Sophia Bush is facing renewed criticism after defending the timeline of her relationship with Ashlyn Harris and denying allegations that it began as an affair. Although Bush maintained that she and Harris had both filed for divorce before starting their relationship, some online commenters dismissed her explanation as 'all lies'.
During the 21 October episode of Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast, Bush shared details about the couple's private 2025 wedding. This interview comes ahead of the release of her forthcoming memoir, And I Will Tell You Mine: Notes from a Life in Progress.
Bush Rejects Affair Claims
During the podcast, Bush defended the timeline of her relationship, saying, 'Two people who had filed for divorce and lived in separate residences from their exes went to dinner'. She also expressed regret for not waiting six additional weeks before her first date with Harris, adding, 'But I can't change it. I can't change my reality for anyone else'.
She told Cooper, 'Yeah, but I'm a little chickens---, but this whole, "Must have gotten drunk and had an affair", I was like, anyone who thinks that was a casual leap for me, doesn't know me. No'. However, her comments did little to convince some social media users. One commenter dismissed her account, writing: 'LIAR LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE... the North remembers!'
Another commenter argued that Bush's explanation left room for doubt, writing, 'A lot of words to say that there was at least some affair. Bush is too well PR trained to admit too much, yet give people enough to focus on the affair instead of Peter Thiel'.
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The reference to Peter Thiel relates to a separate controversy. Sophia Bush was identified among those associated with Dialog, an invitation-only retreat network co-founded by the billionaire investor. The organisation faced scrutiny after an invitation to a 2014 retreat was forwarded to Jeffrey Epstein. However, this does not establish any connection between Bush or Thiel and Epstein.
Bush stated she attended the conference to discuss AI-generated deepfake abuse. She also addressed the controversy in a statement on 18 June 2026, writing, 'You can imagine my surprise to learn that a conference I was invited to as a guest who could counter the "it's-all-progress" narrative of this seeming runaway AI race was founded by someone you could not pay me to be in a room with, let alone charge me money to be in a room with'.
Timeline Draws Further Scrutiny
Bush and Harris first connected on Instagram in 2015 and met in person at an event in 2019. Earlier reports indicate their romantic relationship began in October 2023. However, she first confirmed it publicly in a 2024 Glamour interview, where she also came out as queer.
LIP READERS WHERE U AT?!? what did megan rapino say to sophia bush cause ashlyn literally grabs her and says hey 💀 look at the lady's face in the back! pic.twitter.com/ACicIjrdgI
— bellylint (@bellylint4) October 20, 2023
She announced her separation from Grant Hughes in August. Harris also filed for divorce from fellow footballer Ali Krieger in September that year.
A social media commenter questioned Bush's account of the relationship timeline, stating: 'She wishes she took her out 6 weeks later? Is this not her admitting that she knows the timeline is not favourable to her? Personally I needed no further convincing once it was clear that ALL of their mutual friends of many years sided with Ali'.
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Bush previously addressed the scrutiny in the same 2024 interview, rejecting claims that she left her marriage for a romantic relationship. She stated that outsiders were unaware of the private conversations and difficult decisions involved in her separation.
Proposal, Wedding and Memoir
Bush revealed that she proposed to Harris prior to their private summer 2025 wedding in upstate New York. 'I did it', she told Cooper. 'Turns out, I was never supposed to be asked, I was supposed to ask'. She declined to share details of her proposal but described the moment as 'sweet'.
The couple subsequently married in a backyard ceremony attended by Harris' two children, Sloane and Ocean. During the celebration, they prepared and smoked food, spending the day together while Bush's best friend, Nia Batts, visited with her child.
Bush described the occasion as 'the best, most perfect day' and added, 'When you kind of recover from what the public commodifying you does to you, you don't want it to happen again'.
