Michael Douglas Reveals Secret Affair

Michael Douglas confirmed in his memoir that he had a secret affair with Kathleen Turner while they filmed “Romancing the Stone” in 1984, after more than 40 years of public denials.

The excerpt, from “One Helluva Ride,” was obtained by People and reported by Fox News on October 3, 2026. Douglas is 82. He had previously said the two had “amazing chemistry” and were “both tempted,” but that nothing happened, including during the sequel and a later reunion on “The Kominsky Method.”

“Kathleen was smart, funny, and sexy with a deep, sultry voice that became her signature,” he wrote. “I instantly liked her, and we were immediately attracted to each other.”

He was still married to Diandra Luker. “Things at home were in a bad place,” he wrote, and both of them “were both having extramarital affairs.” He left for the shoot “still technically married, but separated.”

“The truth is that during the production of Romancing the Stone, Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship,” he wrote. “It wasn’t a fly-by night affair; it grew naturally from how closely we were working together, how much pressure we were under, how much we respected and cared for one another, and how attracted we were to each other. Like every other guy in the world at the time, I was knocked sideways by Kathleen.”

They hid it from director Bob Zemeckis and co-star Danny DeVito, and from Luker and their son, Cameron. Douglas described sneaking into Turner’s hotel room after filming. “There were no cameras in elevators, no assistants using cell phones to take pictures,” he wrote. “As Jack and Joan were falling in love, Kathleen and I were keeping the chemistry alive.”

The affair ended after Luker visited the Colombia set with Cameron and “made it clear to her that we were still married.” Luker filed for divorce in 1995. The divorce was final in 2000, after 23 years. Douglas married Catherine Zeta-Jones that November. They have two children, Dylan and Carys.

Turner told People, “Good heavens, what a fuss about something 40 years ago! I love Michael, and I look forward to enjoying the book.”