Although not the powerhouse comedian he once was, Dane Cook recently made headlines when he announced his engagement to long-time girlfriend Kelsi Taylor. While Hollywood celebrities getting engaged is nothing new, the reason for Cook and Taylor making the news is due to the comedian being 50 years old and his new fiance being only 23. That’s right, even with a 27-year difference between the two, they are happily moving forward. But online, users voiced their caution with some calling Cook a “Groomer”. 

Talking about his excitement to share his life with her, Cook said, “I was so ready to ask her. I was completely zen about it. The evening of the proposal was incredibly beautiful, the weather was perfect, sunset was spectacular, and I was just quite simply very happy. I was asking my best friend, the woman who I’ve shared some of the greatest times of my life with, to marry me so we can start the next chapter our of lives together. I was also thinking of how absolutely stunning she looked.”

Kelsi Taylor chimed in, stating, “I’m about to spend the rest of my life with my favorite person and my best friend — what is there to not look forward to? Family has always been such an important part of my life and the idea of expanding it and starting our own family together with the man of my dreams just fills my heart.” 

As mentioned above, it didn’t take long before news spread and many questioned the entire relationship and exactly when did it start. Writer Olivia Messer wrote, “Just trying to imagine if even one of my friends now, in our 30s, said they had a ‘close friend’ who was 17. At 45?? Dane Cook I guess waited until her 18th birthday but PSA: if you’re waiting until something is ‘technically not a crime’ … buddy, you have already f***ed up. This was, admittedly, very hard to grasp as a teenager, which is exactly how it happens. And I’m truly sad for what today must feel like to her. But the other adults??? When Dane Cook brought this girl to parties and dinners, or mentioned it to his friends? SOMEBODY, ANYBODY??”

Other Tweets included: 

  • “Do you think Dane Cook stole the idea to date a teenager from another comedian or do you think it was just parallel writing.”
  • “‘Bride or Groomer?’ – usher at Dane Cook’s wedding.”
  • “Dane Cook and his fiancée are registered at Build-A-Bear.”

No matter what people think or say, when speaking on the proposal, Kelsi Taylor admitted, “I couldn’t have asked for the moment to have been more perfect. All that was going through my brain was, ‘Wait, is this actually happening right now? Is he proposing?’” she said. “I was also just really focused on what he was saying to me because I was trying desperately to etch the words into my brain. They were so beautiful, I really wanted to soak it in.”