What Jason Sudeikis Learned From His Split From Olivia Wilde

Nearly six years after his split from Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis reflects on the lessons he learned from the long-term relationship.

On the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso podcast, the actor opened up about the breakup and how communication could have been a stronger tool in the relationship.

“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 2020,” he explained. “I think it’s just flat-out communication. I could have communicated better with how I felt, how things were making me feel [and] how things make me feel.”

Sudeikis went into more depth about the importance of communication by drawing on another past experience: his struggles in school.

“I think, [it’s as] if my parents never see my bad grades, we never have to talk about my bad grades even though the grades still exist,” he pointed out. “If I’m feeling a certain way and I don’t talk about it, that doesn’t make it go away. It’s unfair for someone 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?’”

Sudeikis and Wilde dated from 2011 to 2020 and share two children, son Otis and daughter Daisy. Although they’ve had their ups and downs since the breakup, Sudeikis still respects Wilde and even went so far as to praise her in a podcast interview.

“I know Olivia loves what she does and is very, very good — and always has been,” he said about Wilde. “I’m thrilled for her, and I feel very fortunate doing what I’m supposed to be doing, but … going through all that has allowed me to see when other folks are going through something similar.”

The actor then offered another perspective to those going through similar breakups. “Like, ‘All things must pass,’ and when they do, I think the responsible thing — at least what has felt responsible for me — is to just not dwell too much in other people’s folly. It’s not easy.”