Oscar Winner, 89, Seen in Rare Photo with Music Legend, 82
Jack Nicholson’s daughter posted the snap of the retired actor spending time with an old pal.
Gary Hershorn/Reuters
Jack Nicholson looked jovial in a new snap posted by his daughter to mark his 89th birthday on Wednesday.
Longtime pal Joni Mitchell, 82, can be seen sitting with Nicholson on a sofa as the pair appear to clap along and smile at a subject offscreen. The iconic actor, who retired in 2013, was last seen publicly at Saturday Night Live‘s SNL50 event in February. Prior to that appearance, he had not been seen for two years.

Sightings of Nicholson have been rare over the past decade.
Instagram/Screngrab/Newsweek
Mitchell, who also stepped away from the spotlight in her golden years, has appeared more frequently than Nicholson but still remains a rare sight. The legendary folk singer appeared at the Juno Awards in Canada last month to accept her lifetime achievement award, where she took the opportunity to slam Donald Trump.
Before that, Mitchell was last seen performing for the first time at the 2024 Grammy Awards at 80 years old.

Nicholson was last seen at SNL50.
NBC
The sweet snap of the pair, who were known for enjoying their party days together in decades past, was posted by Nicholson’s daughter, Lorraine Nicholson, 36. Jack Nicholson has six children from five different relationships, including Lorraine, Ray, Tessa, Jennifer, Caleb, and Honey.

Nicholson is pictured with his daughter Lorraine in 2007.
Steve Granitz, WireImage / Getty Images
The old friends were frequently photographed together throughout the 1970s and 1980s and have enjoyed a long friendship that sometimes drew speculation about romantic involvement, though it was never fully confirmed. The pair certainly enjoyed platonic adventures, some outlandish, one of which Mitchell details in her song, “People’s Parties,” about an outing with Nicholson and his then girlfriend, Anjelica Huston.

Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston dated on and off for 17 years, from 1973 to 1990.
Ron Galella/WireImage
According to Huston’s memoir, Watch Me, via Paper, the song was inspired by a party at which Nicholson was found to have had a fling with popular Dutch model Apollonia van Ravenstein, a friend of Huston’s who was also in attendance.
ADVERTISEMENT
The resulting meltdown, during which Huston wrote van Ravenstein put a lampshade on her head and laughed and cried at the same time, inspired Mitchell’s lyrics, “Photo beauty gets attention/ Then her eye paint’s running down/ She’s got a rose in her teeth/ And a lampshade crown/ One minute she’s so happy/ Then she’s crying on someone’s knee/ Saying laughing and crying / You know it’s the same release.”

Mitchell and Nicholson were photographed together many times over the years throughout their long friendship.
Jack Robinson/Getty Images
The octogenarians likely aren’t getting into the same kind of trouble anymore, but according to the new photo, they are still having a good time.
Sign Up for Our Obsessed Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Obsessed with pop culture and entertainment? Follow us on Substack and YouTube for even more coverage.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation

ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…
ADVERTISEMENT