Michael Keaton and Courteney Cox are household names today, but did you know the pair dated for years before nabbing some of their biggest roles? Cox actually met Keaton before getting her role on Friends!
Cox And Keaton’s Private Relationship
Cox and Keaton met in 1989, but the actress had had her eye on him before then, telling a friend she admired his performance in 1988’s Clean and Sober. Even though the pair weren’t as famous as they are today, both were still eager to avoid any media attention.
This desire to keep things private led to Cox and Keaton having their first date at the actress’ house, where the sparks quickly started flying. “We talked for five hours,” Cox said in a 1995 interview. “We talked about our dream homes—the great ones we’d seen and the kind we’d like to build ourselves.”
The couple was notoriously private, spending nights at home instead of attending red-carpet events. Cox shared that the two would go to the movies, shop near her Santa Monica home, and eat meals that she cooked on the six-burner stove Keaton bought her as a housewarming gift in 1992.
During their time together, Keaton and Cox scored some of the biggest roles of their lives—Keaton as Batman in the popular ’80s movie series and Cox as Monica on the now-iconic ’90s sitcom Friends.
Post-Split, Cox Called Keaton ‘The Most Wonderful Person I’ve Ever Met’
Sadly, the couple called it quits in 1995, but it appeared the split was amicable. “It’s the most important relationship I’ve ever had, and I think he’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever met,” Cox said in the same interview. “We still love each other.”
Neither she nor Keaton has ever shed any light on why they broke up, but Cox has made a few comments about the part she played in the split. She told USA Today, “Relationships are tougher than I thought,” adding that she had “a lot of work to do” on herself before starting to date again.
Some hypothesized that it was a commitment issue—even though the pair dated for five years, they never moved in together or got engaged. Both Cox and Keaton have moved on since, with the actress dating Snow Patrol singer Johnny McDaid and Keaton pairing up with longtime girlfriend Marni Taylor.
Keaton and Cox might not have gone the distance, but it looks like Cox remembers her time with the actor fondly.