By Ninya Khabush

We often see an age gap between romantic partners in relationships in our everyday lives, and the age gap in relationships gets much bigger in Hollywood. An age disparity in Hollywood often fits the trope of an older man and younger woman. We see this theme in movies, too. In Pretty Woman, Vivian Ward, a Hollywood escort, is hired for a week by an older, wealthy businessman, Edward Lewis, for business and social events; they end up falling in love with each other.

Let’s play a little game. I would like to challenge you to name a celebrity couple who fit that type of relationship. If you can answer, you obviously win.

I am sure that you can name at least one. Perhaps you thought of Leonardo DiCaprio as one of them. 

This proves that I was right — that we are seeing an age-gap in relationships as ordinary. But have you ever heard of an older woman and younger man’s relationship?

Can you think of one right away?

It may take a few seconds more than the first quiz.

How about Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas?

Priyanka Chopra is an Indian actress; her popularity started after she won Miss India 2000. After winning, she became one of the highest-paid Indian actresses in the world. Meanwhile, Nick Jonas used to be a Disney actor and starred in several shows such as Camp Rock, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream, and Jonas. He, along with his brothers Kevin and Joe, started the Jonas Brothers.

Although their relationship is private, many were shocked when they heard their dating news back in 2018. As they were seen together at the Met Gala in 2017, a few months later the media spotted them out after they ate at a restaurant together. People were surprised by this couple due to their ten years difference. To add a cherry on top, two months after they were dating, Jonas proposed to Chopra on her 36th birthday. Their romantic relationship seems to be fast-paced. How did the fans respond to their dating? Let’s just say they did not receive a good response.

In America, many were quick to criticize Chopra as a “typical Indian” for dating a rich, white man like Jonas. Some even commented that this pairing is “interesting,” pointing to their age difference.  If you scroll Reddit to see the comments toward their relationship, you will see that they criticized Chopra for her race, sex, and her older age difference. For example, one Reddit thread from 2024 that received a lot of attention said…

Eventually, people mentioned that their relationship seems to be a PR relationship.

However, Jonas himself cannot escape waves of criticisms either. Internet posters have added that they are used to Jonas dating older women such as Kate Hudson, Delta Goodrem, and Lily Collins.

While both Jonas and Chopra are targets of character assassination, Chopra seems to get more attacks than her husband, especially in Hollywood. Many Americans criticized her for wanting fame in Hollywood by marrying an American pop star. She is seen differently in India. Her popularity in Bollywood is very high and people even consider her relationship with Nick Jonas cute, as mentioned in the majority of Reddit posts about Priyanka Chopra, like these from 2024:

We have gotten used to seeing an age difference in relationships in Hollywood, especially when an older man and younger woman are together. However, once fans see that their male celebrity crush is dating an older woman, they attack the celebrity’s significant other — emphasizing their partner’s age and race. No matter how successful those individuals are, they are targeted by character assassins. When an older man and younger woman’s relationship becomes public, many fans normalize this type of ageism, yet many cannot accept the other way around. Chopra, in fact, does not escape from becoming a victim of character assassination either, based on her relationships. This proves that although society’s perception of women has changed over time, even a famous, successful woman can get attacked. Perhaps, this is how misogyny plays into ageism.

Ninya Khabush is an undergraduate student at George Mason University, studying Government and International Politics.