Sophia Bush Denies Affair Claims, Details Romance With Ashlyn Harris

Sophia Bush has directly addressed persistent claims that her relationship with her wife, Ashlyn Harris, began as an extramarital affair. Bush stated that she and Harris, both recently divorced, began dating in October 2023, the same month Harris announced her split from former soccer player Ali Krieger.

Bush herself filed for divorce from her second husband, Grant Hughes, in August 2023, after a marriage of 13 months. The close timing of these events fueled speculation that Bush and Harris, 41 and 44 respectively, had cheated on their former spouses.

In a recent interview on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, Bush described her first date with Harris, emphasizing that "two people who had filed for divorce and lived in separate residences from their exes went to dinner." She acknowledged regrets about how she and Harris were first publicly seen together, telling host Alex Cooper, "Everybody wishes they could have done a million things differently at the time." Bush elaborated, "Do I wish that instead of flying home and stopping in New York 'cause 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."

Bush and Harris secretly married over the summer of 2025 in upstate New York, a detail revealed in Bush's memoir. Bush explained her decision to keep their legal status private, stating, "When you get to this stage in your life, you begin to unpack what’s yours and what’s always sort of been for everyone else." She eventually decided to disclose their marriage after growing tired of referring to Harris as her "partner," telling Harris, "You're not my partner, you know? You're my wife. And it feels so amazing to say that."

Bush, who was previously married to "One Tree Hill" co-star Chad Michael Murray from 2005 to 2006, also revealed she was the one who proposed to Harris. Their wedding was an intimate backyard ceremony followed by dinner.

Bush and Harris first met in 2019, but Bush maintained their romantic relationship did not begin until after their respective marriages had ended. Despite these assertions, Bush faced accusations of being a "homewrecker" when romance rumors started. She previously denied these allegations, stating in a "Glamour" essay that she had been subjected to "blatant lies and violent threats" and that "a lot of effort was made to be graceful with other people's processing, their time and obligations, and their feelings."

Harris, a former U.S. Women's National Soccer Team player who competed in the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups, also shared her approach to navigating the public scrutiny. She emphasized the importance of being a "good human during a really hard season that became very public" and of never speaking ill of the mother of her children in front of them.

Bush and Harris made their public debut as a couple in April 2024 at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Shortly before this, Bush publicly identified as "queer" in a magazine essay, where she also addressed assumptions that her past relationships were solely heterosexual until her realization of attraction to women. She clarified that her previous partners were aware of her broader attractions.

Harris and Krieger, who were married in 2019, have two children: daughter Sloane and son Ocean. Bush and Harris's relationship timeline became a focal point after both filed for divorce from their respective spouses within months of each other.