Lucy Hale has defended a reunion video with former Pretty Little Liars co-star Ian Harding after viewers criticised the pair for recreating a moment associated with their characters' controversial teacher-student relationship.
The actors shared the nostalgic clip over the weekend of 24–25 October 2026 while promoting their forthcoming Christmas film, 12 Dates of Christmas. The video recreated an early scene featuring Hale's Aria Montgomery and Harding's Ezra Fitz, with Harding lifting Hale into his arms.
Hale captioned the post, 'A little older and wiser but the same two idiots!' and teased the film with '12 dates of Christmas comin soon. Like really sooon. Info sooon.' Some viewers welcomed the reunion, while others objected to the reference to Aria and Ezra's fictional romance.
Viewers Challenge the Aria and Ezra Reference
In the pilot of Pretty Little Liars, 16-year-old Aria meets Ezra before discovering that he is her high school English teacher. Their relationship continued throughout the series, culminating in their marriage in the finale.
The fictional pairing attracted renewed criticism after Hale and Harding recreated their early on-screen encounter. One Instagram commenter wrote, 'It's 2026. We don't romanticize that couple anymore.' Another questioned why the actors were revisiting a romance between a teenage student and a teacher in his twenties.
Other comments accused the post of glamorising the characters' relationship, while fans who enjoyed the original series expressed excitement at seeing the actors together again. The response reflected a broader debate among viewers about how the drama portrayed Aria and Ezra's relationship.
The series, adapted from Sara Shepard's novels, premiered in 2010 and ended in 2017 after seven seasons. Its mystery centred on a group of teenage friends targeted by an anonymous tormentor known as 'A'. The Aria and Ezra storyline ran alongside the programme's central threats, secrets and investigations.
The criticism concerned the fictional relationship and its portrayal on television, not allegations of misconduct against Hale or Harding.
'Storyline Did Not Age Well'
Hale addressed the criticism in an Instagram Story that later expired. Entertainment accounts subsequently circulated her remarks. She acknowledged the objections while explaining why she had posted the reunion video.
'I'm obviously seeing a lot of the comments, and I just want to say that two realities can be very true,' Hale said. She described the Aria and Ezra storyline as 'problematic' and said it 'did not age well'.
Hale said she and Harding had become friends while working on the programme and had known each other for almost 20 years. 'The video was actually more about Ian and I's friendship, not glamorizing anything,' she explained.
The actress also suggested she might delete the clip after reading the responses. Her comments separated her affection for a longtime colleague from the fictional relationship their characters portrayed.
Hale had previously revisited the storyline when discussing how perceptions of the programme had changed. In earlier public remarks, she said she had not considered its broader themes in the same way when she was first cast, but understood why viewers now questioned the teacher-student romance.
Harding has also addressed the role. In his 2017 book Odd Birds, he referred to Ezra as 'America's most beloved pedophile' and wrote about the 'obvious ethical issues' of a teacher dating a minor who was also his student. The actor made those remarks while reflecting on playing the fictional character, rather than describing real-life conduct.
New Film Brings Co-Stars Back Together
The reunion video promoted 12 Dates of Christmas, a new holiday film bringing Hale and Harding back together nearly a decade after Pretty Little Liars ended. Hale said the project was coming soon but did not announce a specific release date in the social media post.
Her caption referred to the forthcoming film as '12 dates of Christmas', while some coverage used the longer wording Twelve Dates of Christmas. The title used in Hale's own promotion was 12 Dates of Christmas.
The reunion also drew on the actors' shared history as Aria and Ezra. Their original series made them familiar faces to viewers across seven seasons, and the recreated moment was immediately recognisable to fans of the programme.
After the criticism, Hale maintained that her purpose was to celebrate the friendship she and Harding developed during filming. She acknowledged objections to the fictional romance while continuing to promote their new screen project.
