Looking back at celebrity relationships of the 1980s and early ‘90s is always fun: the big hair, the vintage outfits and the fact that every little nugget of information feels like gossip gold due to the lack of internet back then.
Courteney Cox and Michael Keaton are the perfect example. Back in the trivia night portion of your brain, you probably remember that they were once a thing — but we’re here to remind you of the details of their long and very serious relationship.
How it Began
The year was 1989 and Keaton, now 74, was a pretty big deal, fresh off his Beetlejuice (1988) success, and about to appear in Batman (1989.) The star was also in the process of divorcing his ex-wife, Caroline McWilliams. (The former couple’s son, Sean, was born in 1983.)
At this point, Cox, now 61, was newer to the fame game, with a few TV roles under her belt and, of course, that iconic appearance in Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 “Dancing in the Dark” video.
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After Cox, then just 25, told an industry friend how much she admired Keaton’s work, they were set up on a date — and, to avoid attention, it took place at Cox’s house. “We talked for five hours,” she told People in 1995. “We talked about our dream homes — the great ones we’d seen and the kind we’d like to build ourselves.”
How Long it Lasted
A long time — almost six years! The couple made it all the way to July 1995 when Cox was basking in her newfound international fame as Monica Geller on Friends.
Their relationship was private, with the couple preferring to stay in, cook and enjoy each other’s company in and around Santa Monica than make too many red carpet PDA appearances. In fact, in 1992, Keaton even bought Cox a six-burner stove. However, contrary to rumors that started swirling in the months before they split, he never gave her a ring. “I bet that three-carat diamond is really beautiful,” Cox told the L.A. Times. “But I never saw it.”
How it Ended
It’s clear that calling it quits wasn’t an easy decision for these two as, a few months after their demise, Cox told People: “It’s the most important relationship I’ve ever had.” She added: “I think he’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. We still love each other.”
When asked if they might get back together, she even said, “With us, you can never tell. Nothing about our relationship was ever simple.” She revealed that the pair shared a special connection, saying, “We were sympathetic on so many levels. If something weird happened, we would turn to each other and just say, ‘I know.’”
The actress’s mom, Courteney Copeland, who died in 2020, also did a little meddling in the press. “They were always trying to work on themselves,” she told People. “They need to forget that and accept each other the way they are — and just get married.”
Alas, she didn’t get her wish — despite the obvious heartache they were going through, they stayed apart for good.
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What They Said About Each Other
Keaton never spoke publicly about their relationship, but Cox was more open, praising the actor for his wit. “He always came up with the most clever ways of making a line funny,” she told People in 1995. “No matter how upset or pissed off I was, Michael could make a little face and crack me up.”
In 1996, Cox talked to the Ladies Home Journal about some of the reasons behind the split. “Our lifestyles are very different,” she said. “We just have different personalities. I don’t want to tell too much about him because he’s a very private person, and he’s not quite as impulsive as I am about making decisions.”
What They Say Now
Their relationship is clearly ancient history now but a few years after the split, Cox was philosophical about how it ended. “Relationships are tougher than I thought,” she told USA Today in 1998. “I’ve got a lot of work to do on myself. Actors dating actors can work out. The most important thing is to be with someone who’s creative and passionate about what they do.”
Of course, just a few years later, she did go on to fall for another actor — David Arquette, who she was married to from 1999 to 2013. (They welcomed daughter Coco in 2004.)
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Key Relationship Takeaways
Her partnership with Keaton was a truly formative relationship for Cox as she found her way in Hollywood — but perhaps Keaton, already a father and respected A-list star when they met, was ultimately a little too mature and established for them to go the distance.
These days, Cox is in a long-term relationship with Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, 49, after meeting via Ed Sheeran in 2013. “I’ve never met someone more patient,” she said in 2022. “I love his heart, his intentions. His morals. He’s extremely talented and obviously musical, but he’s a poet and a writer. He’s just so smart, and I find that really sexy. And then he is gorgeous.”
Keaton, meanwhile, has been quietly dating Marni Turner for more than a decade.
