Candid confessions. Olivia Wilde hasn’t shied away from sharing her experiences as a mother while raising her kids in the public eye.
The Don’t Worry Darling director first became a parent when she and then-fiancé Jason Sudeikis welcomed son Otis in April 2014. They later expanded their family in October 2016 with daughter Daisy.
Following her second child’s birth, Wilde opened up about juggling her career and family. “I think it’s just biting off as much as you can chew, you know, slowly and incrementally,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2019, adding that she takes it “day by day, step by step.”
The New York native added: “And I think [it’s] knowing what you’re getting yourself into.”
At the time, the filmmaker got honest about making time for date nights with Sudeikis. “We go out and have a lot of fun. We were both really social people when we met, and we didn’t want to give that up when we became parents, so we’re really consistent about our time with them, but we also prioritize a couple of date nights a week,” she explained. “We go to the theater. I love to eat food, so we go to a lot of restaurants, see shows, music — it’s New York! It’s a good thing about living here, live entertainment.”
Us confirmed in November 2020 that Wilde and Sudeikis pulled the plug on their seven-year engagement. Following their split, the pair continued to coparent as the Rush actress moved on with her Don’t Worry Darling costar Harry Styles.
In April 2022, Wilde and Sudeikis’ breakup once again made headlines when she was served custody papers in the middle of her presentation at CinemaCon. At the time, a source exclusively told Us that the Emmy winner was unaware the documents would be handed to Wilde while she was on stage.
Four months later, the actor addressed the shocking moment in a response to his ex’s own custody motion. “Olivia’s talk was an important event for Olivia, both professionally and personally, and I am very, very sorry that the incident marred her special moment,” he wrote in the legal paperwork.
Later that month, Wilde called out the public delivery during an interview with Variety. “The only people who suffered were my kids, because they’ll have to see that, and they shouldn’t ever have to know that happened,” she said. “For me, it was appalling, but the victims were an 8 and 5 year-old, and that’s really sad. I chose to become an actress. I willingly walked into the spotlight. But it’s not something my children have asked for. And when my kids are dragged into it, it’s deeply painful.”
The Booksmart director also discussed her decision to book fewer jobs in favor of raising her kids. “It became clear to me that this year was a time for me to be a stay-at-home mom,” she added. “It was not the year for me to be on a set, which is totally all-encompassing. It was time for me to pause and devote myself to the kids when I have them.”
Scroll down for Wilde’s most candid quotes about being a mother: