Olivia Wilde says she and Jason Sudeikis have finally found their footing as parents who no longer share a home. In a New York Times profile published Saturday, November 14, Wilde, 42, put it plainly: “We have reached this healthy equilibrium.”
Us Weekly picked up the interview, along with a run of earlier comments from both actors about raising their son and daughter after the split.
Wilde and Sudeikis, 51, were together from 2011 to 2020. Both children were born during that relationship. After the breakup, according to Us Weekly, the two agreed to share joint custody.
Wilde Talks About the Importance of Authenticity in Parenting
Pride was the first note Wilde struck with The Times. “I really take pride in how good we are at coparenting our kids,” she said.
Her reasoning came next, and it was blunter than the usual celebrity script. Children notice when adults are hiding something, she told the paper. “They’re the most intuitive people in the house.” Kids who sense a performance start asking what is real, Wilde said, and she added, “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
Wilde says she rejects the idea that exes should put on a smooth front. She argues that a calm surface over unspoken tension does more damage than honesty about how everyone is doing. She told The New York Times she feels relieved she can give her children parents with a real sense of authenticity.
What Wilde Said About Conscious Uncoupling
“It’s so hard.”
Wilde did not soften it. Anyone who claims you simply consciously uncouple and then figure it out is not being straight, she told The Times, using a cruder word for it. Six years after the split, she is still describing the arrangement as work. That is probably why she trusts it. Exes who call coparenting effortless are usually skipping the part where two people with history keep showing up for the same school runs and handoffs.
Olivia Wilde Only Takes Jobs During Sudeikis’ Custody Time
Back in June, on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Wilde explained how the custody schedule reshaped her working life. Sharing custody shifts the way you think about parenting, she told host Alex Cooper.
Her answer was to split her calendar cleanly. Us Weekly reported that Wilde stressed she only takes on new jobs during Sudeikis’ time with the kids. Her own weeks stay protected. She described being completely engaged with her children when they are with her, then handing them to “a very capable coparent.”
Olivia Wilde called herself “a very present mom even when I’m not able to be consistently present.” Brief. Honest. A little awkward. Few people describe custody arrangements that candidly while still in them.
Sudeikis Praises Wilde’s Career
Sudeikis has returned the respect. On the “Talk Easy” podcast last month, the Ted Lasso star spoke about the recent accolades in his ex’s Hollywood career. He called her very good at what she does and said, “I’m thrilled for her.”
He also said he feels very fortunate doing what he is supposed to be doing. Two people, each working in the windows the other leaves open, each saying something generous about the other in public. Exes who can manage that rarely got there by accident.
Neither has said much about how the schedule will change as the kids get older. For now, Olivia Wilde is calling it hard, and calling it working.
Sources: Us Weekly
