Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis break up explained, as she's served custody papers from her ex on stage in Las Vegas

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis 10 year relationship ended in 2020 and she's now dating British musician and actor Harry Styles

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis during the arrivals for the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, CA.
(Image credit: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images)

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis break up after ten years together, seven of which they were engaged, came as a shock to many fans. In the years since, she has been dating British musician and actor, Harry Styles.

Rumors regarding their potential romance began after Olivia Wilde Praised Harry Styles for his behavior on the set of Don't Worry Darling, a film that she directed. She subsequently made him her male lead IRL, and it was during promotion for said film that this awkward legal move was made by her ex Jason.

Despite the struggles of splitting from a long-term relationship, especially when kids are involved, all appeared well between them. This was until she was served custody papers while appearing on stage, in front of a live audience, at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Deadline reports that an individual approached the stage, from the seats at Caesars Palace The Colosseum venue, interrupting Olivia's speech. “This is for me?” she asked, opening the manilla envelope marked, "private and confidential." Despite evidently realizing what the papers related to, she remained unruffled and finished her speech.

US director and actress Olivia Wilde holds an envelope reading "personal and confidential" as she speaks onstage during the Warner Bros. Pictures "The Big Picture" presentation during CinemaCon 2022 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 26, 2022. - When Olivia Wilde was handed a mysterious envelope on stage midway through her presentation before a packed Las Vegas audience, many assumed it was the set-up for an elaborate joke. Instead, she was getting served legal papers from her ex-partner Jason Sudeikis. "This is for me, right?" asked Wilde, interrupted while introducing footage from her upcoming thriller "Don't Worry Darling" during Warner Bros' presentation at CinemaCon, the annual movie theater industry gathering.

(Image credit: VALERIE MACON/AFP /Getty Images)

Understandably, many have been appalled by this enormously public display, regarding the custody of their two young children Otis Alexander and Daisy Josephine. After the incident, a source for Jason told Variety confirmed the content of the envelope, saying, "Papers were drawn up to establish jurisdiction relating to the children of Ms Wilde and Mr Sudeikis."

The source added that the star, "had no prior knowledge of the time or place that the envelope would have been delivered," adding, "he would never condone her being served in such an inappropriate manner.”

“Mr. Sudeikis had no prior knowledge of the time or place that the envelope would have been delivered as this would solely be up to the process service company involved and he would never condone her being served in such an inappropriate manner.”

So where did it all begin and why did it end? 


Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis relationship timeline

The pair got together in 2011, only a short time after each ended their previous marriages. Olivia had been married to filmmaker Tao Ruspoli and Jason was hitched to Kay Cannon; a writer from the hit show 30 Rock.

Page Six reports that they met at a Saturday Night Live party, it took six months before one of them made a move—and it was Olivia.

In the early days of their relationship, Olivia couldn't brag enough about how much she adored her guy. Vulture reported in 2012 that during These Girls, an event from Glamour, she delivered a monologue on oversharing. Her monologue included that she was , “blissfully, hopefully, wildly in love." She even hilariously commented about their sex drives saying they had, “sex like Kenyan marathon runners.”

Telling Allure after their engagement back in 2013 how cute she thought he was. Also, in a sign of what would come, what a great dad he would be. "Jason is fantastic with children."

They welcomed their first baby, a boy named Otis Alexander in 2014, and their second child, baby girl Daisy Josephine in 2016.

As they both became increasingly successful, with acting, directorial roles, and increasingly high profiles—it really seemed like they were set to be one of Hollywood's power couples for the foreseeable.

Fans were shaken when PEOPLE revealed their breakup, but at least the magazine made it appear they weren't about to have a dramatic, messy split. “It’s been amicable and they’ve transitioned into a great co-parenting routine,” a source told PEOPLE. “The children are the priority and the heart of the family’s relationship.”

Jason spoke of their break up, the following year in an interview with GQ, saying he didn't have full clarity as to why it ended. “I'll have a better understanding of why in a year,” he said, “and an even better one in two, and an even greater one in five, and it'll go from being, you know, a book of my life to becoming a chapter to a paragraph to a line to a word to a doodle.” 

Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde are seen in Soho on March 15, 2022 in London, England.

(Image credit: Neil Mockford/GC Images/Gett Images)

Olivia hasn't discussed the split, but she has been very open about her love for her new beau Harry. Not only have they been seen in public lots, but she told US Vogue in December 2021, "I'm happier than I've ever been. And I'm healthier than I've ever been, and it's just wonderful to feel that."

Jason has also reportedly started dating again. He has recently been linked to fellow actor Keeley Hazell, whom he first met when filming Horrible Bosses 2. Although they've been photographed kissing in public, neither have confirmed they're dating. 

Aoife Hanna
Junior News Editor

Aoife is an Irish journalist and writer with a background in creative writing, comedy, and TV production.

Formerly woman&home's junior news editor and a contributing writer at Bustle, her words can be found in the Metro, Huffpost, Delicious, Imperica and EVOKE.

Her poetry features in the Queer Life, Queer Love anthology.

Outside of work you might bump into her at a garden center, charity shop, yoga studio, lifting heavy weights, or (most likely) supping/eating some sort of delicious drink/meal.