Michael Douglas (82) Reveals Kobe Bryant Kept ‘Losing His Dog’ Near Catherine Zeta-Jones’ (57) House in New Memoir
Michael Douglas has never been shy about telling a good Hollywood story. Now the 81-year-old actor has put a lifetime of them on the page, and his new memoir is already producing headlines about his marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones.
‘One Helluva Ride’ hit shelves on October 6 through Grand Central Publishing, with Headline releasing it in the UK. The book recounts Douglas’ career through 12 of his most iconic films, including ‘Fatal Attraction’, ‘Wall Street’ and ‘Basic Instinct’, while also exploring his complicated relationship with his father, Kirk Douglas.
Among the stories now making the rounds is a surprising one involving Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. According to Douglas, Bryant would “stop by” Zeta-Jones’ house a lot in the late 1990s, back when the couple was newly dating and before the basketball star married Vanessa Laine.
At the time, Douglas and Zeta-Jones were trying to make a long-distance relationship work. He was based in New York, while the then 29-year-old ‘The Mask of Zorro’ actress was living in Los Angeles.
“She had a house in the Palisades, right below Kobe Bryant’s,” Douglas writes in his new memoir. That put the rising Lakers star right next door to the woman Douglas was falling for. “Apparently Kobe kept finding excuses to stop by Catherine’s house,” Douglas recalls. “I’m not sure how many times he ‘lost his dog,’ but it was a lot!”
The anecdote has an interesting twist when it comes to age. Bryant was 9 years younger than Zeta-Jones, while Douglas is 25 years older than the ‘Chicago’ star. Bryant would go on to meet Vanessa Laine, and the pair married in 2001. Douglas and Zeta-Jones, meanwhile, married in 2000 and have remained together ever since.
The dog detail lines up with what Zeta-Jones herself once revealed. After Bryant died at age 41 in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter, the actress shared a tribute on Instagram remembering their time as neighbors in Pacific Palisades.
She explained that they first met the day he moved in, when his dog wandered into her garden and kept coming back. She also noted that his basketball court was her view, and that she watched his talent and dedication long before he became the legend he turned into.
Zeta-Jones pointed out the poignant timing as well, noting that they had been neighbors 24 years earlier. That number echoed the No. 24 jersey Bryant wore during his career with the Lakers.
Douglas’ book has been billed as an unfiltered account of his life, packed with behind-the-scenes stories featuring a who’s who of Hollywood. TheWrap reported that its frank content required lengthy legal vetting in both the US and England before it was cleared for publication.
The memoir also features 80 never-before-seen photos, many from Douglas’ personal collection, which were added at the last minute. The New York Times included it among its picks for nonfiction books to read this fall.
The Kobe story spread quickly after Entertainment Weekly shared it on X. Some readers found the tale charming, given that Zeta-Jones had previously told her version of the dog story herself.
Others questioned whether Douglas needed to share it at all. A few commenters joked that the veteran actor has been especially candid lately, with the memoir offering plenty more where this came from.
Either way, the story offers a lighthearted glimpse into Douglas and Zeta-Jones’ early romance. It also adds a new layer to the bond between the actress and the Lakers icon, one that started with a wandering dog in Los Angeles.
What do you think of Michael Douglas sharing his Kobe Bryant story in his new memoir?
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