Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris were a love story waiting to happen.
Bush recalled the beginning of her relationship with Harris on the July 18 episode of her podcast, "Work in Progress," with guest Nico Tortorella.
The actor said she approached the former professional soccer player first.
“When I finally asked my partner out, which to be clear, our friends were, like, trying to set her up with someone, and I was, like, ‘If she’s ready to date, she’s f---ing going on a date with me!' Like, sorry. Uh-uh. No f---ing way," she said with a laugh.
"And people were, like, ‘Wait, what?’ And she even said to me, ‘Hold the phone. I always thought you were straight?!’ And I was like, ‘I always thought you were happy. But, like, we’re both f---ing single. What are we doing?’" Bush recalled.
"And we were f---ing cackling because I was like, 'Yeah, dude, I never looked at you as an option.' And she was like, 'I never looked at you as an option,' and it was like, well, it's 'cause we weren't options."
Bush and Harris have been linked romantically for several months following the end of their respective marriages in 2023.
Bush filed for divorce from her entrepreneur husband, Grant Hughes, in August 2023 after more than a year of marriage. Then, Harris filed for divorce from her fellow soccer pro ex-wife, Ali Krieger, in September 2023 after nearly four years of marriage.
In an April cover story for Glamour, Bush, who is known for playing Brooke Davis in “One Tree Hill,” spoke about the unexpected experience of falling in love with Harris.
“I didn’t expect to find love in this support system,” she said. “I don’t know how else to say it other than: I didn’t see it until I saw it. And I think it’s very easy not to see something that’s been in front of your face for a long time when you’d never looked at it as an option and you had never been looked at as an option. What I saw was a friend with her big, happy life. And now I know she thought the same thing about me.”
Harris and Krieger share two children: daughter Sloane, 3, and son Ocean, 1.
In the months since the end of their respective marriages, Bush and Harris have been spotted together numerous times.
Read on for a timeline of Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris’ relationship.
July 2023: Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris are photographed at a World Cup watch party.
Bush and Harris were photographed during a World Cup watch party in July 2024.
August 2023: Sophia Bush separates from husband Grant Hughes.
Former "Chicago P.D." star Bush filed for divorce from husband Grant Hughes in August 2023 after 13 months of marriage.
September 2023: Ashlyn Harris files for divorce from soccer player Ali Krieger.
Harris filed for divorce from wife Ali Krieger in September 2023 after nearly four years of marriage, according to a petition filed in Florida’s Seminole County Clerk’s Office that was obtained by NBC News.
The pair, who met as USWNT teammates in 2010, tied the knot in December 2019, and share two children: a daughter, Sloane, 3, and a son, Ocean, 1.
September to October 2023: Some celebrity news sites report that Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris are dating.
Online gossip about Bush and Harris dating began heating up in September 2023, with some celebrity news sites reporting that the pair were an item.
October 2023: Harris' ex Ali Krieger posts about being in 'my Beyoncé lemonade era' amid divorce
Krieger referenced Beyonce's infidelity-themed album "Lemonade" in an Instagram post, prompting fans to speculate if Harris had cheated on her.
“Preparing for playoffs while in my Beyoncé lemonade era,” the NJ/NY Gotham FC star wrote next to pics of her kicking a soccer ball on a field.
Beyonce's "Lemonade" album tells the story of a woman who's processing being cheated on, with songs on the album moving through emotions including suspicion, anger and resolution, and culminating in forgiveness, NBC News reported in 2016.
Many of Krieger's friends and loved ones added messages of support in the comments of her post.
“Love you and so proud of you!! These hoes ain’t loyal!! But me and your fans are," wrote the athlete's brother, social media star Kyle Krieger.
Kyle Krieger also posted a GIF of Beyonce in her yellow dress from the video for “Hold Up,” as well as lyrics from “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” one of most furious songs on “Lemonade.”
“This is your final warning, you know I give you life. If you try this s--- again, you gone lose your wife,” he wrote.
Soccer pro Alex Morgan, who has played alongside both Krieger and Harris on the U.S. women’s national soccer team, noted the many messages of support Krieger received, writing, “These comments do not disappoint.”
November 2023: Ashlyn Harris issues a statement about the end of her marriage.
Harris shared a statement about her divorce and rumors that she'd cheated on Krieger on Nov. 18, 2023, on Instagram.
“Several weeks ago, a process that had been ongoing privately for some time became public,” the athlete wrote about her September divorce filing. “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. We agreed to center our children, continue therapy, separate, and to move forward with our lives. Two happy families are always better than one unhappy one. This process is never easy, but we were making our way through.”
Harris also denied that she had been unfaithful to Krieger and called out online critics who had been bullying her in the aftermath of the couple's split.
“People have run with a narrative that’s unbearably painful. Not all marriages last forever. Ours did not. For many reasons,” she wrote. “And while I understand that the false narratives about why might feel juicer or make a better headline, they are simply not true.”
She added, “Let me be clear: I did not step out on 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. We spent the entire summer working to tackle the separation and divorce steps outlined for us by our therapists, lawyers, and our shared agency.”
January 2024: Sophia Bush reveals that the last year of her life 'changed everything.'
In early January 2024, Bush shared a candid post on Instagram that revealed that the last year of her life had “changed everything” for her.
“This past year humbled me, broke me, built me, betrayed me, freed me, and showed me what it means to really be alive," wrote the actor. "No more playing small. No more turning my back on myself. No more settling for what falls short because 'who am I to ask for more?' This year put me back in my body."
March 2024: Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris are photographed together at Elton John's Oscars party.
Months after the end of both of their marriages, Bush and Harris were photographed at their first red carpet event together when they attended pop star Elton John’s annual Oscars party.
The pair posed with former “Will & Grace” star Eric McCormack at the star-studded event.
April 2024: Sophia Bush opens up about her relationship with Ashlyn Harris for the first time.
In the April cover story for Glamour, Bush publicly spoke about her relationship with Harris for the first time.
Bush recalled that after separating from Hughes, she leaned on a group of women in the summer of 2023 who were also going through issues “in their own homes.” This group of women included Harris, who was in the process of splitting from Krieger.
“She’d been such a kind ear for those of us who opened up about our problems during a shared weekend of speaking engagements at a fancy conference in Cannes, and soon it became clear that she needed our ears too,” she said of Harris.
Bush didn’t see what was right in front of her until their mutual friends pointed out the real connection she and Harris had.
“It really took other people in our safe support bubble pointing out to me how we’d finish each other’s sentences or be deeply affected by the same things,” Bush shared. “When you’re so in the trenches of hardship — plus you have the added weight of having to go through it on a public stage — it can be hard to see anything but what’s right in front of you.”
Bush finally made the first move and asked Harris to a “non-friend-group hang” to talk about their connection, which she described as one of the most “surreal experiences” of her life.
“In hindsight, maybe it all had to happen slowly and then suddenly all at once. Maybe it was all fated. Maybe it really is a version of invisible string theory. I don’t really know. But I do know that for a sparkly moment I felt like maybe the universe had been conspiring for me,” Bush told Glamour. “And that feeling that I have in my bones is one I’ll hold on to no matter where things go from here.”
Bush also spoke about being judged for her relationship with the former athlete, saying, “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. What felt like seconds after I started to see what was in front of me, the online rumor mill began to spit in the ugliest ways,” she continued. “There were blatant lies. Violent threats. There were the accusations of being a home-wrecker. The ones who said I’d left my ex because I suddenly realized I wanted to be with women — my partners have known what I’m into for as long as I have (so that’s not it, y’all, sorry!).”
Bush added that she’s experienced so much “safety, respect, and love in the queer community.”
She explained that she’s been an ally all her life, but as she came into herself, “I already felt it was my home. I think I’ve always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum. Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. I can’t say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great.”
On April 27, Bush shared behind-the-scenes pics from the photoshoot.
Beside a video montage on Instagram, Bush wrote, “ever-evolving + still weird. thank you for the kindness, vulnerability, and the stories and journeys of your own so many of you have shared. courage is contagious. here’s to a life in progress.”
Harris commented a melting-face emoji and wrote, “you’re perfect.”
Fellow “One Tree Hill” alum Hilarie Burton commented, “Love you love you love you.”
On her Instagram story, Bush also shared reactions to the cover story, writing over one post, “free and light and scared and trembling and wouldn’t change a thing,” with a red heart emoji.
April 2024: Ashlyn Harris says she's 'proud' of Sophia Bush
A day after Bush's interview about their relationship was published, the former athlete showed her support for her new partner.
On April 26, Harris reposted Bush’s Glamour cover on her Instagram story and wrote, “Proud of you babe.”
She also added a teary-eye and melting emoji.
This marked the first time that Harris spoke out about their relationship.
Harris also shared on her own Instagram story April 27 a photo of her and Bush posing together and simply wrote, “You.”
April 2024: Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris make red carpet debut
Just days after coming out as queer in an emotional essay penned for Glamour, Bush made her red carpet debut with Harris.
The actor and former professional soccer player attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner together April 27 and posed for pictures on the red carpet. At one point, Bush leaned over and whispered something to Harris, or kissed her on the cheek.
May 2024: Sophia Bush addresses engagement rumors with Ashlyn Harris
Bush addressed internet rumors saying she is engaged to Harris in May 2024.
Fans across social media speculated that the couple were engaged due to photos taken during a recent trip to Paris.
In several snaps shared online, Bush’s left hand appeared to be concealed, leading fans to believe she was hiding an engagement ring from the public.
Bush took a moment to comment on the rumors on her Instagram story, sharing a selfie with her left hand in plain sight. The only ring visible was a simple band on her pinky finger.
“I hear the internet is being wild? Y’all. I have no ‘news’ for you,” she wrote. “But wouldn’t you put your hands all up in her jacket if you could??”
Bush added a disclaimer at the end of her message, writing, “To be clear you can’t because boundaries, but I’ll continue to do it for you because I’m just generous like that.”
In another frame, Bush shared a snap posing with Harris.
In the photo, Harris placed her hand on the small of Bush’s back while the actor tucked her left hand underneath the former soccer player’s jacket.
“I just wanna squeeeeeeeeeze her,” Bush wrote on the photo. “I get that it’s new for y’all to see me so happy and so embodied. It’s new for me too. How lucky am I.”
Bush shared one last photo on her Instagram story of her left hand with her luggage in the background.
“I hope TikTok can relax now,” she added. “Travel on, friends.”
July 2024: Ashlyn Harris celebrates Sophia Bush's birthday
On July 8, Harris celebrated Bush's 42nd birthday by writing her a sweet tribute on Instagram.
In her post, she said, “Happy birthday beautiful. I hope today feels special and full knowing how much we love you. You are such a gift in this world. To see you shine and happy fills us all up. I love your heart Soph… I love everything about you. Happy born day baby.”
Alongside her heartfelt caption, Harris shared a bunch of pictures of her and Bush.
In the comments section, Bush said she was grateful to have Harris as a partner.
“Last year I got free. This year I found the very best love in the very most unexpected place,” she wrote. “I may never get over the gift of it. Thank you for putting me back together. For making my second birthday even better than my first. And for reminding me what the sound of my unbridled laughter sounds like. You are magic. You are my best present.”
