Olivia Wilde Reflects on 'Wholesome and Sweet' Relationship with Harry Styles Amid Public Backlash
Filmmaker and actress Olivia Wilde recently discussed her past relationship with Harry Styles during an appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast. She described their two-year romance as "wholesome and sweet," despite significant public scrutiny and what she termed "parasocial" backlash. Wilde addressed various criticisms, including their age difference and misconceptions about her custody arrangements, clarifying that her private life was often misrepresented as fact.
Olivia Wilde has opened up about her past relationship with Harry Styles, describing it as "wholesome and sweet" despite the public fixation and backlash it garnered. Her comments were made on the Wednesday (June 17) episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.
Wilde, who directed and co-starred with Styles in the 2022 film *Don't Worry Darling*, noted that she often felt disconnected from the person tabloids portrayed. "I've never felt more disconnected from the person that people were talking about," she stated, referring to the months of media discussion surrounding her personal life.
She addressed specific criticisms, including the 10-year age difference between her and the pop star, and the perception that she was neglecting her children. Wilde clarified that her custody arrangement with ex-husband Jason Sudeikis meant she couldn't be with her children half of the time anyway. She characterized the public narrative as "complete fiction traded as fact," maintaining that her private life with Styles was "very actually wholesome and sweet."
Wilde suggested that the backlash was partly fueled by the "parasocial relationship" fans have with Styles, noting, "It's almost like [our] happiness made them mad." She recalled instances of attending his shows and dancing, only to be met with public disapproval.
The relationship, which lasted approximately two years before ending in late 2022, was largely kept private by the couple. Both Wilde and Styles previously addressed the "cruelty" Wilde faced in Styles' 2022 *Rolling Stone* cover story. Styles then commented on the difficulty of feeling that proximity to him put someone "at the ransom of a corner of Twitter or something," while Wilde stated she did not believe the "hateful energy defines his fan base at all."
Reflecting further on the podcast, Wilde reiterated her positive feelings, saying, "We had the loveliest relationship — so, so sweet and so beautiful and really actually very domestic and kind and lovely." She noted that they "existed in this little bubble, and the judgment never really got into that bubble, which was a miracle."
(Source: Billboard)
