Actress Sophia Bush is defending comments she made on a podcast about leaving unhappy marriages, after the remarks drew sharp criticism online.
On Wednesday’s episode of Call Her Daddy, host Alex Cooper discussed Bush’s decision to divorce two husbands before marrying former professional soccer player Ashlyn Harris. Cooper said that if a woman is questioning whether leaving her marriage could improve her life, “the answer is always yes.”
Bush added to the conversation, saying, “This idea that it’s too late or you’re too old, or who are you to want more, that’s patriarchy. That is crazy. We don’t need it.”
The exchange prompted significant backlash on social media. Critics argued the comments trivialized marriage commitments, with several pointing to Bush’s own marital history, including a first marriage that lasted five months and a second that lasted 13 months before she married Harris. Other users said the advice risked encouraging people to disrupt stable family life in pursuit of something better.
One user wrote that “marriage is not a lifelong search for the best available partner” but “a commitment to building a loving relationship with the person you have chosen.” Another argued that “always seeking something better is how you miss out on what you have.”
On Friday, Bush responded on X, characterizing the backlash as coming from “trolls” reacting to “ragebait.” She wrote, “The manosphere is big mad over something one of their minions claims I said on CHD. But their rage-bait quote isn’t something I said. Nor did Alex. You’re really telling on yourselves and how much you hate a woman with agency.”
Bush did not specify how the clip or its accompanying caption misrepresented what was said. A Community Note added to the post on X stated that the reaction of most viewers matched the actual transcript of the conversation.
Bush continued her response, writing, “You are allowed to outgrow your life. You are allowed to be unhappy and make a change. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO GET WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU WANTED AND REALIZE YOU DON’T.” She added, “Adjust accordingly. You are a human being, not a checklist,” and accused critics of being part of “a whole movement of trolls that want you submissive and small and miserable.”
She went on to say, “Those people don’t care about you, they just want you to fall in line,” and suggested critics were “afraid” that her comments might resonate with others. Bush closed her response by describing the criticism as “such embarrassing beta behavior.”
