NEWSSylvester Stallone Says Daughter's Fiancé Asking Permission to Marry Her Was a 'Very Traumatic' Moment in His Life
Sylvester Stallone's eldest child got engaged earlier this year.
Oct. 1 2026, Updated 11:42 a.m. ET
Sylvester Stallone may be known for playing some of Hollywood’s toughest characters — however, there was one moment in his life that left the actor shaken up.
The Rocky star opened up about his daughter’s fiancé asking him for permission to marry her, describing the conversation as "very traumatic."
Sophia Stallone got engaged in August.
The 80-year-old recently experienced the feeling for the first time when his eldest daughter, Sophia Stallone, 30, got engaged in August.
Sylvester shared that her fiancé, Michael Sheehan, came to see him privately to ask for his permission.
'He Faked It Until He Made It'
Sylvester Stallone added that his daughters fiancé is a 'great guy.'
"It was like something out of a legend, I guess," Sylvester said in an interview with TODAY on September 29. "He faked it until he made it."
"We were in the other room and he came in and he goes, 'I’d like to have your daughter’s hand in marriage.' I said, 'Is this happening? Is this like a prank kind of a thing?' You’ll see," he added. "It’s very traumatic, but it’s also, thank God he’s a great guy."
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Sylvester Stallone Has 3 Daughters With Jennifer Flavin
Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin got married in 1997.
Sylvester also has two other daughters with his wife, Jennifer Flavin: Sistine, 28, and Scarlet, 24.
The pair met in 1988 and tied the knot almost 10 years later in 1997. Since then, they went through an extremely brief and highly publicized split back in August 2022, thought they wound up calling off their divorce.
The father-of-three has spoken very candidly about the tough family lessons he learned during the short separation.
"Let’s just say that it was a very tumultuous time," he confessed. "There was a reawakening of what was more valuable than anything, which is my love for my family. It takes precedence over my work, and that was a hard lesson to learn."
'You Have the Greatest Gift in the World'
Sylvester Stallone called Jennifer Flavin 'magnificent.'
After nearly three decades of marriage, Sylvester is still gushing over Jennifer.
"What have I learned from her?" the star reflected. "That I’ll never be as good as her. She’s just magnificent, has kept me alive."
The actor admitted it took him time to appreciate what he had right in front of him.
"And it took me so long to turn my head around and go, 'Oh, you have the greatest gift in the world right here, and you’re looking out there, you fool!'" he continued in a separate interview.
