Olivia Wilde Needed ‘Therapy’ After Getting Served On Stage

Olivia Wilde is reflecting on one of the most challenging moments in her life.

The sensational actress faced a significant hurdle in 2022, which made her a topic of discussion for months. Although she handled the situation like a professional, the aftermath weighed heavily on her behind closed doors.

The issue stemmed from Olivia Wilde’s ex-fiancé, actor Jason Sudeikis, serving her legal papers while she was on stage. The former couple shares two children, son Otis, and daughter Daisy.

Wilde poured her heart out in a June 17 podcast appearance, sharing more about the most unforgettable moment in her life and career. She was on stage promoting her movie, “Don’t Worry Darling,” at the 2022 CinemaCon when her speech was rudely interrupted by an envelope.

She had been served with legal papers connected to the custody of her two children with Sudeikis at what should have been her big moment as a director. Wilde described the moment as “one of the most f-cked up things” she had ever experienced on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, adding:

“It was incredibly traumatizing. There’s so many elements to that. But I get through it because, weirdly, as women, we’re taught to muscle through the most insane experiences.”

The Filmmaker Broke Down Despite Handling The Situation On Stage

Wilde confessed that she wasn’t the epitome of calm and composed at that moment, recalling that she pushed herself to complete her speech and exit the stage before breaking down. She recalled dissolving into a puddle backstage and hoping no one saw what happened. 

Despite her wishes, the news broke the next day with a video capturing the moment she was served papers on stage. Then the actress hoped the news wouldn’t spread, but got her hopes crushed two months later by Tom Cruise, who sympathized with her situation.

As for how she handled the aftermath, Wilde explained that she had to remove herself from what she felt was “a tornado.” She stepped back from the spotlight and focused on growing behind the scenes with some professional help. In the entertainer’s words:

“I did a sh-t ton of therapy. I took it as an opportunity to rebuild myself at this point in my life. And I think there is value to that.”

Olivia Wilde Doesn’t Know If Her Ex-Fiancé Planned The Shocking Moment

When asked if she ever got clarity about whether Sudeikis had intentionally planned to serve her legal documents on stage, Wilde said no. She confirmed her ex-fiancé denied staging the humiliating scene and chose to believe him for the sake of their co-parenting relationship.

Wilde added that she knew attorneys were capable of doing “f-cked up” things; however, she knew people were “never their best selves when they’re engaging in that kind of process.” She doubled down on the incident being “f-cked up in so many ways” and believed the outcome similarly hurt Sudeikis.

“I know it really hurt him to see it happening to me. Like, I think it was undeniable that it was, like, a f-cked up thing, and I know he felt very, very bad that it happened to me,” the filmmaker shared. She reiterated that she needed a lot of therapy to move on, noting she still got professional help.

The Independent Spirit Award Honoree Once Described The Moment As ‘Vicious’

The podcast wasn’t the first time Wilde addressed the shocking incident, as she spoke to Variety about what happened in a 2022 interview. At the time, the film director was still seething in anger, hating how the “nastiness” had distracted people from the work presented at CinemaCon.

“To try to sabotage that was really vicious,” she quipped, hinting at the legal confrontation being one of her ex’s schemes. The actress claimed she was not entirely surprised by getting served legal papers on stage, noting, “There’s a reason I left that relationship.”

Besides feeling regretful about how things turned out at CinemaCon, Wilde was also upset by how the incident impacted her kids. She claimed they were hurt by the situation, admitting it was “deeply painful” to watch her children get dragged into the spotlight.

Olivia Wilde And Jason Sudeikis’ Relationship Timeline

Wilde and Sudeikis met for the first time in 2011 at a “Saturday Night Live” finale party. That same year, they sparked dating rumors after they were spotted sitting side-by-side at a baseball game. A year later, the actress confirmed she was living with the comedian.

Their romance quickly heated up with Sudeikis proposing in January 2013, nearly two years after their first meeting. He popped the big question with a 1920s Parisian engagement ring that featured a circle of emeralds around a center diamond, per PEOPLE.

Their son Otis was born in April 2014, and their daughter, Daisy, in October 2016. Four years later, Wilde and Sudeikis ended their engagement in November 2020. After the public legal confrontation, a source claimed the exes were no longer on speaking terms.