Wilde frames her relationship with Styles as genuinely sweet and domestic, describing it as "the loveliest relationship" that existed in a protective bubble them from the chaos. She wants audiences to see they had real joy during that period.
Sources say the 10-year age gap fueled relentless criticism, with Wilde specifically targeted for attending Styles' concerts and dancing—behavior deemed scandalous enough to earn her slut-shaming from concertgoers who recognized her in the crowd.
Variety reported on June 17, 2026 that Wilde appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast during her press tour for "The Invite." She revealed: "I think that people were mad. It's almost like the happiness made them mad. I would go to shows and dance, and people were like, 'You slut! How dare you dance and smile?'"
Wilde's confession confirms what we suspected all along—the internet didn't just disapprove of her romance with Styles, they weaponized their judgment to make her life miserable. Sometimes the villain edit is just... a woman living her life.
Olivia Wilde has finally pulled back the curtain on one of pop culture's most scrutinized romances, and she's not holding back. The actress-director appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast during her press tour for "The Invite," where she addressed the chaos surrounding her relationship with Harry Styles—and admitted she regrets staying silent while it all went down. During the interview, Wilde revealed she felt completely disconnected from how the media portrayed her during the tumultuous 2022 release of "Don't Worry Darling." The film—starring Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, and then-boyfriend Styles—was plagued by controversy almost immediately.
Wilde was served custody papers while presenting the first footage at CinemaCon, setting off a chain reaction of speculation that would dog her for months. "I never felt more disconnected from the person that people were talking about," she said. "It was also very strange to see complete fiction traded as fact." She explained that handlers advised against publicly defending herself, advice she now questions: "I think that my own attempt to be strong and to kind of like rise above it in a way came off as inauthentic." The Venice Film Festival became ground zero for the drama.
Not only did rumors of a Wilde-Pugh clash reach fever pitch when the two didn't pose for photos together, but an infamous moment captured what appeared to be Chris Pine spitting on Styles—his representative called such claims "a complete fabrication," but the damage was already done. Yet despite the public madness, Wilde insists her private life told a very different story: "There was all this public madness, but my private life was very far from it...
I had a lot of real joy and love and happiness during that time." She compared the experience to being inside a calm house while a tornado raged outside—complete with flying cows and tractors. But here's where Wilde gets really candid. According to her, the online hatred predated "Don't Worry Darling" itself—all because she was dating Styles.
"People were fucking pissed," she said flatly during the interview. The 10-year age gap between them only added fuel to the fire: "It really did upset people... It was crazy.
I don't know how much I understand it yet." She acknowledged that Styles' intense parasocial fanbase carried a "weighty" burden, one she doesn't envy him for bearing. But perhaps most damning is what happened when Wilde attended his concerts—ostensibly the supportive girlfriend just trying to enjoy some music: "I would go to shows and dance, and people were like, 'You slut! How dare you dance and smile?' It really did upset people, though." So what's the real tea from all this?
Wilde maintains that her romance with Styles was exactly as wholesome as it appeared—"the loveliest relationship," "so sweet and so beautiful and really, actually, very domestic and kind and lovely." She believes they successfully created a protective bubble where judgment couldn't reach them. But that bubble existed in direct contrast to the fury waiting outside it—a fury that apparently had nothing to do with her work as a filmmaker and everything to do with daring to be happy while dating one of the world's most famous pop stars. Wilde's willingness to finally name this dynamic suggests she's done letting others write her narrative, scandal or otherwise.
