There’s a certain degree of juvenile scrutiny one might expect when you start dating a man famed for belonging to the biggest boy band of the century. ‘Fandoms’ that worship boybands are often the most intense, sometimes vicious, communities - built by teenagers who adorned their walls with posters of specific members, and Harry Styles was undoubtedly the most appealing (his solo career a testament to that.)
It's likely that Olivia Wilde walked into her relationship with Harry aware she would become the subject of reddit community threads and harassment on her own social media. But could she ever expect the tsunami of takedowns that have happened since? The immediate assumptions that she must’ve been unfaithful in her marriage, the implications that her age, 38, makes her an inappropriate partner for a man 10 years her junior – as if men don’t date women half their age without batting an eye.
Then came the rumours about on-set hostility between her and Florence Pugh – again centred on assumptions about her relationship with Harry. People began nit-picking every move she made while making Don’t Worry Daring. Did she fire Shia LeBeouf before or after allegations of abuse came out against him? Did she protect Florence well enough? Was she blinded by her relationship with Harry? Questions, questions, questions that would never be asked of a male director – but we’ve made that point before.
Now, this charade is becoming even more sinister. An anonymous nanny has given an interview to the Daily Mail, detailing various scandalous allegations about Olivia’s marriage to Jason Sudeikis. Olivia and Jason have two children, daughter Daisy, 5, and son Otis, 8.
From screenshots of alleged texts between the nanny and the former couple, to the bold claim that Olivia ended her marriage after she began dating Harry, one allegation even included Jason lying under Olivia’s car so she ‘wouldn’t leave’. According to the nanny, Jason was upset because Olivia was leaving with a salad she’d prepared for Harry with a ‘special dressing’.
‘She went back into the house, and he went in, it was back and forth. He said he was doing it on purpose to make her late going to see Harry,’ the nanny alleged.
Now, Olivia and Jason have been forced to issue a joint statement denying the accusations. ‘As parents, it is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of our two young children would choose to make such false and scurrilous accusations about us publicly,’ they said. ‘Her now 18-month long campaign of harassing us, as well as loved ones, close friends, and colleagues, has reached its unfortunate apex. We will continue to focus on raising and protecting our children with the sincere hope that she will now choose to leave our family alone.’
The united front came as a surprise to many, particularly after rumours of tension between Olivia and Jason began when she was served divorce papers publicly, on stage during a presentation at CinemaCon, by a legal representative for her ex.
‘I hated that this nastiness distracted from the work of so many different people and the studio that I was up there representing,’ Olivia said of the incident recently. ‘To try to sabotage that was really vicious. But I had a job to do; I’m not easily distracted. But, you know, sadly, it was not something that was entirely surprising to me. I mean, there’s a reason I left that relationship.’
Our relationship was over long before I met Harry.
She has also categorically denied leaving Jason for Harry. ‘The complete horses*** idea that I left Jason for Harry is completely inaccurate,’ Wilde told Vanity Fair last month. ‘Our relationship was over long before I met Harry. Like any relationship that ends, it doesn’t end overnight. Unfortunately, Jason and I had a very bumpy road, and we officially dissolved the relationship towards the beginning of the pandemic.’
There’s clearly a lot of complicated, moving parts that go into each of these scandals, and by result a balancing act Olivia must do to protect her children, her career and maintain the promise of a new relationship. So, for Olivia and Jason to put their own issues aside to jointly deny the nanny’s claims says a lot. But the reaction to it is also telling - few appear to believe them. And after all we’ve detailed so far, one must wonder: why would they?
The power of the campaign against Olivia is strong, her reputation has slowly been picked apart by each tabloid tittle ever since she began dating Harry. It’s put her directorial career at risk, undoubtedly affected her public image and the opportunities that come it, likely tumbling into her personal life and that of her children. When women are so rarely taken seriously, believed, or given the benefit of the doubt, it only takes a whispered rumour to topple a meticulously built career.
And that’s what Olivia had been doing. Her early fame on shows like The O.C. and House had taken a backseat for Broadway accolades in recent years, building a career behind-the-scenes and making her breakthrough directorial debut with the award-winning Booksmart. Suddenly, all eyes were on Olivia and what was next from the director-of-the-moment. When you consider the effort Olivia has put into honing her craft, creating a portfolio of credible and acclaimed work, she was reaching the peak of her career when all this began.
The timing is questionable then. Perhaps this all would’ve happened without the initial backlash of a faction of Harry Styles’ fandom. Perhaps the sexism embedded in Hollywood would’ve ensured rumours of catfights and marriage breakdowns would spread like wildfire anyway. But where this started, and why it began, is largely irrelevant – what we must now ask ourselves is where it ends.
Are we to lament every detail of Olivia’s personal life as if it has any bearing over her ability to produce incredible entertainment? Are we to sensationalise every on-set squabble that if occurring at any other workplace wouldn’t raise an eyebrow? Or can we move on from the misogynistic focus on Olivia, who appears to have become the women of the moment that the public love to hate. Because even if all the rumours about her were true, they wouldn’t warrant this kind-of intense, career takedown that seems never-ending. So, when can we see past the sexism-lined gossip and let it go, and can it be now?