Sophia Bush reveals what inspired her to come out as queer

‘What made me make the decision was knowing that we’ve gotten into a post-fact vacuum,’ Bush says

Sophia Bush has opened up about what inspired her to publicly come out as queer.

The One Tree Hill alum first announced she was queer and in a relationship with former US soccer player Ashlyn Harris in an essay she wrote and published in Glamour. On Thursday, July 18, she spoke to The Walking Dead: World Beyond star Nico Tortorella – who uses they/them pronouns – for an episode of her Work In Progress podcast, in which she shared why she opened up about her relationship with Harris.

The Chicago PD actor mentioned that part of her decision was to avoid people making assumptions about her sexuality before having the chance to tell the world on her own terms.

“People will really take your self-discovery from you,” Bush said. “What made me make the decision was knowing that we’ve gotten into a post-fact vacuum. So I was like, ‘What I’m gonna do is sit and just sit and wait, but eventually what I’m gonna do is clarify very firmly but gently what’s real, because it matters to me.’”

The actor continued: “I didn’t appreciate it personally but what really frightened me, in terms of the public nature of it, was this is so vitriolic and so violent and so ugly, what’s this gonna do to a young queer girl in Ohio or Alabama who sees what the internet is doing to people who she perceives to have a lot more power than her?”

“Like, you can always take your power back,” Bush said. “That was part of what felt really important to me.”

Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris made their red carpet debut as a couple in April 2024 (Getty Images for American Ballet)

Bush touched on the online backlash that occurred surrounding her relationship with Harris in her Glamour essay. “What felt like seconds after I started to see what was in front of me, the online rumor mill began to spit in the ugliest ways,” she wrote.

“There were blatant lies. Violent threats. There were accusations of being a home-wrecker. The ones who said I’d left my ex because I suddenly realized I wanted to be with women — my partners have known what I’m into for as long as I have (so that’s not it, y’all, sorry!).”

Elsewhere on the podcast, Bush further touched on how she felt after publishing her essay about her sexuality. “I finally feel like I can breathe. I don’t think I can explain how profound that is,” she said. “I’m gonna take my power back and I’m actually gonna stand up and say the purest and most special thing that’s ever happened to me in my life has happened to me and you’ve treated it like the ugliest because you’re looking at optics and not reality.”

The actor added that she wanted to be open and honest on her own platform because of how large it was, and that “there are kids out there who don’t have platforms at all who are so scared to be who they are.”

“I don’t care if you’re 14 or 41, you can choose yourself,” Bush said.

Most recently, Harris wrote a touching tribute to Bush for her birthday on Instagram. “Happy birthday beautiful. I hope today feels special and full knowing how much we love you,” Harris began the caption. “You are such a gift in this world. To see you shine and happy fills us all up.

“I love your heart Soph,” she added. “I love everything about you. Happy born day baby.”