All About Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris' Relationship

Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris started dating in the fall of 2023

Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris are starting a new chapter together.

The actress and former soccer player both went through divorces before exploring a romance with each other. Bush was married to entrepreneur Grant Hughes from 2022 to 2023, and Harris was married to fellow soccer player Ali Krieger from 2019 to 2023.

After filing for their respective divorces, the pair started dating in October 2023.

Bush later confirmed their relationship status in a conversation with Glamour’s editor-in-chief, Samantha Barry, in April 2024. The actress said that while their relationship was pushed into the public eye “without my consent,” she had done a lot of work to find peace.

“The thing that has been revealed to me is who I am and where my joy comes from,” she said. “And yeah, I would’ve loved for a lot of things to have happened a little differently, but at the end of the day, I have nothing to apologize for. The bonus of this whole journey is that I spend every day around a person that being close to is like getting shone on by the sun.”

From being each other's support system to falling in love, here’s everything to know about Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris’ relationship.

They’ve been friends for years

Bush and Harris first met in 2019, and after filing for their respective divorces, they became a support system for each other. The Drama Queens host filed for divorce from her ex-husband Hughes after 13 months of marriage in August 2023, and Harris split from her ex-wife Krieger, with whom she shares two children, in September 2023.

Bush wrote an essay for Glamour in April 2024 that detailed how the two joined a group chat with other friends who had recently split from their partners.

“For those of us who had no solution in sight or Hail Marys left, having this community changed everything,” she penned. “We really wrapped one another up in support. It was tragic and hard. But it was also beautiful.”

The Teen Choice Award winner added, “There were moments of incredible sadness because no one signs up to get married thinking it’ll end. The days when we knew people needed to laugh, we sent inspirational memes and silly TikToks. We read books written by great therapists and shared emo quotes from poets.”

Their first date was over four hours long

Though the pair had been friends for years, Bush wrote in her Glamour essay that she “didn’t expect to find love” amongst her support group. After mutual friends pointed out that she and Harris finished each other’s sentences and were “deeply affected by the same things,” Bush asked the former soccer player to have dinner.

“I don’t know how else to say it other than: I didn’t see it until I saw it,” she wrote. “It took me confronting a lot of things, what felt like countless sessions of therapy, and some prodding from loved ones, but eventually I asked Ashlyn to have a non-friend-group hang to talk about it.”

Bush added that her first date with Harris lasted over four hours and was “truly one of the most surreal experiences.”

“In hindsight, maybe it all had to happen slowly and then suddenly all at once. Maybe it was all fated,” she explained. “But I do know that for a sparkly moment I felt like maybe the universe had been conspiring for me. And that feeling that I have in my bones is one I’ll hold on to no matter where things go from here.”

They faced criticism after their relationship became public

In October 2023, a month after Harris filed for divorce, it was revealed that the athlete and Bush had begun dating. Cheating rumors swirled on social media, which caused the pair to receive criticism.

Harris later spoke out about the cyberbullying she experienced by sharing a statement on Instagram. She wrote that the online hate was “unbearably painful” and had “devastated my mental health.”

“Several weeks ago, a process that had been ongoing privately for some time became public. Ending a relationship after almost 13 years of friendship, teammate-ship, marriage and co-parenting (many of them good years) is a decision that was not made lightly,” she wrote. “The online hate that has happened since has been one of the most personally devastating experiences of my life.”

Harris also opened up about the speculation that surrounded her split with Krieger. “People have run with a narrative that’s unbearably painful. Not all marriages last forever. Ours did not. For many reasons,” she wrote. “Let me be clear: I did not stay out of my marriage. I was always faithful in my marriage, if not always totally happy. Like in many partnerships, there was work in therapy and processing done. None of this happened on a whim.”

In her April 2024 essay for Glamour, Bush shared her feelings on the public’s response to her divorce and eventual relationship with Harris.

“People looking in from the outside weren’t privy to just how much time it took, how many painful conversations were had. A lot of effort was made to be graceful with other people’s processing, their time and obligations, and their feelings,” she wrote.

Bush continued, explaining the timeline of her relationships: “The idea that I left my marriage based on some hysterical rendezvous—that, to be crystal-clear, never happened— ... Rather than realizing I had to be the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, on a public stage, despite being terrified to my core? It feels brutal.”

They made their public debut at an Oscars party in March 2024

Bush and Harris made their public debut as a couple at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's annual Oscars viewing party in March 2024. At the event, the couple posed for photos with friends, including actor Eric McCormack and Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk.

They have a lot of famous friends

Between the actress and former soccer player, their circle of friends is star-studded.

They've grown close to Vice President Kamala Harris — mingling with her on several occasions, including at a women in sports event in March 2024. That same month, Bush and Harris attended pal Ruby Rose’s birthday party.

A source told PEOPLE that the pair arrived at Rose’s bash together and “were very sweet” with each other. "They were very affectionate and shared kisses throughout the night,” the insider shared. “They seem very, very happy.”

They made their red carpet debut in April 2024

Bush and Harris walked their first red carpet as a couple at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C. The pair, who coordinated in black ensembles with gold adornments, were all smiles as they posed for photos together.

Bush is “in awe” of how Harris handled herself post-divorce

Despite a tumultuous beginning to their relationship, Bush wrote in her essay for Glamour that she admires how Harris has maintained her character.

“I don’t believe it’s my place to discuss details of Ashlyn’s circumstances or her children, but I will say that I am absolutely in awe of her relentless integrity,” she penned. “The way she prioritizes and centers her kids, not only in her life but in the core of her being, is breathtaking to behold.”

Bush also discussed how being in a relationship with Harris changed her dynamic with her mom for the better.

“Falling in love with her has sutured some of my own childhood wounds, and made me so much closer to my own mother,” she wrote. “Seeing Ashlyn choose to not simply survive, but thrive, for her babies has been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed a friend do. And now I get to love her. How lucky am I?”

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