It’s rare for celebrities to spill the beans when it comes to their sex lives, but Charlize Theron seemingly isn’t one for holding back.
Appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast last year - the contents of which later went viral - the actress recalled a recent hook-up with a considerably younger man, claiming the encounter opened her eyes to the magic of casual sex.
Theron has been single since she and brand consultant Alex Dimitrijevic called off their romance in early 2025.
In the years prior, the 50-year-old famously dated a pretty impressive string of huge-name stars, including actors Craig Bierko, Stuart Townsend and Sean Penn.
Theron reflected on her past love affairs during an episode of the hit podcast last July, after which host Alex Cooper shifted the focus of the conversation onto sex.
Charlize Theron's list of A-list exes includes Sean Penn (Danny E. Martindale/Getty Images) Cooper asked the star for some tips on keeping things spicy between the sheets, to which Theron laughed: "I almost choked. I am the last person to ask."
She added: "I’m sounding very cocky here, but I think it’s because I found this freedom in my forties, where I’m like, ‘Oh my God,’ so I just want to say this in perspective. I’ve probably had three one-night stands in my entire life."
It was then that the South African star revealed she’d recently enjoyed an illicit encounter with a 26-year-old bloke.
"But I did just recently f****d a 26-year-old and it was really f*****g amazing and I’ve never done that," Theron admitted. "And I was like, ‘Oh, this is great, okay.'"
Theron recalled her one-night stand (Call Her Daddy) Blown away, Cooper responded: "Let me just say that 26-year-old is the luckiest f*****g man walking on this god damn planet.
"He’s walking different today knowing."
Theron was quick to respond: "He for sure is not, but thank you."
Asked why one-night stands have been so few and far between since her split from Dimitrijevic, the Mad Max: Fury Road star cited her bustling schedule as a mother of two young children.
Theron adopted her eldest, Jackson, now 14, in 2012, and her youngest, August, now 11, in 2015.
"I sound like I’m sitting here sounding like I do [have one-night stands]. So when I do, I’m like, 'Oh, f**k yeah, I should have done this in my 20s,'" she went on.
Theron is a mother of two young children (Instagram/@charlizeafrica) "I was married from the time that I was, like, having sex to the time that I had my last relationship.
"Then I had children. Who has f**k time for dates and shaving and waxing and makeup?"
Theron added: "And, like, I’ve got two children that have to go to school."
Charlize Theron’s dating history
Craig Bierko
Bierko, pictured in 2023, briefly date Theron in the 90s (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) Charlize Theron was first linked to actor Craig Bierko in 1995, as she was starting to make a name for herself in Hollywood
During an interview with The Los Angeles Times in 1997, she admitted: “I'm the luckiest girl in the world because Craig is incredibly supportive and makes me feel really safe and protected.”
They made an appearance at the 1997 Vanity Fair Oscar Party together but ended up splitting later that year.
Stephan Jenkins
The pair often stepped out together (Arnaldo Magnani/Liaison) After calling it quits with Bierko, Theron crossed paths with Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins while on vacation in Hawaii.
They first stepped out as a couple at the BMI Pop Awards in May 1998, with many red carpet appearances following.
In October that year, Jenkins told PEOPLE: “She's very funny. And she learned to play the drums faster than anyone I've ever seen.”
Meanwhile, Theron gushed: “He lives for what he does. I found that very attractive. It's nice to be with someone who lives life to the fullest.”
However, the pair ultimately went their separate ways in 2000.
Stuart Townsend
They were together for almost a decade (Phillip Massey/FilmMagic) Theron met Irish actor Stuart Townsend while working on the 2001 movie Trapped.
Speaking about Theron when the cast went for dinner, he told Irish America in 2004: “She just looked like a million dollars. I went, 'Whoa! Who is this girl?' It was funny because I guess there had been so much going on at the reading I hadn't really taken stock of her.
“When she glams up it's ridiculous. … I was just smitten after that.”
In the years that followed, the couple appeared to go from strength to strength. In 2007, they began referring to each other as husband and wife and were even seen wearing rings, despite not being legally married.
However, they broke up in early 2010, with Theron telling Vogue a year later: “It was sinking, and I had to give it a fight.
“I really wanted to try and make it work. That was the priority. I wouldn't do it any different way.”
Sean Penn
The big name stars knew of each other years before they started dating (Jason Kempin/Getty Images) After being friends for nearly two decades, Sean Penn and Theron’s relationship turned romantic in December 2013.
The high-profile couple attended a whole host of red carpet events together and even collaborated on the 2016 film The Last Face while they were dating.
In early 2015, Penn told Le Parisien: “She's the love of my life.” Theron also called the Mystic River star the ‘love of my life’ in an interview with Elle the same year.
At one point, there were widespread reports that they were engaged, but Theron later clarified that this wasn’t true.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be and the pair split in June 2015.
Alex Dimitrijevic
Theron was romantically linked to model Alex Dimitrijevic in May 2023 after they were spotted out and about together.
While neither party confirmed the nature of their relationship, a source told Us Weekly: “Charlize and Alex have been dating for a few months now.”
It’s not clear how long the reported romance lasted.