Olivia Wilde finally addresses backlash over her 10-year age-gap romance with Harry Styles
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actress Olivia Wilde has reflected on the intense public scrutiny surrounding her relationship with singer Harry Styles, revealing that the backlash often overshadowed what she described as a deeply meaningful and private romance.
During the Wednesday, June 17, episode of the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast with host Alex Cooper, Wilde reflected on her nearly two-year relationship with the British pop star and discussed the criticism surrounding their age difference, as well as the attention the romance received following her split from actor Jason Sudeikis.
Olivia Wilde addresses Harry Styles relationship backlash
Wilde acknowledged that her relationship with Styles generated strong reactions from the public. “People were pissed,” she recalled, attributing much of the response to the parasocial connection many fans have with the singer.
She noted that the burden of carrying that level of public attention is immense and praised Styles for handling it with grace. When the conversation turned to the pair’s 10-year age difference, Wilde admitted she still does not fully understand why it became such a point of criticism.
“Oh, man. I don't know. It really did upset people, though,” she said, adding that she has never completely understood the reaction. Despite the public commentary, she described the relationship in positive terms.
She called it the “loveliest relationship” and described it as “so sweet and so beautiful and really, actually, very domestic and kind and lovely.” According to Wilde, she and Styles managed to create a private space away from public judgment.
“We existed in this, like, little bubble and the judgment never really got into that bubble, which was a miracle and testament to us making that happen,” she said, while reflecting on the criticism she received for publicly enjoying herself during that period.
Wilde recalled that even attending concerts and dancing attracted negative comments. “I think that people were mad,” she said, adding, “It's almost like the happiness made them mad.”
Olivia Wilde calls out dating double standard
Wilde also addressed the timing of her split from longtime fiance Jason Sudeikis. While news of their breakup became public in late 2020, she said the relationship had actually ended months earlier, around the time of her birthday in March.
She pointed to what she viewed as a "double standard" in the way their respective dating lives were covered. Wilde noted that Sudeikis later dated model Keeley Hazell, with whom he shared an 11-year age gap, yet their relationship did not attract the same level of public scrutiny.
Recalling the period after their separation, Wilde said she spent Thanksgiving with their children, while “Jason was photographed with his girlfriend on the beach in Costa Rica or something, and the press were like, ‘Yay for him! He looks so happy, so wonderful.’”
Separately, Sudeikis spoke about his current love life during the June 2 episode of the 'Friends Keep Secrets' podcast. When asked whether he would like to have more children in the future, he replied, “I would if, yeah, if I fell in love.”
The actor explained that while he enjoys being in relationships, he is no longer interested in dating multiple people at once.
“I like being in relation to people, I'm not at a point in my life where, you know, where it feels good or fulfilling to date numerous people all at once. Yeah, that feels daunting and overwhelming, especially with being a parent.”
