Sophia Bush Recalls a Friend Telling Her She Might Not 'Like Men' After Her Last Breakup

"Then I was like, 'Oh, my God, the queer community has been my home,'" Bush said

Sophia Bush is reflecting on the moment she came to terms with her sexuality.

On the latest episode of her Work in Progress podcast, the John Tucker Must Die actress, 41, reflected on her journey to coming out as “queer.” She said that although she only recently began dating a woman, she had many moments throughout her life where she felt feelings for women.

“I think so many women are like, ‘Well, I'm settling a little bit,’” she explained. “Everyone says everything's hard, all my friends hate their husbands. And you sort of go like, ‘Oh, then maybe that's not it.’”

Related: All About Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris' Relationship

The One Tree Hill alum said after her last breakup — referencing her marriage to Grant Hughes from 2022 to 2023 — a friend suggested that maybe things didn’t work out because of Bush’s sexuality.

“One of my best friends looked at me and was like, ‘I gotta say, that was just painful to watch, and I'm so glad you're getting out of it,’” she began. “‘But, like, I don't just think he was not the right person for you, but also, I don't actually think you like men.’”

After hearing this, Bush said she felt clarity come over her, recalling all the times that this may have played a role in her relationships. She said she never stopped to contemplate her past feelings for women.

“There was sort of this moment where I was like, ‘Oh, maybe the drama when I fell in love with this beautiful French exchange student when I was 16 wasn't about her being a girl,’” she said. “It was that she lived in France, and my parents were like, ‘This feels irrational and really like a setup for heartbreak for you. You're 16.’”

Related: Sophia Bush Responds to Online Engagement Rumors by Flashing Bare Fingers: ‘I Have No 'News' for You'

At the time, Bush confessed that she thought her sexuality caused the pushback in her family, but now, she realizes it was about the circumstances of the situation. She reminisced on another time when she was 25 and friends told her she “can’t say your bi” when she had primarily dated men,

“Then I was like, ‘Oh, my God, the queer community has been my home and is the home of my whole family since I was old enough to understand,’” she said of the realization. “‘Uncle Tony had a boyfriend and not a girlfriend. I would never want to hurt the people I care the most about who've been in this fight for liberation for so long. I'm gonna get out of the way.’”

She continued, “And then, it was like, ‘Well, maybe I don't have to get out of the way. Maybe I just get to like who I like.’ What a revolutionary f---ing idea.”

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The Chicago P.D. star came out in April in a cover story for Glamour. 

“I finally feel like I can breathe. I don’t think I can explain how profound that is,” Bush wrote in the essay.

After months of quietly dating, she and soccer player Ashlyn Harris made their red carpet debut at the 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27.

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