We Can't Ignore These Red Flags In Amal And George Clooney's Relationship

George Clooney surprised the world in 2014 when he shed his long-time bachelor status and married Amal Alamuddin, who became Amal Clooney. But as much as we love their love, there are a handful of red flags in this relationship we can't ignore — including how George proposed. The "Oceans Eleven" actor recalled the moment he popped the question on CBS Mornings (via People), sharing, "I knew fairly quickly that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Amal. When I asked her we had never talked about it. There wasn't like, 'Maybe we should get married.' I dropped it on her!" While there's nothing wrong with a surprise when it comes to the likes of birthday gifts or date nights, it's rarely a good idea to drop a bombshell like marriage on someone with no warning.

"Talking about marriage before the proposal is an excellent idea," licensed marriage and family therapist Caleb Birkhoff told The Knot. Not only will in-depth discussions confirm if you're both on the same page about making such a serious commitment, it will also provide an opportunity to discuss factors such as where you'll live, your expectations for a spouse, or what your finances will look like. So it's no wonder it took Amal a while to say yes, as George admitted on "The Howard Stern Show" Amal didn't give him an answer for about 20 minutes. "She was in shock," he said. Not having in-depth conversations about marriage first could potentially come back to bite these two, as it's possible they felt heightened pressure to walk down the aisle after she accepted his proposal, even if they found issues during their engagement they didn't agree on. But that's hardly the only issue that might rear its head down the line.

In a 2025 CBS News interview, George Clooney admitted he and Amal Clooney haven't fought since they met in 2013. "Amal and I, everybody gets ticked off when I say it, but we've never had a fight. We never had an argument. And some of it is because I'm at this point in life where if she wants to paint the wall red, I don't care," he said. "You get to a point in life where you just go, 'Why would that be a discussion or an argument?' We have a really amazing relationship because we're also so supportive of each other that it's like, I don't care," he added.

While the two being supportive of one another certainly isn't a red flag, never disagreeing could be. Not arguing is a relationship issue that can signal it isn't going to work and can also be a sign someone is in a relationship just to avoid being alone. It could also mean that one person isn't being direct with the other, or one partner is letting the other walk all over them instead of standing up for what they want or setting important boundaries.

Licensed marriage and family therapist John Kim (aka The Angry Therapist) shared an interesting insight into why fighting (the right way) can be healthy. "Fighting is actually valuable because it gives you information about each other. You learn how someone handles stress. You discover triggers. You see what matters," he shared in a piece for Psychology Today. He added, "When you avoid conflict, you're not protecting the relationship. You're protecting yourself from discomfort."

Amal Clooney and George Clooney are two of the busiest people in the world. Amal (in addition to being a total fashionista) works as a barrister specializing in international law and human rights, she's also a professor at Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, a senior fellow at the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice, and an Honorary Fellow of St Hugh's College. George, of course, is a hugely successful actor who travels the world to shoot and promote his movies. Together, they are also the co-founders of the Clooney Foundation for Justice and share two children. But with so much going on, it's surely tough for them to carve out quality time together.

Their busy schedules have sparked rumors of trouble in paradise more than once, including in 2025 when George took on a Broadway gig in New York while Amal was working in the U.K. "As proud as (Amal) is that (George is) making his Broadway dream come true, it hasn't been easy being this long away from each other and they have been drifting apart due to those irregular hours," a source told Radar Online. "She's used to him going away for a few days at a time, so this is certainly testing their relationship." Another insider dished on the supposed tension so much time apart had caused, claiming to Woman's Day, "This wasn't what they agreed on. Amal's got so much work on right now and most of it's in Europe. She was missing him, but she's not happy about having to move around him." Both Amal and George should feel they have an equal give and take, and it's imperative both make the effort to spend together to keep their relationship strong and avoid feeling resentful.

George Clooney and Amal Clooney have forced us to confront our obsession with age gap relationships. George is 17 years older than his wife and they've made no secret of the years between them. In fact, even he's admitted he didn't think their relationship would blossom because of his age. "I didn't really think I'd have much of a chance with her because I was 17 years older and she seemed to have everything she needed," he told The New York Times. The actor also admitted he and Amal have had serious age discussions. "I had this conversation with Amal when I turned 60. I said, 'Look, I can still play full-court basketball. I can still run around. I can still do pretty much everything I did when I was 30. But in 30 years, I'm 90' ... I told Amal, 'We have to focus on the next 20, 25 years of making sure that we're jamming in everything we can.'"

Though it's healthy that George and Amal have had such in-depth, frank discussions, unfortunately, his being so much older could still be a red flag. "When there is a significant difference in age, like 10 to 15 years or more, life experiences can be vastly different," licensed professional counselor Brandy Porche told PsychCentral. Too many years between a couple can easily lead to different levels of emotional maturity or a power imbalance, as the older person may unknowingly take on more of a parental role. That could lead to the younger partner feeling disrespected, overprotected, and dissatisfied.

Before George Clooney met Amal Clooney he very publicly, and repeatedly, shared his intentions to never get married again (he was previously wed to Talia Balsam from 1989 until 1993) or have kids. In fact, mere months before he proposed to Amal, he told Express, "I keep saying I'll never get married again or have children but people just don't want to believe me." He also told Esquire that year when asked about marriage and starting a family (via The Hollywood Reporter), "I haven't had aspirations in that way, ever. I was married in 1989. I wasn't very good at it." Speaking to People in 1996 of becoming a dad, he said, "I think it's the most responsible thing you can do, to have kids. It's not something to be taken lightly. I don't have that gene that people have to replicate. But everything in my life has changed over time."

Of course, everyone has the right to change their mind when the right person comes along, but it's certainly eyebrow-raising that George was so adamant for so long that marriage and kids weren't right for him. If he tied the knot and welcomed children for the right reasons (i.e. he truly, to his core, changed his mind), it may not be a red flag. If George compromised his beliefs because he felt marriage and kids is what Amal wanted or he would otherwise spend his life alone, those aren't healthy reasons to make such drastic lifestyle changes. And that could become a problem.