Harry Styles & Olivia Wilde’s Split Was Reportedly Triggered By Those Florence Pugh Fighting Rumors
December 12, 2022 by Marissa Matozzo
This article has been updated since its initial publish date to include new information.
Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde are reportedly taking a break from their relationship after two years together. Insider sources close to the “As It Was” hitmaker, 28, and Don’t Worry Darling director, 38, allegedly revealed to People Magazine last month that the two are in different places career-wise, and physically, as Styles is on tour. Wilde, they added, lives in Los Angeles with her two children; son Otis, 8, and daughter Daisy, 6, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Jason Sudeikis, 47.
Last week, a source allegedly tipped off the New York Daily News and noted that there may be more to the story as to why they broke up. The insider described the “Watermelon Sugar” crooner to be a “very positive, chilled-out person,” and stressed that the “constant stories about Florence Pugh and Wilde fighting drove him nuts.” They went on, “It kind of took the air out of their romance.” Pugh, 26, starred as the leading lady in Don’t Worry Darling, and countless rumors of a rift between her and Wilde circulated online during the film’s press tour this fall.
Speaking to People Magazine in November, one of the earlier sources dished of Styles and Wilde at the time, “He’s still touring and is now going abroad. She is focusing on her kids and her work in L.A.” The insider went on, stressing that Styles and Wilde’s conscious uncoupling was “a very amicable decision.” Another source supposedly echoed this when speaking to Page Six, noting that there is “no bad blood between them” and that Styles and Wilde’s relationship is the “longest relationship” that the “Late Night Talking” singer has ever had, so, the source said, “they have a special bond.”
According to Page Six, the source that sat down with them also explained that Styles is about to embark on the South American leg of his latest tour to promote his record Harry’s House, and Wilde is heading to London to film a documentary and spend time with her kids. “They’re on a break,” the source said, “It’s impossible to have a relationship when he’s in every continent next year and Olivia has her job and her kids.” The insider continued, “This is the right thing for both of them.”
Wilde was spotted dancing in the audience with her kids at Styles’ Los Angeles show last month, but the Page Six sources emphasized that by this point, the Booksmart filmmaker and musician were already preparing to be on a break. When asked why Wilde attended the Styles concert, one source reportedly replied, “They’re friends, you’ll see them together.” The second insider elaborated, “Things have been challenging for them as a couple because of Harry’s tour, while Olivia needs to spend time with her kids in London, where they are with Jason.”
Styles and Wilde— who recently found herself in a custody battle with Sudeikis— were both plagued with a plethora of drama while promoting the September film Don’t Worry Darling (which Wilde directed and Styles and Pugh starred in). From rumors of a feud between the couple and Pugh to social media videos in which fans commented on the “strange” body language between the pair while on the red carpet, it seems that for the past few months, many were suspecting that Styles and Wilde would probably not “make it for much longer,” as one user tweeted.
Many fans also believed that Wilde had left Sudeikis (her partner from 2011 to 2020) for Styles after meeting him on the set of the film two years ago, although she adamantly denied this in several interviews. In Wilde’s October 2022 Vanity Fair cover story, the House alum said, “The complete horses—t idea that I left Jason for Harry is completely inaccurate. Our relationship was over long before I met Harry.” She added, “Like any relationship that ends, it doesn’t end overnight.” In January of 2021, Wilde was photographed by paparazzi while holding Styles’ hand at a friend’s wedding, and the two were seemingly inseparable up until recently.
Just one day after news of her split/ break with Styles broke, Wilde graced the 13th Governors Awards red carpet at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The Tron: Legacy actress donned an elegant, layered white tulle gown with a black netted train and floral detailing from Erdem’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection. To accessorize her get-up, Wilde added sheer opera gloves and sparkled with the help of Mikimoto jewelry.
One day before, a “friend” of her and Styles said to People Magazine that “they’re still very close friends,” and right now, “they have different priorities that are keeping them apart.” This source also noted that the “public pressure on them has been difficult,” and that they’ve had “ups and downs throughout the relationship.”