These Baby Boomer Celebrities Shared The Best Advice On Aging

Many celebrities have found that growing older isn't what they thought it would be, in the best way possible. Similar to most of us, A-listers were under the impression that being older meant having to accept professional decline. Instead, they found themselves choosing work more intentionally and thus feeling more creatively fulfilled than ever. Given how much pressure societal beauty standards create on celebrities, it's unsurprising many of them also went into their midlife worried about how their looks would change. 

However, once they actually got to their midlife, they realized they wanted to focus on things that bring them joy instead of stressing out about their wrinkles. For many celebrities, aging has brought several other blessings, including wisdom, confidence, and crucial perspective changes. You don't just have to go off of celebrities' experiences, though, because even research backs the notion that aging comes with unexpected benefits. Speaking with Time Magazine, Laura Carstensen, a professor of psychology and founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, said that her research repeatedly showed that aging could benefit emotional well-being. 

"People have a better emotional experience," Carstensen said of aging. "They're more satisfied with their relationships and more at peace with themselves, and as we get older, we stop caring so much about these trivial matters that can drive us crazy at earlier stages of life." According to her, people are also far more likely to remember positive information instead of negative information as they age. Carstensen stressed that aging doesn't necessarily make people happier and instead appears to reduce negative emotions like anger, sadness, fear, and anxiety. Many celebrities' experiences are notably aligned with Carstensen's research.

In November 2025, Mary Steenburgen told Today.com that aging hadn't prompted her to "slow down but [to] live faster and harder." Time and time again, the Oscar winner, who turned 73 in 2026, has proven that she lives by those words, but her career has been impacted nonetheless. Speaking to USA Today in November 2013, Steenburgen admitted she was far more likely to land maternal roles as she aged rather than the ones of a love interest. The comedian shared her leading theory for Hollywood's negative views on older actors, saying, "We don't want to be reminded that life ends at some point. So they don't put older people on the screen. The flip side of that is if it's so terrible, then why should anyone live another day?" 

Steenburgen's own experiences with aging are vastly different from Hollywood's sad portrayal. She has found herself thriving professionally and more laid-back personally because she doesn't lose sleep over unimportant things that affected her in her younger years. And thanks to her "The Book Club" co-star, Jane Fonda, she eventually started narrowing down and eliminating other stressors in her life. In a People interview published in January 2026, Steenburgen shared that after a conversation with Fonda about being intentional about relationships, she's determined to prioritize nourishing relationships as she ages. 

Considering all the effort that she has put into making the most of her time, it's unsurprising that Steenburgen told Entertainment Tonight in August 2023 that she's having the time of her life in her 70s. It seems that one of the myths about aging you should stop believing is that your 70s are a decade you should be frightened of. 

Unlike many other celebrities who only appreciated aging in their midlife, Sigourney Weaver has viewed getting older in a positive light for decades. In November 2009, the "Alien" star, who turned 76 in 2025, told Parade that she found her 20s weren't all that everyone hyped them up to be, and she was incredibly happy to turn 30 and get more serious about her life. She was also glad she entered her 40s by experiencing motherhood for the first time. 

When she turned 50, she felt she had experienced enough of life to truly appreciate its highlights. Weaver explained what her 60s brought, saying, "You have a different perspective as you get older that I think makes everything taste better and be more fun — you know you're only going to have this moment." While discussing her 70s with AARP in December 2025, the "Avatar" actor labeled aging a "luxury." Though she candidly confessed that aging brings her more worries, she couldn't help but appreciate the positives of her life's seventh decade, saying, "There are many more things I have time to notice and be grateful for." To name a few, Weaver is happy that she picked up gardening as a hobby, improved at being a sous chef, and became a mother-in-law. 

Weaver is equally happy about aging naturally. During a June 2023 chat with El País, she explained why she isn't big on anti-aging cosmetic tweaks, saying, "We change ourselves by looking back and trying to stay young instead of moving forward." Weaver's experiences are ultimately a testament to how your attitude toward aging can influence your health as you get older and help you experience greater life satisfaction. 

In the May 2011 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, Oprah Winfrey wrote that she understood that we live in a culture where older people are constantly erased while younger people take center stage. Still, the TV mogul, who turned 72 in 2026, believes that lying about your age is a huge step backward because it normalizes deviating from your true self. "I know for sure that only by owning who and what you are can you step into the fullness of life," Winfrey wrote, before adding, "Every year should teach you something valuable; whether you get the lesson is up to you. Every year brings you closer to expressing your whole and healed self." 

Sharing a similarly gratitude-filled perspective on aging on the "Today" show in August 2024, Winfrey said she was elated about entering her 60s and 70s because she never imagined she would get to experience those years during a childhood filled with hardships. Moreover, the beloved talk show host has no issues with how aging is an indicator of time passing because it only inspires her to live her life to the fullest. 

In an April 2023 post for Oprah Daily, Winfrey reaffirmed her love for aging by elaborating on how it gives her the freedom to do things that fulfill her rather than solely following obligations. She also mentioned other beautiful changes of perspective that aging has brought: "Knowing for sure what is best for you and having the wisdom to choose wisely. Because with every year, you should be getting to be more of yourself." 

Speaking on the "Today" show in January 2024, Jamie Lee Curtis happily shared that her mid-60s were proving to be an incredibly creatively fulfilling era, as she was writing a new book and working on both a movie and a TV show. After turning 65, Curtis also has a newfound appreciation for the transformation she had undergone through the years. 

As a result, the "Halloween" star, who turned in 67 in late 2025, has grown kinder to herself and learned to embrace herself as she is. Growing older has also blessed Curtis with the ability to boldly speak her mind. What's more, in March 2026, the Oscar winner told AARP that after turning 60, she came to an important realization: "I was going to die sooner than later." With those words in mind, she could no longer pretend to want to spend her limited time on unfulfilling relationships. It's worth noting that Mary Steenburgen and other older women in Hollywood are embracing the same healthy mindset as they age and are more determined than ever to close the door on toxic relationships. 

Over time, we've witnessed Curtis' evolution, as she has called out ageism in Hollywood. Speaking at the Radically Reframing Aging Summit (via SheKnows) in March 2022, the "Freaky Friday" actor said, "This word 'anti-aging' has to be struck." She continued, "I am pro-aging. I want to age with intelligence, and grace, and dignity, and verve, and energy." Sharing a similar sentiment in a July 2025 interview with The Guardian, Curtis said that women have been conditioned to think that they look better when they hide their age through filters and plastic surgery procedures. In her opinion, though, plastic surgery only looks fake.

In a December 2019 interview with AARP, Susan Sarandon shared she doesn't quite subscribe to the notion that you have to live a smaller, more controlled life as you age. Sarandon, who turned 79 in late 2025, went on to share her goals for herself as she ages, saying, "I'm still very interested in going forward and learning and questioning and going on adventures." On a similar note, the "Thelma & Louise" star told Time Magazine in July 2014, "You can't suddenly just decide, Oh God, I'm old, because then you certainly are old." 

Sarandon ultimately feels that it is important to set an example, both on and off the screen, of older people defying ageist notions. In Sarandon's view, things have been moving in the right direction for quite some time. Speaking to Canadian Living in September 2016, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" star admitted that when she was in her 20s, the lives of women in their 50s and beyond looked quite different. However, thanks to the changing times, many lively and beautiful women like Sarandon are thriving professionally and personally. 

Considering the "Little Women" actor's positive views on aging, it's unsurprising that she sees wrinkles as a normal part of life. "Gravity exists; there's no way around it," Sarandon said after being asked to share her thoughts on aging. In the grand scheme of things, she believes that there are far more things to lose sleep over than wrinkles. While discussing aging with AARP in January 2014, Sarandon said that growing older has helped her discern what really matters in life versus what is just background noise.