Here are some photos of Lily-Rose Depp and her boyfriend out and about in LA on Wednesday. There’s been some quiet controversy about Lily-Rose’s relationship with Ash Stymest. Quiet because… at this point, only a few tabloids and blogs are talking about it, but as of yet, People Magazine hasn’t chimed in and it hasn’t become a “thing.” Lily-Rose is only 16 years old. Ash is 24 years old, divorced and a father to a 3-year-old daughter named Summer. Allegedly, Johnny Depp is not happy about their relationship, but Vanessa Paradis has seemingly signed off on it, and Ash regularly travels with Vanessa and Lily-Rose.
I go back and forth on this… when I was Lily-Rose’s age, I didn’t have a 24-year-old boyfriend, but I did hang out with an older crowd. I think back on that time and I wonder, “why was a 22-year-old dude hanging out with a 15-year-old girl?” It’s not like the 22-year-old dude mistreated me in any way, but it is odd to think about it now that I’m so much older. I would assume that Lily-Rose has had a similar exposure, that her friends were always older, that most of the “boys” she’s known have always been older, that her dating pool was always off-kilter from the start. And to give Vanessa the benefit of the doubt, maybe she thinks Lily-Rose will move out of this phase faster if she (Vanessa) accepts Ash and treats her daughter’s relationship like it’s no big deal. That being said, it’s clear from Lily-Rose’s interviews that this kid needs a PARENT not a friend.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
eh…just eh…creepy.
a 3-year-old?
divorced at 24?
and dating a teenager with money and fame?
as Maria Bamford would say, this kid seems like a Red Flag Factory.
Ahhhhh! Maria, yes!!! She lives a few houses down from me and I love her. Just wanted to say that!
Lily’s age REALLY shows here is in these shots. She is just so young, it makes me cringe, and this “man” has subscribed to the K Fed / Tyga school of “get em while they’re young and rich.”
Also, an 8 year age difference for people THIS YOUNG is criminal.
Maria Bamford lives a few houses down from you?! That’s so cool. I love her to pieces and want all the best for her!
I agree MissMary! how sick! and dirty depp is letting this happen! the guy looks like a pedophile to me gross
There was actually a story posted here about Legend Depp not being okay with this.
Depp IS ok with it. He let the man friend join them on Christmas holiday on Depp’s island as well as allowed the two of them to return in February. They were posting all over instagram.
If Depp had a problem, he wouldn’t let that man on his island.
Well, if both parents are okay with it then nobody has the right to say anything, especially since we don’t even really know this girl. She has started acting and modelling but she’s said nothing about this relationship.
I’m not sure what to go back and forth on. She’s a child. A 16 year has nothing in common with someone in their mid twenties, I don’t care what industry you’re in. She was a preteen when he became a father (and he was still in his twenties). It’s gross, inappropriate, and no way is it “cool”. Ugh.
I agree! She is just too young to be dating someone in their twenties, I’m sorry, especially someone who is divorced with a child! Is a 16 year old even legally allowed to be having sex? I know that her mother was in relationships when she was very young as well, but even still… I’m surprised Vanessa isn’t more concerned about this relationship. The guy is just not someone you would want your young teen to be dating, period.
It’s not illegal for a 16 year-old to have sex. It’s illegal for someone over 18 to have sex with a 16 year-old.
In France it is legal, in California not. She simply copies her mother and it’s result of Vanessa’s actions, she wanted to be better than Depp so she simply sold her to french medias and showbiz. It turned out that there is difference between small movie with your school friend and her dad and modeling for Channel.
Oh yeah, this relationship is all levels of wrong. Poor girl. She looks like a cranky 12-year-old in these pix. Which is to say, a CHILD.
She just looks so much younger than 16. She could be a 13 year old. Even body wish she looks like a preteen. Some girls that age look much more mature. So visually it wouldn’t look so creepy..
and the fact that he is a Divorced father of a 3 year old. What is the attraction to this guy. If I were her parents the police would be involved. I get they they may be scared of what she would do; but I wouldn’t care.
but it seems Lilly Rose can do whatever she wants with whomever she wants. If she is in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with this guy then it is a sexual one too. And that just gives me the UGHs.
Speaking as a parent and former crazy 16 year old, the more you tell a girl this age that she shouldn’t date McDouche, the more attractive you make him. You let her make a bad choice, learn her lesson, hopefully make sure she doesn’t end up another baby mama ( which he would probably love, as all gold diggers do).
What you don’t want to do is try to lock her in a tower (not that you really can). That only alienates your child, makes the relationship more romantic and appealing and ultimately longer lasting than if you just let it run its course. Although I dated my own age generally, I did often prefer talking to older guys just because, while they all had mostly one major interest, at least there was more to talk about with, say, a university student than a 17 year old. (No, I don’t believe that is the case here. I think he just appeals to her rebellious side, he is older, has a “history”, probably smokes and drinks and whatever.)
I totally hear you, and of course wouldn’t know about parenting these days except through observation and my experiences as a teenager, so take with a grain of salt, but sometimes, with SOME children, I think it you can forbid it. My parents would have with us, and I wouldn’t have liked it, but I would have obeyed them. My sister would have liked him more and snuck off to see him. So is it fair to say that it depends on the child?
In any event, I would be very concerned and try to set strict limits, but what do I know.
Yep, my parents would absolutely shut it down if I dated a 24 year old when I was 16. And I would have done what they said, wheter I liked it or not. Heck, my sister is 18 now and would do what they say even if she’s legally an adult.
Oh god, yes. My parents would have as well. And I’d have been incredibly angry about it – but considering I was an unemployed highschool student with no car of my own, it would have worked.
My now husband had parents who were really freaked out about dating and everything. When I was living away at college, and he was like 20/21, they told him he had to come home after visiting me, and that he couldn’t stay the night. He lived under their roof, and he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t like to cause conflict so he would leave after visiting for a couple of hours.
His sister on the other hand would agree to what they said, then text them “yeah I’m staying at Steve’s weather is too bad to come home” when she was 18/19. And stay at her older boyfriends apartment. Did the same thing when she was dating the previous guy during highschool. She’s now engaged to the second guy, and things worked out, but no matter what the parents told her, it never mattered. She did what she wanted.
So I think that that really shows how it all depends on the kid. Same household, same parents, same rules, but completely different reactions.
as that 16-year-old who dated a 16-year-old douchebag, I agree.
My parents didn’t like us together, but let us see each other (he just didn’t come over our place very much, I went to his house or we hung out with friends) because I do believe that my paren’t knew it wouldn’t work trying to get us to just break up.
We broke up anyways and I can’t imagine my parents didn’t do a little dance about it lol.
I hear what you’re saying but as the mother of a teenage daughter (14), I just couldn’t sit by and let her make a mistake with a 24-year-old douche bag.
I don’t know if I’m doing it right, I don’t know if I’m gonna make things worse, but right now my approach is to be a hard ass. I am your parent, I am not your friend. From what I can tell, talking to other parents, my daughter is on lockdown more than their kids. Meaning I have a lot of control over her phone and the apps that she uses and the social media (which is basically nothing.) Sometimes I feel guilty about it, like I’m not giving her independence…but she’s my kid. I’m trying to keep her a kid for as long as possible. I’m trying to keep her safe. That’s what I’m supposed to do right?
@Mgsota, you are doing everything right! It is exactly what I would do too. (My 12 year old doesn’t want social media. Yet, anyway. He abides by the rules – we discuss them and explain why each is there, what outcomes we are trying to prevent etc.) The most important thing , IMO, is that both parents agree on whatever the rules are, else it becomes a mess with the kid playing the two sides. They are very smart that way!
But, I think that I am more permissive about sex (a hypothetical thing right now, obviously) , while I see my friends generally more permissive about “well, they are going to smoke pot”.
And the success of any parenting depends on multiple factors, the biggest of which is your child’s personality.
Yes you are doing the right thing. You are protecting your child and that is more important at her age. Ask a parent who was overly permissive and tried to be cool what it felt like when thIngs went wrong. They will tell you they regret being too easy about everything.
This is why I love this site, I feel like I know you ladies and you are as easy to talk to as IRL friends.😍
I have a tween myself (boy) and all my friends have kids, some girls, generally a few years older. And the stories I hear…. Yikes.
Here’s the thing: a “normal” family may have a better chance to shut down something like this. Maybe. You control their money, take away their electronics, don’t let them have the car etc. Now that may backfire, if your kid starts feeling treated like a convict, because she can sneak out at night, cut school, etc – no matter what you do, you can’t be attached to her (or him) 24/7.
But this girl is rich, connected, travels internationally (for shoots or even to see her other parent) so there is no way to keep her from seeing him if she really wants to. And once you bring the parent-child relationship to this nuclear level, and don’t even get the result you were after, I think it’s all bad.
I agree that you should parent your child, not be their buddy. (One of my best friends is on the verge of divorce because her marriage is collapsing under the pressures of two rebellious teenagers whose dad is their friend while the mom tries to parent. Really sad.) But the thing is, whatever parenting philosophy you have adopted for the last 14-16 years is what you have. It is pretty tough to change from a permissive, indulgent parent to a strict disciplinarian overnight. There are no easy answers, honestly. And in this age of social media, being a teenager and parenting one is harder than ever. You hope to guide them, support them, let them grow and come out in the other side smarter, stronger, and better human beings.
+1 Vauvert! It’s nice to talk about stuff like this. I agree, it would be hard to shut down a romance when your kid is traveling all over and quite independant…and has access to lots of money.
Even though I’m tough, I try to be sensible. I know shes not perfect, I know she’ll make mistakes. But she knows there are certain things I expect from her….or else.
I thought there were statutory rape laws against this type of thing?!
Most laws say 16 years old is the age of consent. The age in California, however, is 18, and that is where these photos were taken.
Even if the age of consent is 16, often there cannot be more than a 4 year age gap if under the age of 18. This guy could probably get arrested if someone bothered calling the cops.
The age of consent only applys to legally having sex with teenagers under the age of 18, not a teen having sex with a legal adult, that’s statutory rape. Big, big difference!
I think the main issue is he’s an OLD 24. What I means by that is he’s a father to a 3 year old, and already married and divorced. What the hell, besides his penis, do they have in common?? LOL I hope several different kinds of birth control are being used the correct way.
That’s a good descriptor — yeah, he really is an OLD 24!
There’s a creepy factor but I sort of get why he’d be interested in her. I have no idea why she’d be interested in him though — when I was 16, I most likely looked at non-famous divorced 24 year olds with kids and thought “nope.” I tend to think an interest in someone like Justin Bieber (as icky as he is to me personally) would actually make more sense, given her age (and her fame).
She kind of looks like Natalie Portman mixed in with her mother here.
She’s giving me serious Hilary Swank face.
She has such a child-like body still–the hips, especially, of a child. Do not understand how a grown man can get into this.
Sadly what you pointed out could be the attraction.
Oh I think the attraction is that she’s famous and loaded. It has nothing to do with how she looks.
Yeah, she really looks 16 here.
Who’s the hot guy in green on the right?!
She’s a pretty girl.
Whats the difference between this and kylie tyga?
Exactly th question I was asking!
She seems like another spoiled brat.
Just a little note to the people going with the “she’s loaded thats why” theory, he’s actually a pretty well known English model who has had some major major runway/cover deals so the money may be a minor factor but its not like this dude is hurting in the bank account.
Do I think its creepy, hell yes, but neither of these kids have had the most traditional or stable upbringing.
I dunno the whole thing is strange.
yeah but hanging with her he gets a free ride. He’s been to the private island in the Bahamas, France and now LA. He’s getting to live the jet set lifestyle and likely isn’t paying for a damn thing.
You can have your own money and still be a free loading lazy ass bum.
And let’s be real, this so called modeling career is OVER. Maybe he wants to get into movies and thus, he’s hanging with the Depp family.
Am I the only one who hears a distant East 17 track while looking at this guy? I saw him and started to sing “Alright” in my mind.
And yes to everyone who thinks this relationship is creepy. This is the same thing as with Kylie and Tyga.
I feel like this more of a French thing because on my father’s side of the family (which is French) the women have always dated much older men. One of my father’s sisters met her husband when she was only 17 or 18, he was a good deal older than her at 25 or 26. It’s a really weird story but he worked his butt off to impress my grandparents. They got married when she was only 20. And yes they are still together and had 3 kids together. This was back in the 1980s so it wasn’t that long ago. However I realize not everyone is like my aunt and uncle.
I don’t agree with it necessarily but this girl has not had a typical upbringing. Vanessa was most likely doing the same thing at her age. And Johnny can’t talk, he is at least twice Amber’s age. So if nobody can tell her she might want to rethink this, she’ll do what she wants.
“And Johnny can’t talk, he is at least twice Amber’s age.”
Actually, he is not.
No he’s just 23 years older than his wife.
Yes he is not at least twice her age.
Lily-Rose and her boyfriend are on next months issue of People of Walmart: Meth Edition.
I thought they looked familiar…
Considering how she responded to the idea of her parents telling her to “stay in school.” I think we can guess how she responds to any concerns about her dating life. Mom dated a much older man as a teen and Dad has a history of dating women 10 + years younger. His current wife being just 6 years older than Lily’s boyfriend. So yeah…
Her life, her choices.