Aaron Taylor-Johnson And His Wife Are The Age-Gap Relationship Everyone Hates—Here’s Why People Are Accusing Sam Taylor-Johnson Of “Grooming” Aaron

With Aaron Taylor-Johnson (32) in the final talks of being James Bond, it makes sense why his name keeps appearing all over social media. Well, there’s that and the fact that he and his wife are 23 years apart. Ever since the actor's fans learned about how he met his wife Sam, both of them have faced endless criticism online, and Aaron apparently even had to limit his Instagram comments to avoid the negativity. But are people taking it too far, or is their outrage justified?

To investigate the matter further, let’s take a look at this infamous couple and their history.

When Did Aaron Taylor-Johnson Meet Sam? 

According to The Telegraph, Aaron Johnson met Sam Taylor-Wood (their previous names) on the set of John Lennon’s biopic Nowhere Boy in 2008. Aaron was around 18 and Sam – who was actually his director (so, his boss) – was 42 years old. She actually had Aaron audition at her house due to his busy schedule, telling The Sunday Times, “It was so inconvenient. In the end, I was like, 'OK, he'll have to come to my home.' I opened my door to John Lennon. I instantly knew he was the guy."

Aaron has commented on this audition as well, informing Harper’s Bazaar, "I remember it very, very clearly. I know exactly what she was wearing. This white shirt that she still has, that I love. It definitely changed my life, though not in the way I expected." Still, Sam says that there was “no funny business” between them at the time, and they remained “very professional” throughout the filming of the movie.

Once Nowhere Boy wrapped up, Aaron proposed to his director – even though they supposedly had never kissed or been on a date! "As soon as we finished, he told me he was going to marry me," Sam says. "We had never been on a date, or even kissed." 

"And a year to the minute after we met, exactly one year to the minute, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me," Aaron explains. The Bullet Train actor later told The Telegraph, "I knew instantly that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this person," adding, "I knew I wanted a family with her, I knew I wanted kids, and a month later she was pregnant with our first child."

How Many Kids Do Aaron and Sam Have? 

In April 2010, Aaron appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross while Sam was pregnant with their first child. The actor admitted that he wasn't nervous, since he was already a step-father to Sam's two daughters from her previous marriage to Jay Jopling. At 43, she gave birth to a baby girl named Wylda Rae in September 2010. 

On January 18, 2012, she gave birth to their second daughter named Romy Hero. On June 21 of that same year, the pair finally got married and changed their last names to Taylor-Johnson. Aaron, then 22, and Sam, who was 45, had a wedding in Somerset, England. On The London Evening Standard, Aaron discussed his name change, stating, "I just don't see why women need to take the man's name. I wanted to be a part of her just as much as she wanted to be part of me."

What Are People Saying about Aaron and His Wife? 

Many people have publicly condemned Aaron and Sam’s relationship on social media, calling it “problematic.” One TikToker named Tasha, @tishtoking, made a video about the married couple and why she believes their past has "many red flags." She thinks that Aaron's proposal wasn't that crazy for an 18-year-old, but it is concerning for someone in their 40s to accept it. Aaron apparently even stopped talking to his parents after Sam got pregnant, and she would often call him an "old soul." 

"It gives me flashbacks to being 15 and being told I was so mature for my age," Tasha says, later adding, "He essentially sort of left his early twenties behind and fitted into her ex husband's shoes." Users were definitely in agreement with these so-called "red flags." 

"He stopped speaking to his parents," says one comment, "grooming 101."

"Noopee they way they insisted he was such an old soul reads grooming," writes a woman named Imani. 

Katie adds, "If an older person hits on a newly 'legal person' it's grooming. Especially knowing what I know now. Hope he's ok."

"People who hold auditions in their own home... Suspicious!" shares @Meh5050!

In another video, the influencer talks about Aaron’s recent interview where he discloses how he and Sam don’t like to be separated, often spending time together whenever possible. It’s also well-known in the industry that Sam will be wherever Aaron is – this led the majority of Tasha's audience to speculate that Aaron is in a codependent relationship with his wife.

Interestingly, Sam’s ex-husband actually got with Lily Allen when she was only 23. “The thing about all of these relationships that I can tell you from my experience," Tasha explains, "when you're that young and you get with them, you lose your ability to form your identity. Your identity becomes what they want you to be."

To many people, age-gap relationships are concerning and raise red flags – but Aaron doesn’t seem to care about it at all. “All that is my personal life, it’s sacred to me and it’s beautiful. But there is a lot of negativity around from other people,” Aaron says. “That’s their problem and their issues and however they perceive life. I live my life to its fullest, and I operate from my instincts and from my heart, and I try to be as open as possible."

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