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Michael Douglas dumped staggering amount of partners before Catherine Zeta-Jones romance

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Todisco, E. (2026, October 6). Michael Douglas dumped staggering amount of partners before Catherine Zeta-Jones romance. New York Post. https://pagesix.com/2026/10/06/celebrity-news/michael-douglas-dumped-staggering-amount-of-partners-before-catherine-zeta-jones-romance/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-06 · by Eric Todisco

Quick Summary

In his new memoir "One Helluva Ride," Michael Douglas reveals he was dating five women simultaneously when he met Catherine Zeta-Jones in 1998. After a brief rejection from Zeta-Jones due to his non-monogamous behavior, Douglas ended relationships with all five women to pursue her exclusively. The pair eventually married at the Plaza Hotel in New York City two years later and have been together since.
Written by AI on 2026-10-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Michael Douglas, 82, reveals in his new memoir "One Helluva Ride" that he had five ongoing relationships when he started dating Catherine Zeta-Jones, now his wife, in the late '90s. When Zeta-Jones, then an up-and-coming actress, insisted on a monogamous relationship, Douglas made five phone calls to end these other connections. He and Zeta-Jones met initially at the Deauville Film Festival in France and their courtship followed after months of building trust, with Douglas separating from his first wife Diandra Luker around that time. The memoir details Douglas's journey from being an unknown actor living with Danny DeVito in New York to becoming a two-time Oscar winner, including past affairs and struggles with drug use and cancer.

Written for “Michael Douglas Memoir Revelations” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Michael Douglas Memoir Revelations
Entertainment · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 4% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 8 of 97 claims Outlet record 66/100
Fox News
Hedges 0 of 18 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different aspects of Michael Douglas's personal life as detailed in his memoir, but they do not report on the same specific incident or time.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different parts of Michael Douglas's relationship timeline, not the same specific incident.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Michael Douglas's memoir release and his relationship with Catherine Zeta-Jones, not the same specific incident.”
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different aspects of Michael Douglas's relationship history, one reporting on an interview where he denies sleeping with many women and another discussing a memoir detail about ending relationships before marrying Catherine Zeta-Jones.”
Fox News
Hedges 5 of 62 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A describes Michael Douglas ending relationships with five women before committing to Catherine Zeta-Jones, while Article B specifically mentions him making phone calls to five other women on the day he chose to be monogamous with Zeta-Jones. Although related, these are different specific actions.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
25
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
4%
1 of 25 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16405 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Eric Todisco
83 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Camilla, 79, was quickly given an umbrella to shield her from the rain, while Charles, 77, could be seen looking around for help, wanting an umbrella of his own, according to a BBC video.
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🔮 And I just put ‘maybe,'” Lete recalled.
🔮 “And [she and husband Prince Harry] thought it would be helpful in the moment for there to be a reason for their move.”
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🔮 “I had said to him, ‘I would rather go to a studio apartment with both of my children than sign this.’”
🔮 Tobin, 40, said she has “anxiety” over the possibility that the “Glee” reboot will be all she’s asked about now — especially if she’s not a part of it.
🔮 “I’ve known Alan for years, I have a lot of love for him, and I respect what he brings to the show,” he told us, adding, “I was simply sharing my opinion on how different the partnership will look with Alan stepping in for Val.
Also by Eric Todisco
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 83 articles by Eric Todisco →

Topics

Deaville American Film Festival Instagram New York City Page Six Daily the Plaza Hotel

Subjects

Douglas PERSON · 13× Zeta-Jones PERSON · 9× Catherine Zeta-Jones PERSON · 1× Diandra Luker PERSON · 1× Dylan PERSON · 1× Luker PERSON · 1× Michael Douglas PERSON · 1× New York City GPE · 1× Zeta-Jones’ PERSON · 1× the Plaza Hotel ORG · 1×

Narrative

The “Fatal Attraction” star writes in his new memoir, “One Helluva Ride,” that after months of courtship, Zeta-Jones told Douglas that while she understood he was coming out of his long marriage to his first wife, Diandra Luker, she said she’d only date him if they were monogamous together. “I’m not interested in dating you if you’re dating other people,” Zeta-Jones told Douglas before asking him to choose whether to be monogamous with her.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-06
🔮 “That day, I called each one to say I’d met somebody and would no longer be able to continue seeing them,” he writes.

Claims (25 extracted, 1 hedged)

Michael Douglas dumped five women when he made things official with his now-wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, nearly 30 years ago. asserted
things → dump → wife
The “Fatal Attraction” star writes in his new memoir, “One Helluva Ride,” that after months of courtship, Zeta-Jones told Douglas that while she understood he was coming out of his long marriage to his first wife, Diandra Luker, she said she’d only date him if they were monogamous together. “I’m not interested in dating you if you’re dating other people,” Zeta-Jones told Douglas before asking him to choose whether to be monogamous with her. asserted
Jones → write → her
Douglas writes he told Zeta-Jones, “Wait here I have to make five quick calls.” asserted
I → write → calls
You have to make five calls?!” the “Entrapment” actress responded. asserted
actress → have → calls
Douglas explains in his book that following his separation from Luker in 1995 after 23 years of marriage, he began non-monogamous relationships with five women who all lived in different cities. asserted
who → explain → cities
“That day, I called each one to say I’d met somebody and would no longer be able to continue seeing them,” he writes. asserted
he → call → them
“They all took it well.” asserted
They → take → it
Douglas, 82, and Zeta-Jones, 57, began dating in 1998 after meeting at Deaville American Film Festival. asserted
Douglas → begin → Festival
While the pair were having a drink together the night they met, Douglas, as he recalls in his books, famously told Zeta-Jones, “I’m going to be the father of your children.” asserted
I → have → children
That turned Zeta-Jones off, and she walked out on the pair’s date. asserted
she → turn → date
Douglas defends the comment in his book, insisting it “wasn’t a cheap pickup line,” but rather “it was the truth.” asserted
it → defend → book
“Because even though I had only gotten to know her in one evening… there was something completely different about her,” the Oscar winner says. asserted
winner → get → her
“Different from any other woman I had ever met. asserted
I → meet → woman
“She was magic, in a way that went beyond beauty,” Douglas adds of his wife. asserted
Douglas → go → wife
Douglas says he changed Zeta-Jones’ mind about him by sending her a bouquet with an apology note. asserted
he → say → note
Two years later, they tied the knot at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. asserted
they → tie → City
The couple now share two children, son Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23, who are both actors. asserted
who → share → children
Elsewhere in his memoir, Douglas writes about his and Zeta-Jones’ brief 2013 separation, which came after his tongue cancer battle and her bipolar disorder treatment. asserted
which → write → battle
“From the second we separated, I never gave up hope that we would reconcile,” Douglas says. asserted
Douglas → separate → hope
“I love Catherine in a way that I have never loved any other woman.” asserted
I → love → woman
He adds, “She’s my wife, my best friend, and my life partner. asserted
She → add → ?
I could never lose her.” uncertain
I → lose → her
The couple, who share the same birthday, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last November, with Zeta-Jones penning a sweet tribute to her husband on Instagram. asserted
Jones → share → Instagram
“25 years ago today, I walked down the aisle,” she wrote, recalling Douglas “waiting for me, looking at me the way only you can.” asserted
you → walk → me
“I love you today as I did then,” Zeta-Jones added. asserted
Jones → love → you
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