Claire Danes recalls kissing 'ancient' Jared Leto as a teen in resurfaced Howard Stern interview

Ayeesha WalshFri, July 31, 2026 at 8:21 PM UTC

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Claire Danes and Jared leto in My So Called Life -Credit:Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

A resurfaced interview has revealed Claire Danes' memories of filming her first on-screen kiss with Jared Leto when she was just 14 years old.

Speaking on a 2018 episode of The Howard Stern Show, the actress looked back on her time starring in the cult ABC 1990s teen drama My So-Called Life, where she played Angela Chase opposite Hollywood star Leto's character Jordan Catalano. Danes admitted she was completely baffled by one of the scene's stage directions before filming the pair's first kiss, leaving her older co-star to step in and explain what it meant.

"There were these stage directions in that scene where it says 'Angela kisses Jordan's face,' and I was like, 'What? What is that about? Why would she kiss his face?'" Danes recalled to Stern. "I had that question on set, and he had to try to teach me. It's ridiculous!" It comes as Leto has been warned to 'be careful' amid key hurdle in sexual misconduct allegations.

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At the time, Danes was just 14 years old while Leto was 21, with their on-screen romance becoming the emotional heart of the critically acclaimed coming-of-age series. Although the pair never became particularly close off-screen, Danes said she still has "great affection" for her former co-star and credited him with looking out for her during filming because of their age gap.

She described Leto as "fraternal" and "protective" throughout their time making the series, before joking about how much older he seemed to her as a teenager. "He seemed ancient," she said. "He was shockingly good-looking, it was alarming."

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The show was a huge hit with teen audiences at the time -Credit:Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

The resurfaced interview comes amid news that the star has been accused by four women of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers.

It's not the first time Jared has been hit with such allegations, as just over a year ago nine women accused the musician of sexual impropriety in an article published by Air Mail back in June 2025. Jared previously denied those allegations.

The BBC reported on Wednesday, July 29, that the latest allegations, detailed by women using pseudonyms, are presented in the network's new documentary Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret. The documentary features claims from women who accuse the Oscar winner of behaving in a sexually inappropriate way towards them between 2002 and 2016, when Leto was in his 30s and 40s. He is now 54.

Among the allegations, one woman claims Leto assaulted her in a motel bathroom when she was 17. Another alleges he threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19 after the pair were unexpectedly left alone in a hotel room.

A third woman claims she had sex with Leto in California when she was 17, which would be classified as statutory rape under state law. She alleges the actor "shrugged off" a conversation about the age of consent being 18.

Claire discussed the moment in a 2018 interview -Credit:The Howard Stern Show

A fourth woman claims Leto made repeated sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16 and, on at least one occasion, suggested they should have sex.

Leto's representatives shared a statement with the Mirror US that read, "I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”