Jason Sudeikis is getting honest about what went wrong. The Ted Lasso star, 51, opened up on the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso podcast about the communication failures that doomed his nine-year relationship with Olivia Wilde, according to multiple reports.
Sudeikis and Wilde, 42, were together from 2011 to 2020 and share two children: son Otis, 12, and daughter Daisy, 10. When asked what he would have done differently, Sudeikis pinpointed one thing: talking more.
“Flat-out communication”
“I think it’s just flat-out communication,” Sudeikis said. “I could have communicated better with how I felt, how things were making me feel [and] how things make me feel.” He added: “If I’m feeling a certain way and I don’t talk about it, that doesn’t make it go away.”
The actor said it was “unfair” to expect anyone to be a “mind reader” — “whether that person be a partner or a boss at SNL or a line producer for a television show. It’s, like, ‘How do you convey those ideas quicker?'”
Lessons in heartbreak
When Fragoso asked whether he understands the breakup better now, Sudeikis offered a mathematical formula for heartbreak: “It’s the old equation of heartbreak, or any variation of it, takes half as long as the process itself… to get over something, so if it were a 10-year relationship, five years would be 20/20.”
Despite the split, Sudeikis spoke warmly of Wilde’s work as a filmmaker. “I’m thrilled for her, and I feel very fortunate doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” he said. “But going through all that has allowed me to see when other folks are going through something similar.” The episode aired October 18.
Grace under scrutiny
The split played out under intense media scrutiny, with the former couple’s custody arrangements making headlines for years. Through it all, Sudeikis has largely kept his reflections private — making the Talk Easy conversation a rare window into his thinking.
These days, Sudeikis is focused on his children and his work, with Ted Lasso having cemented his place as one of television’s most beloved figures. If the podcast is any indication, he’s doing the work — and hoping others can learn from his mistakes.
