Sophia Bush is pushing back against claims that her relationship with Ashlyn Harris overlapped with their previous marriages. Appearing on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast on Wednesday, October 21, the One Tree Hill star insisted they began dating after separating from their respective spouses.
'Two people who had filed for divorce and lived in separate residences from their exes went to dinner,' Bush, 44, said when asked whether she had filed for divorce from Grant Hughes before being linked to Harris, 41. 'Like, do I wish that instead of flying home and stopping in New York because I already had tickets to a comedy show and taking Ashlyn on a date that I'd taken her on a date six weeks later?
Yeah, of course I do. But I can't change it.'
Bush and Harris first connected on social media in 2015 and met in person four years later. Bush said she did not know the details of Harris' marital struggles with Ali Krieger, whom the former soccer star divorced in 2023.
'I wasn't, like, in the inner circle knowing what was up,' she clarified. Bush, who divorced Hughes in 2023 after 13 months of marriage, said online speculation was especially difficult because children were involved, referring to Harris' two children with Krieger.
The couple faced significant public scrutiny following their romantic pairing, with social media users questioning the timeline of their respective breakups. However, both have consistently maintained that their paths crossed only after their previous relationships had effectively ended and legal separation proceedings were well underway.
Reflecting on the nature of modern celebrity culture, Bush noted that navigating personal grief and relationship transitions in the public eye presents a unique set of challenges. She emphasized that public narratives often oversimplify complex human emotions and personal decisions.
Despite the initial online backlash, Bush and Harris have continued to build their life together, recently marking milestones in their relationship. Supporters of the couple have praised their resilience in addressing the rumors directly rather than ignoring the ongoing public discourse surrounding their personal lives.
As both stars move forward with their respective careers and shared journey, Bush's recent interview serves as a definitive statement putting the persistent timeline debates to rest. She remains focused on her professional endeavors and personal growth moving ahead.
Bush and Harris quietly tied the knot in 2025 and revealed their relationship to the public, closing a tumultuous chapter of online speculation and opening a new phase of their partnership.