There has always been a debate about who should pay for a wedding, but according to Sylvester Stallone, he's a one-man bank when it comes to his daughter Sophia Stallone's upcoming wedding.
© GettyWhile the Rocky star might be ready to walk his daughter down the aisle, he said his retirement will have to wait as a result. On the Tuesday, October 13, episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, the actor joked that paying for Sophia's wedding is keeping him working.
During the segment, Ripa asked the 80-year-old how much he planned to contribute to the festivities, and he did not play coy. “Oh, man, it's almost embarrassing to say - but I can't retire,” he said. “I can't retire,” he repeated, adding, “I'm serious!”
© GettySophia, 30, announced her engagement to Michael Sheehan on August 28, sharing photos of the proposal on Instagram with the caption, “Forever with my best friend.”
While her father may be bracing himself for the wedding bill, he has made it clear that he approves of the man who will soon become part of the family.
Sylvester previously discussed the engagement during a September 27 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The actor admitted that watching Sophia prepare for married life was an emotional experience, even as he celebrated her relationship.
© Getty“She did get engra—,” Stallone began before correcting himself. “It's hard for me to say it because, like, it's time to have a, you know, new life of her own. But she found a great man, a great fiancé, Michael.”
Fallon pointed out that dating one of Stallone's daughters must be intimidating. The actor agreed, but made sure to emphasize that Sheehan had won him over.
“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “I think he's a stand-up guy, great, good-looking, got everything going.”
© GettyMichael Sheehan asked for his blessing
© GettySheehan made sure to speak with Sylvester before proposing to Sophia, asking for the actor's blessing. The story came up during Live with Kelly and Mark, where Ripa immediately imagined what that conversation might have been like.
“He actually asked for her hand,” Stallone said. “He must have been terrified!” Ripa joked. Consuelos then brought up one of Stallone's most recognizable movie moments, referencing the proposal in Rocky II, when Rocky Balboa asks Adrian to marry him.
“Did he say to you, ‘I wanna know if you wouldn't mind if I married your daughter so much?’” Consuelos asked. Stallone responded with another line inspired by the film, joking, “I won't leave no hair in the sink.”
© GettyThe actor also recalled that Sheehan was confident enough to approach him directly, although his wife, Jennifer Flavin, was there for the conversation.
Sophia has a great example when it comes to a long-lasting marriage. Her parents have been married since 1997. They share her siblings, Sistine, 28, and Scarlet, 24. Sylvester also has sons, Seargeoh, 47, and Sage, who died in 2012 at age 36, with his first wife, Sasha Czack.
© GettyStallone once put on his Rambo gear to intimidate a boyfriend
© GettyAlthough Stallone has nothing but praise for Sheehan, he could have easily gotten the Rambo treatment.
During his appearance on The Tonight Show, The Expendables star recalled that a famous friend once asked him to intervene because he disapproved of the man dating his daughter.
“I remember once, there was a very famous man. He did not like the guy his daughter was dating. Said, ‘Could you do something?’” Sylvester recalled. “So I went home, got my Rambo outfit — headband, fake blood, knife, full-on bandolero,” he said.
© GettyWhen the boyfriend, whom he described as a “little comedian-type guy” wearing his hat sideways, showed up at the door. Sylvester was there waiting, dressed up as Rambo, with a warning of what would happen if he hurt her.
"I go, ‘What do you want?'" he recalled. "‘If you touch her, it’s like touching me, and I will cut you from here to here'" he recalled, pointing from his head to his torso. It worked. “Like, that was it. He never came back,” he said
