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Education

65-Year-Old Dinosaur Expert Marries 19-Year-Old Student

Apr. 30, 2012 7:00pm Mytheos Holt

19-year-old Vanessa Weaver had better brace herself for a lot of jokes about being a “dinosaur lover.” The teenage co-ed just got married to no less an eminence than Jack Horner, the famous paleontologist who consulted on the Jurassic Park series of movie. The two apparently met while Weaver was interning for Horner, who she now describes as her “best friend.”

However, the marriage has some people raising eyebrows. Why? Because Horner is 46 years older than his bride. For comparison, here’s a wedding photo of the two:

Jezebel gives us a few more details about this rather unconventional pairing:

According to the awesomely-namedBozeman Magpie, Weaver was Horner’s intern at the Museum of the Rockies, where he’s curator of paleontology. She’s also apparently a student at Montana State University, where Horner teaches, but it’s not clear whether she was ever his student. However, she does describe herself on Twitter as “Referred to by Dr. Jack Horner as his ‘protege.’” The passive voice makes this bio line a little creepy — that may be what he calls her, but what does she call herself?

Beyond that, though, there’s a difference between Weaver’s Twitter and that of fellow May-December bride Courtney Stodden — Weaver’s is actually pretty cool. She talks about processing a Triceratops (“trike”) tibia. She writes, “Are you aware that there is a Leonard Nimoy signed graphic novel in my bag? I about choked on air when I saw it.” She says she’s going to be in Jurassic Park 4. Basically, she sounds like a huge nerd, which means that a) she and Horner obviously share interests and b) she’s a lot more appealing than a certain siren who tweets about sunning herself sensuously all the goddamn time.

Of course, her Twitter handle is Dinogirl2010 — which might be the year she graduated from high school (that year, Jack Horner would’ve been 63). And her Twitter account is almost totally devoted to comments about him — her very first tweet is “Paleontologist, Dr. Jack Horner (JP advisor), likes this poster and I’m going to get it for him.” Weaver seems to idolize Horner. Frankly, lots of people do — he’s a dinosaur expert. But in a marriage, that could lead to some difficult power dynamics — especially when one spouse has 46 years on the other.

And here’s Weaver in her own words:

It is true, I am married. What people don’t know is the reason I got married. I love him and he is my best friend. Judge all you want about the age difference. It wont matter. He is not my advisor, teacher, employer, and has no say in my grades at MSU. Aside from all of that, I’ve taken the semester off to do my research and let things simmer down. There is no reason to ‘lose respect’ for him. He is still the great paleontologist he has always been. If you want to know why I married him, send me a messege and I’ll reply in private. If you could all just be happy for us instead of judging with your negativity, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

No doubt, some people will find it terrifying that a professor at a taxpayer-funded university can marry a girl old enough to be one of his students. And if there were evidence of any wrongdoing or coerion on Horner’s part, this story would definitely set off our creep radar. However, given Weaver appears to be, for all intents and purposes, a consenting adult, the only thing we can wonder is how on earth she’s going to handle the grief when this particular dinosaur goes extinct.

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Comments (187)

goodgrubguy
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:08pm
Now that is a great teacher! Anyone that can make her love dinasoars that much………

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- jhaydeng
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:27pm
  Jack Horner is his real name? Smart girl marrying a guy who looks to be in tremendous physical shape!
  
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- AOL_REFUGEE
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:31pm
  As Lloyd Christmas would say, “So, you’re sayin’ there’s a chance? I read ya. I read ya.”
  
  Report this comment
- Baddoggy
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:50pm
  Lots of Viagra to keep his errrr…… bones fossil like…
  
  Report this comment
- 13th Imam
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 10:26pm
  Little Jack Horner
  Sat in the corner
  Eating the apple
  Of his eye
  
  He stuck in his crumb
  She was struck dumb
  He keeled over
  She cashed in his pie
  
  Report this comment
- missytracy1990
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 8:02am
  You people are late to the game. This happened in January. She ran off on March 25. He lured her back on April 24th. Now they are seeing lawyers to end it……To no one’s surprise!!
  
  Report this comment
- starman70
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 8:13am
  Just ’cause there’s snow on the roof doesn’t mean the fires out in the furnace.
  
  Report this comment
- Secret Squirrel
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 9:38am
  Maybe there’s hope for me.
  
  Report this comment
- oldguy49
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 10:36am
  now she will be digging for old bones
  
  Report this comment
- rangerp
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 10:37am
  Donald Trump pulls this stund every few years. Nothing new
  
  Report this comment
- mikelivi
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 10:42am
  Hey if you cant find a good woman…..raise one……..
  
  Report this comment
- Ruler4You
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 10:46am
  Reproductively, a smart move. The ‘epi genome’ has likely been fully, or nearly fully, developed. Providing offspring with a good chance at being of higher intelligence than the offspring of children, say in their 20s.
  
  Only time will tell, though.
  
  Report this comment
- FormerLib
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 11:05am
  Him:” let’s grab an 8 track tape of Peter and Gordon .a bottle of cabernet, and get busy!”
  Her: “Wait, there’s a live feed of Gaga on my iphone!”
  Him: “Record it on the VCR. You can watch it later.”
  Her: “Will you buy me a horse? I want to raise horses and work for world peace.”
  Him: “We’ll see. Come to bed!”
  Her: “M-kay. Right after Phineas and Ferb.”
  
  Report this comment
- biohazard23
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 11:30am
  “Hey, Ferb, I know what we’re going to do today!”
  
  Report this comment
- Detroit paperboy
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 11:33am
  Hmmm, my girlfriend is 22 years my junior, but 46 ? Good grief…… But who am I to judge !!!!!
  
  Report this comment
- TheRickster
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 11:53am
  Shouldn’t the bi-line read: “19 year old student marries 65 year old dinosaur”?
  
  Report this comment
- up-on-news
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 6:29pm
  Marrage did not last long. Guess she realized being in Paris with an “old Man” on viaga wasn’t exactly what a 19 year old had in mind for her life. She left for her home and family about three weeks ago. Her explanation was “Freedom!!” Guess “Star Power” isn’t that great, afterall.
  
  Report this comment
Cherry Hill Guy
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:08pm
I hear she has an interest in old fossils.

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- GLENNS_FUTURE_BABY_MOMMA
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 10:40pm
  You just jealous Cherry ’cause you ain’t got a young, hot piece of a$$ like he done got. I bet yo woman as dry is some old sandpaper.
  
  Report this comment
VoteRightDammit
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:06pm
Veloco-raper

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- 4xeverything
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:56pm
  Ensure-asaurus marries pediasurus rex
  
  Report this comment
Skee
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:03pm
There’s only one dinosaur bone she’s interested in.
Let’s hope it stays fossilized or she’s gone.

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- JACKTHETOAD
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 12:06am
  Behold, the Golden Dinosaur.
  
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RightPolitically
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:50pm
Youth rules sexuality. Here’s why: youthful women are most likely to ovulate and produce eggs for males to impregnate. That is what drives normal sexual desire in a man. Society may scoff at a May/December relationship, but “nature” understands. Unfortunately for many women who wait and wait to have children, the reality of waiting too long is all too familiar.

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- ashestoashes
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:05pm
  The wedding photo is stunning really..It denotes class and elegance…and something obviously clicked..Remember the story of Mary Kay Luterno? I wish them all the best..
  
  Report this comment
- Jackie Rogers, Jr.
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:07pm
  I don’t think his biological imperative is the baffling part here.
  
  Report this comment
- Melvin Spittle
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:52pm
  I must be crazy, but if it were my daughter, this would not happen. Either he would thinking with his shriveled worm and leave, or he would be feeding the worms.
  
  Report this comment
- kryptonite
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 11:06pm
  @Melvin Spittle
  The perspective does change considerably when it’s your own beautiful, young daughter wanting to marry Viagrasaurus Sex. I would have made sure he opted for Plan B which was to SIUHA.
  
  Report this comment
vtxphantom
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:47pm
Just wrong on so many levels. I wish them many years of happiness, but somehow I think his time will be short

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- RightPolitically
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:00pm
  Yeah. But it will be happy for the old geezer.
  
  Report this comment
- Texas Chris
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 11:37am
  He’ll die with a smile on his face. She’ll get the life insurance and rights to his movie royalties.
  
  Are they in love? Immaterial.
  
  Report this comment
EqualJustice
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:46pm
Pass the viagra!

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lukerw
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:44pm
Well they waited for 65 & 19… at 58 & 12 the Cow would have jumped over the moon!

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- CatB
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:55pm
  Think she married him for his Social Security check? ;-)
  
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- lukerw
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:15pm
  @CATB
  LOL :) No… it’s probably an adoration of one in a position of Respect & Power!
  
  Report this comment
Liberty1791
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:38pm
He will need lots of naps and many blue pills to keep her happy. Eeeeeewwwwww.

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mrmarkjohnson
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:38pm
Good for him (and her). Why is this a news story? Anyone want to do a story on the history of man-female relationships in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself.

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- Melvin Spittle
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:46pm
  Would you feel the same if it was your daughter? If she were my daughter I would have one talk with the pervert and if he had any sense, he would be gone. If not, the desert is a huge place.
  
  Report this comment
- idarusskie
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 12:52am
  You are confusing the fundamentalist Mormon and their leader jeffs with the LDS church.
  
  Report this comment
- mzk1
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 2:16am
  Considering what else happens at universities, this is minor. At least he married her.
  
  (If you – like myself – hapen to belong to one of those vanishing groups that still practices old-fashioned morality pretty consistently, so that an unmarried non-virgin (male or female) is still on the level of a scandal, then it is another matter.)
  
  Report this comment
FEWL
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:34pm
Its all fun and games when its SOMEONE else’ daughter!

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- Melvin Spittle
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:48pm
  agreed. I cannot believe the comments that are being made. I would love to ask her father only two questions: why is this pervert married to your daughter and do you need help digging the hole?
  
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lel2007
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:28pm
Lucky 65 year old.

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- riseandshine
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:36pm
  While it lasts.
  
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- hi
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:07pm
  Unlucky 19 year old.
  
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Dave.the.Blaze
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:27pm
It’s a classic Jurassic–Cretaceous relationship. I hope they both evolve.

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disenlightened
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:25pm
He’d be much older than her parents. I wonder if her father gave her away? I couldn’t do it…give her away.

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mattmo79
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:24pm
Nothing like going out with a bang!!

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- bluesdog
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:07pm
  Bad pun!
  
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- liberalescheisskopf
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 11:48am
  Can you say ‘Chest pains’?
  
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Mad_as_Hell...
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:23pm
Hey, I just looked… neither of their names appear on my taxes. So God bless them both.

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- captaincameron
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:28pm
  A-freaking-men.
  
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- Texas Chris
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 11:38am
  Well… he works at a tax funded college…
  
  But yeah, point well made.
  
  Report this comment
BigFoot
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:22pm
Maybe she is the dinosaur expert…..

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- CatB
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:49pm
  LOL .. yup . she married one! The jokes kind of write themselves don’t they! ;-)
  
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godhatesacoward
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:21pm
Pretty work pops.

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HorseCrazy
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:16pm
I don’t know why everyone seems to get so worked up about age differences. for thousands of years girls were married at 13 and to older men. the only part of this story that could be construed as iffy morally would be the fact she was interning for him. I am just not quite sure why it is such a big deal in today’s society or people are labeled as having “issues” if they go against societal norms. Maybe we should do stories on why women feel like they should wait to even think about babies until they are in their 30′s and their biological clock is ticking instead of using their eggs in prime baby making years

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- Weiners Wiener
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:29pm
  You don’t? Because he’ll get her pregnant, then die of old age when their child is 5 years old. Then their child will grow up without a father. I guess I think that’s kind of a big deal when the risk can so easily be reduced by simply sticking with people that arw within, say, 20 years of your age. Seriously. Are you for real?
  
  Report this comment
- ColoradoMaverick
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:32pm
  Why not, it worked for Clinton.
  
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- Jackie Rogers, Jr.
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:59pm
  Re: WEINERS WIENER’s post,
  And what are they going to listen to in the car?
  
  Report this comment
- kryptonite
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 10:45pm
  @HORSECRAZY
  Back then girls didn’t get married to older men of their own free will. They didn’t get to choose (and in many parts of the world they still don’t). In India, e.g., young girls were burned alive together with their husbands when the old f*rts died. And you know about Muhammad…
  
  That girl was dazzled either by fame or by fortune. Even from the male POV, if you are that old you cannot keep up sexually with a teenager. Grow up, dude.
  
  Report this comment
- JACKTHETOAD
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 12:19am
  @Jackie – Don’t believe the LIES. I’m lawyerin’-up tomorrow.
  
  Report this comment
XdemXrepub
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:13pm
I leave all the “bone jokes to others”.

But appears she has an affinity for old fossils

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Mr.Fitnah
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:12pm
Fine with me, seems like a match.

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- nzkiwi
  Posted on May 1, 2012 at 3:18am
  Me too.
  
  Good luck to them both.
  
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welovetheUSA
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:09pm
Interesting……….

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Old Truckers
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:07pm
He looks happy :-)

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- Welcome Black Carter
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:52pm
  It’s a free country. It’s legal. Knock yourselves out!
  
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The-Monk
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:04pm
I guess you don’t need Viagra if it’s already fossilized….

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- bluesdog
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 8:09pm
  The-Monk- Funny!
  
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Mark0331
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:03pm
They look like father and daughter….oh well, Love is blind.

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- TSUNAMI-22
  Posted on April 30, 2012 at 7:15pm
  …and divorce has x-ray vision.
  
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