Did Olivia Wilde dump Harry Styles for Jason Sudeikis?

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis were seen by many as an ideal Hollywood couple. Both actors were well-liked and successful, and often seemed to bring a grounded energy to whatever event they happened to be at. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the wheels came off. The couple filed for divorce, and the more we learned about the circumstances that led to the split, the more it seemed as though a certain pop star was involved.

The pop star, of course, is Harry Styles. He was the star of Wilde’s latest film, Don’t Worry, Darling, and the rumors swirling about their offscreen romance led many to speculate that Wilde actually cheated on Sudeikis with Styles, and subsequently broke up with the former.

It’s a little more complicated than that, so we’re going to attempt to straighten things out.

A Hollywood love story

Wilde and Sudeikis met in 2011, at the season 36 wrap party of Saturday Night Live. Wilde had just ended her marriage to Italian-American filmmaker Tao Ruspoli and Sudeikis had divorced screenwriter Kay Cannon. They started dating the same year, and within months, the couple announced that they were official.

Wilde and Sudeikis became a red carpet fixture for much of the 2010s. They co-starred in the comedy Drinking Buddies (2013), and would often discuss one another when they appeared on late night talk shows. They welcomed their first child, Otis Sudeikis, in 2014, and their second, Daisy Sudeikis, in 2016. The couple were engaged throughout this time, though they never actually pulled the trigger and got married.

Wilde made the leap to directing with Booksmart (2019), and the film, a critical and commercial success, featured Sudeikis in a supporting role. It seemed as though the two were as close as ever as they entered the 2020s, but things changed very quickly…

A shocking split

Wilde and Sudeikis decided to call it quits in November 2020. This was a shocking revelation for most of the public, but those who had been following the production of Wilde’s second directorial effort, Don’t Worry, Darling, knew that something fishy was going on. Rumors had surfaced that Wilde had gotten particularly close to the film’s leading man, Harry Styles, and that they were allegedly fooling around on the set.

The filming of Don’t Worry, Darling took place during late 2020 and early 2021, during which time Wilde went from being Sudeikis’s fiance to Styles’s girlfriend. The pop star confirmed that they were official when he gave a speech at a wedding in January 2021. 

Wilde denies that there was any overlap between her two relationships. “The complete horses–t idea that I left Jason for Harry is completely inaccurate,” she told Vanity Fair. “Our relationship was over long before I met Harry.” Sources close to Sudeikis claim that things were a little more ambiguous than that, and that the actor only found out about Wilde’s new relationship when he found messages between her and Styles on her Apple Watch.

Where things stand

Wilde says that she did not dump Sudeikis for Styles, and people close to Sudeikis have implied otherwise. It’s a matter of she-said, he-said, meaning there is no definitive answer. What is definitive, and a little bit surprising, is that Wilde and Sudeikis were seen out together in January 2023. The former couple were walking around Los Angeles, and even shared a hug.

A source close to Wilde claims that she has struggled to get over her breakup with Styles, which occurred shortly after the release of Don’t Worry, Darling. Sudeikis has seemingly assumed the role of confidant at this time. It’s tough to tell what the future holds for Wilde and Sudeikis, but all signs point to them remaining in each other’s lives.