Sophia Bush defends Ashlyn Harris in emotional essay about sexuality

For the first time since she left her husband and started dating women's soccer player Ashlyn Harris, Sophia Bush is opening up about her journey between being married to a man in the past and having the happiest relationship she's ever had.

In a new essay for Glamour, Bush has opened up about her queerness, her divorce, and how she feels about Harris.

"I don't believe it's my place to discuss details of Ashlyn's circumstances or her children, but I will say that I am absolutely in awe of her relentless integrity," Bush wrote. "The way she prioritizes and centers her kids, not only in her life but in the core of her being, is breathtaking to behold."

"Falling in love with her has sutured some of my own childhood wounds, and made me so much closer to my own mother," she added. "Seeing Ashlyn choose to not simply survive, but thrive, for her babies has been the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed a friend do. And now I get to love her. How lucky am I?"

Harris split from her wife of four years, fellow soccer player Ali Krieger, in the fall of 2023, after four years of marriage and adopting two kids. While reports said the split was amicable, many fans of women's soccer immediately decided that Harris had been unfaithful and was abandoning her family.

Shortly after Harris announced her divorce, rumors that she was dating Bush started swirling. When the two of them confirmed they were a couple, fans continued to blame Harris and Bush — speculating that Bush was a home-wrecker and Harris was leaving her two kids to be with some "other woman."

Bush's essay for Glamour went on:

"The idea that I left my marriage based on some hysterical rendezvous — that, to be crystal-clear, never happened — rather than having taken over a year to do the most soul-crushing work of my life? Rather than realizing I had to be the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, on a public stage, despite being terrified to my core? It feels brutal. Just because I didn't want to process my realizations in real time on social media and spell them out for the world doesn't mean the journey wasn't long and thoughtful and exhaustive."

"I am so lucky to be here, now. I have real joy. It took me 41 years to get here," Bush continued. "And while I marvel at it, I will also make space for people's pain. But I will not carry anyone's projected shame. When I take stock of the last few years, I can tell you that I have never operated out of more integrity in my life. I hope that's clear enough for everyone speculating out there, while being as gentle as I possibly can be."