Jason Sudeikis calls Olivia Wilde breakup 'more complicated' than coverage
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The gist
Actor Jason Sudeikis said coverage of his split from director Olivia Wilde missed 'a million little things.'
The remarks revive a years-old breakup as Wilde's directing career moves forward.
Background
Olivia Wilde is an actress turned director, 42, known for the TV series 'House' and for directing 'Booksmart,' 'Don't Worry Darling' and 'The Invite.' Jason Sudeikis is the 'Ted Lasso' actor who was her fiancé and father of her two children; the two began dating in 2011 and news of their split broke in November 2020 after a seven-year engagement. The story is trending now because Sudeikis discussed the breakup on the 'Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso' podcast in October 2026, days after Wilde spoke about it on the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast in June 2026, while Wilde's new directing projects are in the news.
How it unfolded
- 2011Wilde and Sudeikis began dating after meeting at a 'Saturday Night Live' party.
- Nov 2020News of their split broke after a seven-year engagement.
- Apr 2022Wilde was handed custody-related documents onstage while presenting 'Don't Worry Darling' at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
- Jun 2026Wilde discussed the breakup on the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast.
- Oct 18, 2026Sudeikis discussed the split on the 'Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso' podcast.
- Oct 21, 2026Samara Weaving joined the cast of 'Naughty,' which Wilde is directing for Universal; EL PAÍS also published a profile of Wilde tied to 'The Invite.'
- Oct 22, 2026Kate Berlant and John Early joined the cast of 'Naughty.'
- Oct 23, 2026'The Invite' was streaming on HBO Max.
Who’s saying what
- Sudeikis
- Sudeikis said coverage of the split missed 'a million little things' and that such situations are 'always more complicated, more human' than binary right and wrong.
- Sudeikis
- He praised Wilde's work, saying she loves what she does, has always been talented, and 'I'm thrilled for her.'
- Wilde
- Wilde described being served custody papers at CinemaCon as 'incredibly traumatizing,' and said Sudeikis told her he did not know where she would be served and felt 'very, very bad' about it.
- Sudeikis
- Sudeikis has maintained he had no knowledge of how or when the papers would be served.
Still unverified
Rumors that lead actress Florence Pugh had a strained relationship with Wilde and was unhappy with displays of affection between the director and Styles during filming; and the 'supposedly viral incident' in which Styles appeared to spit on Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival.