Catherine Zeta-Jones on Michael Douglas Sexual Misconduct Allegations: "There Was No Other Way Than to Be Preemptive"

Actress discusses famous husband's decision to speak about behind-the-scenes accusations

By Samantha Schnurr Jan 16, 2018 7:52 PMTags
Watch: Catherine Zeta-Jones Is "Proud" of Her Marriage

After Michael Douglas publicly and preemptively addressed behind-the-scenes sexual misconduct allegations about him, his wife of nearly two decades has addressed how it all unfolded. 

Last week, the Oscar winner gave an interview to Deadline denying private claims that had yet to be publicized from a former employee, whom had worked on development at his company more than 30 years prior. According to the actor, he had been accused of using "colorful" language in front of her, speaking "raunchily" with friends in front of her, blackballing her from the industry and masturbating in front of her. Douglas denied the blackballing and masturbating claims, calling the latter a "complete lie," and apologized for any "colorful" language. "None of it was directed at her; she didn't say it was. It was my office and that was the tone that I set," he told the website. As he explained of his decision to come forward, "I felt the need to get ahead of this."

In a new interview, Catherine Zeta-Jones addressed her famous husband's headline-making decision. 

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Catherine Zeta-Jones & Michael Douglas: Romance Rewind
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

"There was no other way than to be preemptive," she told Entertainment Tonight. "He did a statement. He did it. I think it's very clear the way that he stands. I cannot elaborate on something that is so very personal to him. What I can say that it touches all of us."

While she didn't want to speak for the star, Zeta-Jones did reiterate their support for the current Time's Up movement. "My reaction was that as two people who have been in this business—him longer than me—was that we support ‘Me Too' and the movement more than anybody, anybody—me as a woman, him as a man," the actress told ET

She also encouraged women to remain as kind to each other as they are right now. "We're seeing changes that have taken many years to even be talked about. It's an amazing time for women, and I really want women to remember how strong we are in numbers," the Cocaine Godmother star said. 

As for her and Douglas, Zeta-Jones has a smile on her face. As she told E!'s Sibley Scoles, "I'm just really proud of this wonderful 17-year-old marriage—it's great and we're a very close family."

Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story premieres Jan. 20 on Lifetime.