Red Hot Chilli Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis’ girlfriend, Eileen Kelly, has shared fresh insight into their relationship, which has a 33-year age difference.
Kelly, 30, and Kiedis, 63, have been seen together several times in recent months, and she has now addressed the topic in her own words.
In a Vogue essay titled My Boyfriend Is Double My Age, Kelly discussed dating someone much older without naming Kiedis directly, writing: “My own boyfriend is more than twice my age, which is either alarming or impressive, depending on who you ask.
“It’s my first time dating someone significantly older, and sometimes I joke with friends that I’ve been missing out my whole life.”
She added that being with an older partner can mean he’s ‘simply had more time to get his s**t together,’ and is less likely to be waiting around before ‘swiping on someone better’.
Kelly also explained that they first crossed paths at a birthday party and connected over their shared ties to Hawaii, where Kiedis owns a home.
After deciding to go on a date, she said the 33-year gap didn’t initially stand out to her. Still, before meeting up, she sought a second opinion from her best friend, who has experience dating older men and allegedly described Kiedis as a ‘spring chicken’.
When reflecting on how people view age-gap relationships, Kelly wrote that reactions often hinge on ‘who occupies which side of the gap’.
She pointed to Cher, 79, and her relationship with music executive Alexander “AE” Edwards, who is around 40 years younger, saying the general response was broadly, “Good for her.”
By contrast, Kelly said when the older partner is male, he’s frequently branded ‘creepy’ and ‘gross,’ while the younger woman is told she ‘must have daddy issues’.
“Is it really so difficult to imagine that connection can exist across generations, and that two people of different ages can find something real in each other?” she questioned.
In another part of the essay, Kelly described her feelings for her boyfriend while underscoring that she remains self-sufficient, noting she’s ‘not at risk of losing everything’ if the relationship ends.
Kiedis has not publicly commented on his relationship with Kelly. The musician has previously been in several well-known relationships.
The Grammy Award-winning artist is also a father to Everly Bear Kiedis, whom he shares with former partner and model Heather Christie.
Everly—Kiedis’ only child—was born in 2007, making him 18 years old. Speaking to Louder Sound in 2014, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers frontman said: “He was born right after we came off a tour, which was very cosmically correct,” he said. “Being a father is the coolest trip I’ve ever taken.”