Actress Sophia Bush has formally denied ongoing public speculation that her relationship with her wife, retired soccer star Ashlyn Harris, began as an extramarital affair. Speaking on the October 21 episode of Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast while promoting her new memoir, the 44-year-old actress clarified the timeline of their romance, stating that both women were separated from their former spouses and living in separate residences before going on their first date in late 2023.
The clarification addresses years of intense tabloid scrutiny that began in October 2023, when news of their courtship broke shortly after both women announced the end of their previous marriages. According to Page Six, when Cooper asked directly whether she could confidently state there was no romantic overlap, Bush immediately responded, "I can say that."
Clarifying the 2023 Relationship Timeline
The public controversy surrounding the couple largely stemmed from the rapid succession of their respective divorce filings and their subsequent romantic debut. Bush married entrepreneur Grant Hughes in 2022 and filed for divorce in August 2023 after 13 months of marriage. During her podcast appearance, the "One Tree Hill" and "Chicago P.D." alum noted that in hindsight, she knew the marriage was not meant to be and wished she had trusted her instincts sooner.
Around the same time, the 41-year-old Harris was ending her four-year marriage to fellow U.S. Women's National Team player Ali Krieger. Harris and Krieger, who wed in 2019, filed for divorce in September 2023. Just weeks later, in October 2023, media outlets confirmed that Bush and Harris were dating, sparking immediate infidelity rumors because both women were still legally married while their divorces processed.
Bush pushed back against the narrative of an illicit romance during the Wednesday interview. "Two people who had filed for divorce and lived in separate residences from their exes went to dinner," Bush explained, as reported by pennlive. Despite the public backlash, she recalled that her first date with Harris "felt like I got oxygen for the first time in my life."
From Platonic Friends to Partners
According to Bush, her connection with the former Olympian was built on years of platonic friendship rather than a sudden indiscretion. The pair first connected as mutual followers on social media in 2015 and met in person four years later in 2019. As their respective marriages ended in 2023, they bonded further through a support group for women navigating divorce, according to The Cut.
Bush explained that she only realized her feelings had shifted beyond friendship when mutual acquaintances attempted to set Harris up with someone new, prompting an unexpected wave of jealousy. Having never been in a serious relationship with a woman before, the "John Tucker Must Die" actress described a surreal two-week period post-divorce where she paced around her home processing the emotional shift.
"This whole perception like, 'Oh, they must've gotten drunk and had an affair.' Anyone who thinks that was a casual leap for me doesn't know me," Bush said on the podcast. "Suddenly, someone I never blinked at I can't breathe around. It felt like meeting a new person." She added that the realization was rooted in deep emotional connection, likening Harris to "the other piece of the puzzle."
Hindsight and the Impact of Public Scrutiny
While standing firm that the relationship was entirely above board, Bush acknowledged that the optics of their early outings fueled the public firestorm. When their split announcements were still fresh, Bush asked Harris out because she happened to be stopping in New York—near Harris' residence—and already held two tickets to a comedy show.
"Everyone wishes they could've done a million things differently at the time," Bush admitted. "Do I wish that instead of flying home and stopping in New York because I already had tickets to a comedy show and taking her on a date, I'd taken her on a date six weeks later? Yeah, of course I do. But I can't change it."
The backlash was further amplified in late 2023 when Krieger posted on Instagram that she was in her "Beyoncé Lemonade era," a reference to the singer's famous album about marital infidelity, while Krieger's brother left a pointed comment criticizing loyalty. Bush noted that the resulting speculation turned into an ugly public sport that negatively impacted both her and Harris' careers and damaged their professional credibility.
Although Bush admitted she wanted to publicly release all the private details to clear their names, she chose restraint to protect the children involved. Following their April 2024 Glamour cover story—in which Bush publicly came out as queer—the couple quietly married in the summer of 2025. Bush is now a stepmother to Harris and Krieger's two adopted children, 5-year-old daughter Sloane and 4-year-old son Ocean. Meanwhile, Krieger has been romantically linked to former soccer player Jen Beattie since 2024.
Ultimately, Bush stated she has accepted that she cannot alter the public narrative for critics who have already made up their minds. "What I can't do is change my reality for anyone else," she concluded. "I also can't be my own personal definition of insanity, which is to try the same thing over and over again with no result."
