I Dream Of Jeannie Star Barbara Eden's Age-Gap Marriage Has Caught Attention

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Barbara Eden, best known for her iconic role in "I Dream of Jeannie," has been married to her husband, Jon Eicholtz, since 1991. It was Eden's third time walking down the aisle, but her marriage to Eicholtz has lasted more than three decades. The couple has an age gap — Eden is eight years older than her husband — but they've never let that define their relationship. Eden often shares glimpses of their life together on social media, celebrating holidays and milestones with Eicholtz. In a 2020 interview with Closer Weekly, Eden opened up about the secret to their successful marriage. "You should walk in the other person's shoes if you're having a little problem," she told the outlet, adding, "Try to see their side of it. It's not easy! But try."

In thinking about Eden's relationship with her younger husband, Nicki Swift reached out to Susan Winter, Relationship Expert and Bestselling Author of "Older Women/Younger Men; New Options for Love and Romance," for some insight. "When a woman has a younger partner, people are more likely to notice because it defies society's version of an 'appropriate partnership,'" Winter explains. "Reverse age gap relationships face societal judgment and wild assumptions. This comes from a misunderstanding as to 'why.' Why would he want her if he could be with someone young and beautiful? And why would she want him if she could partner with a man of her status or greater?" However, Winter highlights the one thing that often gets "overlooked." 

Susan Winter tells Nicki Swift that the age gap between Barbara Eden and Jon Eicholtz is "barely noticeable," given their stage in life. Winter went on to say that the relationship could have been based on something as simple as two people liking one another and having a deep connection. "With maturity, we solidify knowing who we are and what we want," Winter explains, adding, "When a new partner enters a mature woman's life, what they see is what they get. Her values, identity, and lifestyle are already well established. The dramatic changes that shape a young woman's life have long since occurred and been integrated into the totality of who she is." 

As Winter pointed out, relationships don't solely rely on how close in age two people are. Interestingly, Eden's first husband, Michael Ansara, was nine years her senior — and that marriage lasted 16 years. Eden and Eicholtz appear to be just as in love as when they first met and their relationship works for them. "It's clearly an alignment of energy, mindset, lifestyle, and relationship goals," Winter says. "And perhaps, just maybe ... we've turned the corner and can begin to look at a woman as having value (and desirability) throughout the entirety of her life."