Jack Nicholson Has 'Disappeared' but Is 'Well,' Says Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas says Jack Nicholson has "disappeared" from public life but remains "well," offering the clearest update in years on the 89-year-old screen legend.

Douglas, 82, made the remarks while promoting his new memoir, "One Helluva Ride," at a recent event, where he was asked about Nicholson, the star of "Something's Gotta Give."

"I would have liked to have acted with Jack," Douglas said. "He's not working anymore. He's well. He has disappeared. I know that."

He continued: "I still see him, but he is fine. He is up there by his house and walking around in his slippers. It happens. He deserves it. I understand. He is a few years older than me, but I understand."

What connects the two actors?

Douglas and Nicholson never shared the screen. Their bond runs through production. Douglas produced the 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," in which Nicholson starred as Randle McMurphy.

The film earned nine Oscar nominations and won five, including best actor for Nicholson and best picture. It remains the defining collaboration between the two men, and the role remains Nicholson's most celebrated performance.

Douglas's comment that he "would have liked to have acted with Jack" underscores a career-long gap: producer and star, but never co-stars.

Has Nicholson retired?

Nicholson has never made a formal statement announcing his retirement. The Oscar-winner has simply stopped working. His last film appearance came in "How Do You Know" in 2010.

Fifteen years have now passed without a Nicholson screen credit. He is also infrequently photographed, though his daughter, Lorraine, shared a picture of the star for his birthday in April.

The photo, posted on her Instagram story, shows Nicholson clapping and smiling while sitting next to Joni Mitchell. Lorraine did not indicate when the photo was taken. She simply wrote on the image, "¡¡ 89 !!" — after first posting a photo of a younger Jack in a Coca-Cola shirt with the caption, "89?"

His last public appearance

Nicholson's most recent public appearance came during the "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary television special on NBC in February 2025, which he attended with his daughter.

That broadcast offered a rare glimpse of the actor, who dominated American cinema for five decades with performances in films including "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

What does this change for Nicholson's legacy?

Nothing formal, and that is the point. Douglas's account — secondhand, but from a colleague who still sees him — confirms what the record already suggested: Nicholson has stepped away without ceremony and lives quietly at home.

"It happens. He deserves it," Douglas said. For an actor who never announced an exit, walking around his house in slippers appears to be the retirement he chose.