The Major Hollywood Star You Never Realized Was Gloria Steinem's Stepson

During her lifetime, Gloria Steinem made headlines primarily for her professional career as a journalist and activist for women's rights. Information about her personal life wasn't as widespread, including her marriage to David Bale, whom she wed in 2000. Although David died three years later, Steinem forged a strong bond with his four kids, one of whom is actor Christian Bale. "I think of him as a friend, not a stepson. He is a truly great actor," Steinem told The New York Times in 2020. Steinem appreciated her stepson on a personal level rather than being starstruck by his onscreen performances. She was also delighted to cultivate relationships with her late husband's grandchildren, including Christian's daughter, Emmeline Bale.

Christian and his wife, Sibi Bale, married just nine months before Steinem married David. Ironically, one source of common ground between the pioneering feminist and her stepson was that neither had historically been a fan of marriage. If Steinem's case, she'd come close to marrying twice before, but ended up reconsidering each time.

Although falling in love changed both Steinem and Christian's minds, Steinem's decision was also based on practical considerations. David was originally from South Africa and marrying Steinem gave him the opportunity to continue residing in the U.S. Steinem never regretted her decision, nor the challenges of caring for him before he died. "David and I loved each other and wanted to be together," Steinem recalled to The New York Times.

Both Christian Bale and his stepmom, Gloria Steinem, seemed to have a preference for low-key weddings. Christian went to Las Vegas. Steinem, on the other hand, skipped the fancy gown and wore jeans for her Oklahoma wedding. While it's not clear if Steinem and David Bale eloped, Christian wasn't at the ceremony. "I was in Germany. I found out about it afterwards," Christian shared with The Guardian in 2018.

Since they were both famous, Steinem and her stepson kept their relationship out of the spotlight. Steinem joined Christian in 2022 for a photo op at the premiere of his movie "The Pale Blue Eye," but she didn't feel the need to watch his earlier films from before she married into his family. In fact, she specifically avoided his unsettling performance in the creepy and confusing film, "American Psycho." Then again, Steinem's objections to "American Psycho" started back in the early '90s, before the book became a movie, and before her 1999 romance with David.

However, fictional characters aside, Christian's been outspoken about the need for equal rights, which clearly would have been a bonding opportunity for him and Steinem. "Our culture will be so much richer the day that we stop saying, 'Hey, it's all white dudes who are running things,'" Christian commented during a 2017 interview with BUILD. He and Steinem might also have chatted about on-set experiences. Although Steinem never played any fictional characters, the feminist icon and political activist did play herself in "The First Wives Club" and "The Good Wife."