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Red Hot Chili Pepper Frontman Dates Vogue Writer, 33-Year Gap

4/26/2026

31 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Kiedis Dates Kelly

Anthony Kiedis, 63, is dating Vogue columnist Eileen Kelly, 30, a 33-year age gap he detailed in the essay “My Boyfriend is Double My Age.”
Kelly says Kiedis’s age gives life experience and that maturity matters more than years.
She says concerns about financial control and power imbalance do not apply to them.
Public photos confirm the relationship, and Kelly draws on her sex-education background at Vogue to rebut criticism.

Summary

Kelly Talks Agegap

She published a Vogue essay titled “My Boyfriend Is Double My Age” on April 21 about her relationship with Anthony Kiedis.
She says men in similar age-gap romances are called “creepy,” while women are labeled “gold-digger.”
After she disclosed the relationship, a close friend showed disappointment, leading to reduced contact.
She and Kiedis were seen at the Burberry 57th Street reopening, where she calls the partnership unremarkable.

Summary

Kiedis Apologizes

Anthony Kiedis, then 25, pressured a 17-year-old to obtain an abortion, according to his 2022 memoir.
He later apologized in a letter.
Kelly said Kiedis’s pattern of age-gap relationships, such as his 2013-2014 romance with model Helena Vestergaard when he was in his fifties and she was 19, influenced her perspective.
He performed at the FireAid benefit concert in January 2025, raising funds for Los Angeles wildfire relief.

Summary

Kelly Discusses Independence

Kelly says her independent income, podcaster and sex-education writer career, and home ownership give her financial security separate from Kiedis.
She notes that money and emotional intelligence create power imbalances, especially in large age-gap relationships.
Kelly adds that at 18 or 21 the power scales would shift, and that she receives awkward comments like “Is Kiedis your father?” reflecting public fascination.

History

Historical Context

In 1958 Elvis, then 24, met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu while stationed in Germany. Their eight-minute Las Vegas wedding on May 1 1967 sparked national debate over large age gaps and parental consent. The 2024 Vogue essay by columnist Eileen Kelly about dating 63-year-old Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis revives the same media scrutiny of power-imbalanced relationships.

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Kiedis Dates Kelly

Anthony Kiedis, 63, is dating Vogue columnist Eileen Kelly, 30, a 33-year age gap he detailed in the essay “My Boyfriend is Double My Age.”
Kelly says Kiedis’s age gives life experience and that maturity matters more than years.
She says concerns about financial control and power imbalance do not apply to them.
Public photos confirm the relationship, and Kelly draws on her sex-education background at Vogue to rebut criticism.

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