Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Ultimatum: Why Michael Douglas Ended Things With 5 Women

Michael Douglas has opened up about one of the most decisive moments in his relationship with Catherine Zeta-Jones, and it involved five phone calls in a single day.

In his new memoir, One Helluva Ride, Douglas recalls that he was seeing five women when his relationship with Zeta-Jones began getting serious in the late 1990s. She made it clear that she would only continue if their relationship was monogamous. Douglas says he immediately went to another room and ended those five relationships.

The story is trending now because the memoir, released October 6, has brought fresh attention to the couple’s early romance — and to the surprisingly direct boundary Zeta-Jones set before their decades-long marriage began.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas at a Glance

Detail	What to Know
Michael Douglas	82
Catherine Zeta-Jones	57
They met	1998
Douglas’ memoir	One Helluva Ride
Other women he was seeing	5
Marriage	2000
Children together	Dylan and Carys
Key turning point	Zeta-Jones demanded monogamy

Catherine Zeta-Jones Gave Him a Simple Choice

Douglas was newly separated from his first wife, Diandra Luker, when he met Zeta-Jones. He says he was dating five women at the time, with the women living in different cities and aware that he was separated and moving toward divorce.

That arrangement changed when Zeta-Jones decided she did not want to become another relationship in the rotation.

Douglas recalls her telling him that she understood he had come out of a long marriage, but she wanted a monogamous relationship. Her message was straightforward: he could continue seeing the other women or end those relationships and be with her.

Douglas’ response was almost comically practical.

He told her to wait while he made “five quick calls.” Zeta-Jones was reportedly surprised that there were actually five calls to make.

The Five Phone Calls Changed the Relationship

According to Douglas’ memoir, he called each woman that same day and told her he had met someone and would no longer continue seeing her.

Douglas writes that they all took the decision well. He also explained that the women knew about his circumstances and that none had asked him for exclusivity at the time.

That detail gives the story a little more context than the headline alone suggests. Douglas does not describe the five relationships as secret affairs at that particular point. He portrays them as non-monogamous relationships involving people who understood that he was separated but not yet divorced.

Zeta-Jones, however, wanted something different.

Her boundary forced Douglas to make a choice, and he chose to pursue the relationship with her.

How Their Romance Started

Douglas first noticed Zeta-Jones after seeing her in The Mask of Zorro, the 1998 film starring Antonio Banderas. The pair later met at the Deauville Film Festival in France, where Douglas was promoting A Perfect Murder.

Their first encounter was memorable for another reason. Douglas recalled telling Zeta-Jones that he was going to be the father of her children, a bold declaration that did not exactly sweep her off her feet.

Their courtship then continued for months, much of it long-distance, before the relationship became serious enough for Zeta-Jones to establish her terms.

Looking back, Douglas now describes the moment as a major turning point rather than simply an awkward episode from the beginning of their romance.

Douglas Says Catherine Was Different

The five phone calls are the detail attracting the most attention from the memoir, but Douglas’ larger point is about why he was willing to make them.

He writes that something about Zeta-Jones felt different from his previous relationships. In later reflections, he has described their relationship as the moment he became a different person and built a family around it.

That makes the ultimatum more significant than a simple celebrity dating anecdote.

Zeta-Jones did not ask Douglas to make a vague promise about the future. She established the terms of the relationship at the beginning, and Douglas decided that those terms were worth accepting.

More than 25 years later, that decision looks very different from the uncertainty surrounding their early courtship.

From Five Relationships to a 26-Year Marriage

Douglas and Zeta-Jones married in November 2000 at New York City’s Plaza Hotel. They have two children together, Dylan and Carys. Douglas also has a son, Cameron, from his first marriage to Diandra Luker.

Their marriage has not been without difficult periods. The couple briefly separated in 2013 before reconciling, and Douglas has spoken openly about how important that reconciliation was to him.

That history adds another layer to the newly resurfaced five-phone-call story. What began with Zeta-Jones insisting on monogamy eventually became one of Hollywood’s longest-running marriages. Readers interested in another long-running Hollywood marriage can also see how another celebrity couple has maintained a private family life while staying in the public eye.

Douglas now speaks about her in deeply personal terms, calling her his wife, best friend and life partner in reflections surrounding the memoir.

Why the Story Is Trending Now

The timing is what has pushed this old Hollywood love story back into the spotlight.

Douglas’ memoir arrived this week and is packed with previously discussed chapters of his life, including his career, past relationships, substance use, family struggles and his battle with cancer. The Zeta-Jones story stands out because it offers a surprisingly clean explanation for how their relationship moved from casual dating into something much more serious.

It also gives readers a rare look at Zeta-Jones’ role in the beginning of the relationship.

The actress was not simply waiting to see what Douglas wanted. She knew what kind of relationship she wanted and told him that he had to make a choice.

And he did.

What Douglas Has Clarified About His Past

The memoir has also reopened discussion about Douglas’ reputation for relationships and his past claims about sex addiction.

In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Douglas pushed back against the idea that he had been addicted to sex, describing himself instead as a product of the era in which he grew up. He also emphasized that the decision to become monogamous with Zeta-Jones was a sincere one.

That distinction matters when reading the five-women story.

Douglas’ own account frames the episode as a transition from a period of non-monogamous dating after his separation to a committed relationship with Zeta-Jones. It should not automatically be presented as proof of any diagnosis or as evidence that all five relationships were secret affairs.

The memoir is his account of events, and that is the clearest way to understand the story.

What Is Confirmed?

Confirmed: Douglas says in One Helluva Ride that he was seeing five women when his relationship with Zeta-Jones became serious.

Confirmed: Zeta-Jones told him she wanted a monogamous relationship.

Confirmed: Douglas says he made five calls to end those relationships.

Confirmed: Douglas and Zeta-Jones married in 2000 and have two children together.

Not confirmed: The individual identities of all five women have not been established by reliable reporting, and there is no need to speculate about them.

The important part of the story is the decision Douglas describes — not turning an old relationship anecdote into a guessing game about the people involved.

The Bigger Meaning Behind the Five Calls

The most interesting part of the story may not actually be the number five.

It is the fact that Zeta-Jones drew a line before the relationship had fully taken shape, and Douglas decided that crossing that line was worth giving up the dating life he had at the time.

That makes the anecdote unusually revealing. It shows that their eventual marriage did not begin with Douglas casually drifting into exclusivity. According to his own account, he made a deliberate choice when Zeta-Jones told him what she needed.

The five phone calls were over in a day. The relationship that followed has lasted more than a quarter-century.

FAQ

Why did Michael Douglas end relationships with five women?
According to his memoir, Catherine Zeta-Jones wanted a monogamous relationship, so Douglas ended the five relationships he was maintaining at the time.

What did Catherine Zeta-Jones tell Michael Douglas?
She told him she was not interested in dating him if he continued seeing other people and wanted the relationship to be monogamous.

When did Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones meet?
They met in 1998 after Douglas became interested in Zeta-Jones following her appearance in The Mask of Zorro.

When did Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones marry?
They married in November 2000 in New York City.

Do Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have children?
Yes. They have two children, Dylan and Carys.

Final Take

Michael Douglas’ five-phone-call confession has become one of the most talked-about details from One Helluva Ride, but the real story is the choice behind it.

Catherine Zeta-Jones made her expectations clear. Douglas could keep his existing relationships or commit to something exclusive with her. He chose the latter — and more than two decades later, that decision remains the foundation of their Hollywood love story.

What sounded like an ultimatum in 1998 ultimately became the beginning of a marriage that has survived fame, family pressures and a difficult separation.

Sources / Research Notes

• People — Michael Douglas’ memoir account of ending five relationships after Zeta-Jones requested monogamy.
• Vanity Fair — Douglas’ account of Zeta-Jones’ ultimatum and their early relationship.
• Los Angeles Times — coverage of One Helluva Ride and Douglas’ reflections on his relationships and marriage.
• The Times — interview with Douglas about his memoir and romantic history.
• Page Six — background on the five relationships and Douglas’ marriage to Zeta-Jones.
• E! News — memoir revelations about Douglas and Zeta-Jones’ early relationship.