Here’s Why Everyone’s Freaking Out About Sean Penn’s New Girlfriend
Older men dating younger women (and vice versa!) is hardly a new trend — particularly in La La Land. Despite studies which show that having an age gap of even a year can increase your risk for a breakup or divorce, there’s plenty of celeb couples here to prove that age is nothing but a number (maybe just ignore numbers three, four and six, mmm?) — just take a look at Sarah Paulson’s 31-years-her-senior girlfriend, Holland Taylor!
While the newest May-December romance does have a slightly more sizeable gap (32 years) than many found on the aforementioned list, that’s not the main reason tongues are wagging — because frankly, between Hugh Hefner’s Girls Next Door empire and Mick Jagger’s 44-year-junior baby mama, not much shocks us anymore.
Sean Penn Makes Red Carpet Debut With 24-Year-Old Rumored Girlfriend Leila George: The 56-y… https://t.co/MkoI3opR98 #hollywood #music
— Dean Blechman (@BlechmanDean) October 7, 2016
EXCEPT when the younger party’s father happens to also be famous, which is exactly the case with Sean Penn and Leila George, who just made their official red carpet debut. As the daughter of 57-year-old Law & Order: Criminal Intent actor, Vincent D’Onofrio, Leila stirred up some major controversy when she was spotted smooching the much-older Sean Penn on a trip to Hawaii this Wednesday.
Sean Penn, New Girlfriend Leila George, 24, Make Red Carpet Debut After Packing on the PDA in Hawaii: All the… https://t.co/sChSMUiDil
— Share Entertain News (@shareenternews) October 7, 2016
But while Sean and Leila aren’t being shy about their newfound love by any means, age differences be darned (Sean is the same age as Leila’s mother, actress Greta Scacchi, while Leila is one year younger than Sean’s daughter Dylan), Vincent’s keeping mum on the sitch… for now.
If he does have thoughts of his own on the matter, disparaging or otherwise, he certainly isn’t sharing them with the world, unlike Leila, who took to both Twitter and Instagram to tout this shot of herself with her new beau. “In the studio today recording the audiobook of Pappy Pariah’s men-noir “Bob Honey: Who Just Do Stuff” for @audible_com.”
So does that mean he’s totally cool with having Sean as her daughter’s new paramour? We can’t say for sure, but for the moment, at least, it would seem that he’s more concerned with respecting his daughter’s choices and allowing her her happiness to get too involved in the media frenzy.
And really, what more can any daughter ask for from dear old dad?
Are you bothered by Sean and Leila’s age gap? Share @BritandCo.
(h/t E!, photos via Ian Gavan/Getty)
