
Olivia Wilde is opening up about her co-parenting relationship with ex Jason Sudeikis, admitting that raising their two children together hasn’t always been easy.
The 42-year-old actress and director discussed her relationship with Sudeikis in an interview with The New York Times published November 14, six years after the former couple ended their engagement.
Wilde and Sudeikis share two children, son Otis Alexander, 12, and daughter Daisy Josephine, 10.
“I really take pride in how good we are at co-parenting our kids in my family. We have reached this healthy equilibrium. It’s so hard,” Wilde said.
The “Don’t Worry Darling” star also addressed the idea that former couples can easily adjust to parenting separately.
“Anyone who pretends it’s easy — like, ‘Oh, you just consciously uncouple, and then you find a way’ — that’s BS,” she said.
“I feel relieved that I’m able to give them a life with parents where there’s a real sense of authenticity in terms of how everyone’s feeling and doing.”
Olivia Wilde Reveals Why Her Split From Jason Sudeikis Was So Difficult
Wilde said she struggled with the decision to end her relationship with Sudeikis, particularly because they had children together.
“It feels like a failure when you can’t make a relationship work, particularly if it’s with the person you have children with,” she explained.
The actress said she eventually realized that staying together wasn’t necessarily the best decision for their family.
“That is by far the most difficult, painful decision I’ve ever made in my life, to understand that it was not better for my kids to live in a house where their parents were not aligned.”
Wilde also discussed how children recognize tension between their parents, even when adults attempt to hide it.
“When you’re trying to hide it from your kids, they sense it. They’re the most intuitive people in the house,” she said.
“And then people start to feel, like, What is real? Because I can tell that something’s being performed for me. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
Wilde and Sudeikis were engaged for seven years before separating in 2020. The former couple never married.
Inside Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis’ Custody Battle
Wilde and Sudeikis went through a difficult custody battle after their split, including an incident in April 2022 when Wilde was served legal papers while speaking onstage at CinemaCon.
A source told Page Six that Wilde was mortified by what happened.
“It seemed unthinkable to her, and it took a moment to set in, but as mortifying as it was, she did not want to give a reaction,” the insider said.
The former couple settled their custody dispute in 2023, with Sudeikis agreeing to pay Wilde $27,500 per month in child support.
Wilde Revealed the Conversation That Led to Their Breakup
During a June 2026 appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Wilde recalled a conversation with Sudeikis that made her realize their relationship was over.
She explained that they had grown apart before a conversation following a birthday party brought their problems into focus.
Wilde recalled asking Sudeikis whether he had purchased a birthday present for her.
“He said, ‘What would I get you Olivia? I don’t know you,'” she recalled.
“And he wasn’t wrong. We didn’t know each other anymore.”
Wilde said the exchange helped them acknowledge that their relationship had reached its end.
“That was when we realized it was over, and it was (expletive) tough,” she said.
“It brought us to the place of, like, ‘OK, this is done. We’re going to end this.'”
Wilde has since moved on romantically, and after a long-term relationship with Harry Styles, she is currently dating British art dealer Caspar Jopling.
Olivia Wilde Makes Rare Admission About Co-Parenting With Jason Sudeikis After Difficult Split