Highlights
- Sophia Bush faced scrutiny for dating women after her past with male co-stars, raising questions about her sexuality and relationship history.
- Fans criticized Bush's relationship with Ashlyn Harris, labeling her as a homewrecker due to timing and previous marriages.
- Despite backlash, Bush clarified that she never cheated on her ex-husbands.
Throughout Sophia Bush's time in the spotlight, her love life has been talked about on many occasions. One of the reasons for that is Bush has dated several of her former co-stars over the years. After all, Bush had a complicated on-and-off relationship with Jesse Lee Soffer, and continuing to work with Chad Michael Murray after their divorce was a problem.
In 2023, Bush's love life wound up in the spotlight again once she announced she was dating Ashlyn Harris. Even though Bush has talked about kissing female co-stars before, the fact that she was dating a woman made some of her fans question her past relationships.
This article will look at why fans questioned Sophia Bush's past relationships after she began dating Ashlyn Harris. Then, the article will look at why there was a fierce backlash to Bush and Harris' relationship.
Why Sophia Bush's Relationship With Ashlyn Harris Made Some People Question Her Entire Relationship History
After Sophia Bush rose to fame thanks to starring in the teen drama One Tree Hill, she got involved with three of her co-stars. Bush dated James Lafferty and Austin Nichols after she married Chad Michael Murray, only to divorce him within months.
On top of Bush and Murray's marriage quickly ending, their relationship blew up amid a slew of tabloid headlines. Thanks to the explosive nature of Bush and Murray's divorce, many fans quickly started to feel like Bush was unlucky in love.
Years later, Bush got married and quickly divorced once again. Shortly after that second divorce, Bush revealed that she was dating Ashlyn Harris. That was the first time that the public learned that Bush was dating a woman.
In response to the news of Bush's relationship with Harris, some observers assumed that her past relationships failed because she should have been with women.
In reality, the fact that Bush has spoken about being happy with Harris doesn't inherently mean that Bush's past relationships with men were doomed. After all, Bush could be attracted to men, women, and non-binary people and find happiness with people from any of those groups.
Who has Sophia Bush been involved with, according to Who's Dated Who?
Relationship: | Start: | Finish: |
|---|---|---|
Chad Michael Murray | October 2002 | September 2005 |
Jon Foster | July 2006 | June 2007 |
James Lafferty | May 2008 | April 2009 |
Austin Nichols | January 2009 | February 2012 |
Dan Fredinburg | January 2013 | February 2014 |
Jesse Lee Soffer | May 2014 | June 2015 |
Grant Hughes | May 2020 | August 2023 |
Ashlyn Harris | June 2023 | Still Together |
Sophia Bush Made It Clear She Had No Interest In Pursuing A Friendship With Chad Michael Murray After One Tree Hill
Sophia Bush has “nothing good to say” to her former One Tree Hill co-star Chad Michael Murray.In April 2024, Glamour published an article about Bush's life now and what led to her relationship with Harris. As a part of that article, Bush addressed what led to her and Grant Hughes getting divorced less than two years after their marriage. While discussing that topic, Bush stated it is wrong to assume her past relationships were doomed from the start.
"The ones who said I’d left my ex because I suddenly realized I wanted to be with women—my partners have known what I’m into for as long as I have (so that’s not it, y’all, sorry!).”
While those comments begin by referring directly to her failed marriage to Grant Hughes, they clearly apply to all of her past relationships with men. After all, Bush told Glamour that all of her past partners were aware that the famed actor was attracted to women.
That comment does beg an interesting question though. Has Sophia Bush said anything to give her fans a better idea of what her sexuality is?
Stephen Colletti’s Life Changed Forever After One Tree Hill Ended, Here’s What He's Really Doing Now
One Tree Hill star Stephen Colletti has had a packed schedule since the teen drama ended in 2012.During Glamour's aforementioned 2024 piece about Bush, she revealed how she would describe her sexuality. While Bush didn't outline what kind of people she is attracted to, she did explain the word she would use to describe herself.
"I think I’ve always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum. Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. I can’t say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great."
As a part of the same piece, Bush explained how she has felt welcomed by the LGBTQIA+ community.
"I’ve experienced so much safety, respect, and love in the queer community, as an ally all of my life, that, as I came into myself, I already felt it was my home."
Sophia Bush Was Labeled A Homewrecker Due To Her Relationship With Ashlyn Harris
When Sophia Bush has spoken publicly about her relationship with Ashlyn Harris, she has often seemed to be overjoyed. As a result, it may seem surprising that Bush has faced a pretty fierce backlash to her relationship with Harris.
Did Jesse Lee Soffer Date Anyone After His Complicated Relationships With Sophia Bush And Torrey DeVitto?
Chicago P.D. fans want to know all about Jesse Lee Soffer's current relationship status.The reason why many people have called out Bush's relationship with Harris is that some have labeled the former One Tree Hill a homewrecker.
Before Harris got involved with Bush, she was married to Ali Krieger for many years. Based on the timing of when Harris filed to divorce Krieger and Bush decided to leave her second marriage, many observers believed they cheated on their exes.
According to Who's Dated Who, Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger began dating in 2015. The former couple then got engaged in September 2018 and were married from December 2019 until Harris filed for divorce in October 2023. The former couple also notably adopted two children together before their marriage ended.
In fact, the backlash became so extreme that Harris spoke out to deny there was an affair in a November 2023 Instagram post. “People have run with a narrative that’s unbearably painful. Not all marriages last forever. Ours did not. For many reasons. Let me be clear: I did not step out on my marriage. I was always faithful in my marriage, if not always totally happy."
During the aforementioned Glamour piece about her, Bush addressed how brutal homewrecker rumors were. "What felt like seconds after I started to see what was in front of me, the online rumor mill began to spit in the ugliest ways. There were blatant lies. Violent threats. There were accusations of being a home-wrecker."
Bush then went on to definitively state that she never cheated on her husband with Harris.
Bush brought up the perception that some had that she "left [her] marriage based on some hysterical rendezvous". She then clarified, "that, to be crystal-clear" any belief she cheated on her husband, "never happened".
