Karan Johar has no problem committing to friendships or parenthood, but romantic relationships are a different story altogether. The filmmaker recently found himself discussing his approach to love and dating on Koffee With Karan Season 9, where guests Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani had a rather interesting observation about his relationship history. The couple called him ‘commitment phobic', prompting Karan to open up about why he tends to step away when someone shows romantic interest in him.
The exchange took place during the Koffee Shots segment, where Karan asked the couple to take a shot if they had experienced certain situations. As the questions moved towards relationships, Sidharth turned the spotlight on the host and questioned why he had never turned his romantic connections into lasting relationships.
“Why didn't you make it a solid relationship? You think you have commitment phobia?” Sidharth asked. He then recalled Karan's appearance on an earlier season of the show and added, “I want to say on your last season of Koffee, Karan is the most commitment-phobic person I know.” Kiara was quick to agree with her husband, saying, “That is true.”
Karan, however, had his own explanation. Making it clear that commitment itself was not the problem, he said, “I can commit to friendship and parenthood, but a relationship, I don't like anybody who likes me.” He then spoke about how he reacts when someone expresses romantic interest in him.
“It comes from low self-esteem issues. The moment anybody says I am really into you. I want to spend time with you. I want to meet you. I am like, ‘Toodles!'” Karan said, laughing about his tendency to pull away.
This is not the first time Karan has spoken about his limited experience with romantic relationships. During a 2024 conversation with Faye D'Souza, the filmmaker revealed that he had been in "one and a half relationships" in his entire life. He also spoke about how his outlook towards companionship changed as he grew older.
Karan admitted that while he did feel the absence of a partner when he turned 40, his priorities had changed by the time he reached 50.
He said, "I am single and haven't been in a relationship for a very long time. In fact, I have been in one and a half relationships in my entire life. I can't tell you how much I enjoy my single status. I don't think I can change it now. Forget sharing a bathroom or bedroom or your space or schedule, I think the power of your day is with you. Your responsibility is to your children and your mom, that's about it."
Speaking about his attempts to find a partner, he added, "I did feel the vacuum when I turned 40, but when I turned 50, I felt like I didn't want it. I am not blocking it, but now I don't see it happening actively. I have gone through agencies, blind date situations, and met people in the country, and out of the country, now if I find it well and good, I don't feel the need for it at all."
Karan is a single parent to twins Yash and Roohi, whom he welcomed through surrogacy in 2017.
ALSO READ | 'We Were In Different Phases Of Life': Kiara Advani And Sidharth Malhotra Broke Up Before Getting Married
