Olivia Wilde has revealed that people took issue with her relationship with Harry Styles because of their age gap. They met while working together on Wilde’s psychological thriller, Don’t Worry Darling. She was 37 at the time, and Styles was 27.
Olivia Wilde comments on her relationship with Harry Styles
Olivia Wilde has opened up about her past romance with Harry Styles and the attention it drew.
During her recent Call Her Daddy appearance, the “House” director addressed what specifically about her two-year relationship with Styles drew backlash at the time. The former couple started dating in 2021 and, after months in the spotlight, split in November 2022.
“Men, who are in positions of power, date younger women all the time, and everyone’s like… And? There’s no question,” host Alex Cooper highlighted. “What do you think was so triggering to people seeing you dating a man that they deemed you the position of power and the older woman?” she added.
Wilde called the whole situation “wild” and admitted she still doesn’t fully grasp it. She said the backlash was something she never fully understood. The 42-year-old actress further noted that age-gap criticism has been around for ages and felt it had little to do with her personally, per Entertainment Weekly.
“It is something that… We’ve done this to women for a long time. Why is it? I don’t know. People were f‑‑‑ing pissed,” she recalled.
Olivia Wilde pointed out that a big part of the hate stemmed from a “parasocial relationship” with the “Watermelon Sugar” hitmaker. She revealed that the criticism surprised her because, behind the scenes, their connection was nothing but beautiful.
“It’s almost like the happiness made them mad,” the “In Time” actress said. “I would go to his shows and dance, and people were like, ‘Oh! How could she? … How dare you dance and smile?’” she added.
Since their breakup, Olivia Wilde has moved on with art dealer Caspar Jopling. Harry Styles, on the other hand, recently announced his engagement to Zoë Kravitz.
