Sophia Bush, Ashlyn Harris Get Cozy at WHCD Afterparty After Red Carpet Debut
Sophia Bush and girlfriend Ashlyn Harris got cozy at an afterparty for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where they made their red carpet debut as a couple.
Bush and Harris were photographed together at the WHCD afterparty on Saturday, April 27, which was hosted by Amazon MGM Studios and held at the residence of the Swiss Ambassador, Jacques Pitteloud, in Washington, D.C.
The pair wore black Harbison Studio outfits that complemented each other with matching gold embellishments. They cuddled up close for photos and Bush laughed as the soccer player whispered something in her ear in one snap.
The couple made their red carpet debut Saturday night, though earlier that day they had walked the red carpet separately for the 31st annual White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch.
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The former U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper and One Tree Hill alum have been dating since fall 2023, shortly after the two filed for divorce from their respective spouses: Ali Krieger and Grant Hughes.
“Sophia and Ashlyn insist they were just friends, but by all accounts, it was instant chemistry,” a source told Us Weekly shortly after Harris and Bush’s first date. “They love being together. They love sports and want to do good in the world.”
Bush publicly came out as queer via a self-written Glamour cover story published on Thursday, April 25, where she broke her silence on her sexuality. In the essay, she also denied claims that she cheated on Hughes before their divorce.
“The idea that I left my marriage based on some hysterical rendezvous — that, to be crystal-clear, never happened — rather than having taken over a year to do the most soul-crushing work of my life?” Bush wrote. “Rather than realizing I had to be the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, on a public stage, despite being terrified to my core? It feels brutal. Just because I didn’t want to process my realizations in real time on social media and spell them out for the world doesn’t mean the journey wasn’t long and thoughtful and exhaustive.”
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She went on to confirm that she does not identify as straight. “As I came into myself, I already felt it was my home. I think I’ve always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum,” Bush shared. “Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. I can’t say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great.”
Bush added that she has “experienced so much safety, respect, and love in the queer community” as both an ally and a member, but noted that she “sort of hate[s] the notion of having to come out” in the year 2024.
“But I’m deeply aware that we are having this conversation in a year when we’re seeing the most aggressive attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community in modern history,” she continued. “There were more than 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills proposed in state legislatures in 2023, so for that reason I want to give the act of coming out the respect and honor it deserves.”
She explained: “I finally feel like I can breathe. I don’t think I can explain how profound that is. I feel like I was wearing a weighted vest for who knows how long. I hadn’t realized how heavy it was until I finally just put it down.”
