us Weekly that the two had been seeing each other. “Charlize has been hooking up with Gabriel Aubry,” the insider explained at the time. “They’re very casual and enjoying each other.”

Sean Penn (2013 – 2016)

Charlize Theron dated her longtime friend Sean Penn from 2013 to 2016. As for what sparked the connection between her and The Fast Times at Ridgemont High actor, she said that their passions led them together. “I think our friendship stemmed from mutual respect — more on my end, because I really didn’t have a body of work 20 years ago, but my love and passion for making films — that was our common ground,” Theron told Esquire in April 2015, “and also, Sean liked to have conversations outside of just making movies. That’s sometimes hard to find among friends here, and that’s where our friendship really blossomed.”

After the two broke up in 2015, there were rumors that Theron had ghosted her ex, and the actress told WSJ Magazine. “There is this need to sensationalize things. When you leave a relationship there has to be some f—ing crazy story or some crazy drama. And the f—ing ghosting thing, like literally I still don’t even know what it is.”

She added: “It’s just its own beast. We were in a relationship and then it didn’t work anymore. And we both decided to separate. That’s it.”

Stuart Townsend (2002 – 2010)

Charlize Theron dated Irish actor Stuart Townsend from 2002 to 2010. The pair met on the set of Trapped. Despite never signing marriage papers, they referred to each other as husband and wife. “We love each other and we want to spend our lives together,” he told People, adding that he hails Theron as “the greatest woman I’ve ever met.”

“We didn’t have a ceremony,” he added. “I don’t need a certificate or the state or the church to say otherwise. So no there’s no big official story on a wedding, but we are married. … I consider her my wife and she considers me her husband.”

Theron called it quits in 2010, and talked about how the fallout affected her life. “It was sinking, and I had to give it a fight,” Theron told Vogue. “I really wanted to try and make it work. That was the priority. I wouldn’t do it any different way.”

Stephan Jenkins (1998 – 2001)

Charlize Theron dated Third Eye Blind guitarist and singer Stephan Jenkins from 1998 to 2001. Jenkins confessed that some songs from Out of the Blue was inspired by their relationship and the fall out. “I’d gone through a really big breakup. It was a very public relationship, even though we made an effort for it to not be,” he told Spin. “It’s not something I was used to. It’s an age-old thing in Hollywood… some people date people because there is career value in it. That’s just not where we were at, at all.

Craig Bierko (1995 – 1997)

Charlize Theron was first linked to actor Craig Bierko in 1995. The two kept their relationship under wraps, but she did tell The Los Angeles Times that she was “the luckiest girl in the world because Craig is incredibly supportive and makes me feel really safe and protected.”