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There's a reason why the drama surrounding the former nanny of Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis is captivating people.
The Don't Worry Darling director, 38, and Ted Lasso star, 47, made headlines earlier this week after their ex-nanny revealed a raft of allegations about their relationship.
In a report published by the Daily Mail, the nanny, whose name wasn't released, claimed Sudeikis was blindsided and "brokenhearted" by Wilde's romance with her co-star Harry Styles.
On one occasion, the nanny said Wilde made the "As It Was" singer, 28, a salad with her "special" dressing that left Sudeikis so upset, he "went outside and lay under her car so she wouldn't leave."
The nanny also alleged Sudeikis fired her without severance pay.
Wilde and Sudeikis have released a rare joint statement denying the claims, calling them "false and scurrilous."
"As parents, it is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of our two young children would choose to make such false and scurrilous accusations about us publicly. Her now 18-month long campaign of harassing us, as well as loved ones, close friends and colleagues, has reached its unfortunate apex," they said in a statement obtained by Newsweek.
"We will continue to focus on raising and protecting our children with the sincere hope that she will now choose to leave our family alone."
Wilde later posted a cryptic message via her Instagram Story, in which she shared a salad dressing recipe from Nora Ephron's 1983 novel Heartburn.
The book, a fictionalized version of the late author's own marriage and divorce to Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein, is a story about "love, betrayal, loss and—most satisfyingly—revenge," a synopsis via Amazon reads.
The novel delves into Bernstein's 1979 affair with Margaret Jay, who was the wife of the British Ambassador to the United States and daughter of British Prime Minister James Callaghan.
The drama was fueled even further on Thursday when Sudeikis' ex Keeley Hazell posted the same excerpt from Heartburn without explanation.
Wilde and Sudeikis met in 2011 at a Saturday Night Live afterparty. They got engaged in 2013, but never made it down the aisle. They split in 2020 and share two children together—Otis, 8, and Daisy, 6.
As for Styles, Wilde met the One Direction alum while she was directing him in Don't Worry Darling. Although there's been speculation of an overlapping timeline between relationships, the Tron: Legacy alum has denied cheating rumors.
"The complete horses*** idea that I left Jason for Harry is completely inaccurate," the Vanity Fair cover star told the outlet in the October 2022 issue. "Our relationship was over long before I met Harry."
Writer Ilana Kaplan, whose book on Ephron will be released in 2023, told Newsweek why people are so invested in Wilde and Sudeikis' story.
"As with all celebrity gossip, we're looking for some sort of escapism. I think with so much trauma and tragedy, this unhinged, alleged drama between them parallels the scandal between Debbie Reynolds/Elizabeth Taylor/Eddie Fisher," she explained. "It's not the same thing, but that shock value for gossip calls back to pre-social media tabloid drama and celebrity lore that has been cemented in pop culture."
"Every detail is wilder and wilder, even if not true," Kaplan added, "And we're hanging onto every word."
About the writer
Megan Cartwright is Newsweek's Deputy Entertainment Editor, based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. pop culture and entertainment ... Read more