Sophia Bush Says a Friend Told Her She Might Not ‘Like Men’ After Her Split From Grant Hughes

Sophia Bush is reflecting on how a friend helped her come to terms with her sexuality.

“I think so many women are like, ‘Well, I'm settling a little bit,’” Bush, 41, said on the Thursday, June 27, episode of her “Work in Progress” podcast. “Everyone says everything's hard, all my friends hate their husbands. And you sort of go like, ‘Oh.’ Then maybe that's not it.”

It wasn’t until one of Bush’s closest confidants approached her after the One Tree Hill alum split from ex-husband Grant Hughes in August 2023 that she considered there might be something else at play.

“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 recalled. “‘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.’ And there was sort of the aha moment.”

From Chad Michael Murray to Jesse Lee Soffer: Sophia Bush’s Dating History

Bush admitted that her friend’s insight didn’t seem too far out since the actress had feelings for women before she officially came out as queer earlier this year. She revealed that she once “fell in love with” a “beautiful French exchange student” when she was a teenager. Bush also admitted that in her 20s she felt like she couldn’t consider herself bi after some of her friends pointed out she “mostly dated men.”

Two decades later, Bush realized the heteronormative lifestyle wasn't for her and has gone on to embrace her sexuality.

“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. “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. 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–king idea.”

Bush publicly came out in April and found love with soccer star Ashlyn Harris , who filed for divorce from her wife, Ali Krieger , in October 2023.

Sophia Bush, Kesha, Noah Cyrus and More Stars Celebrate Pride 2024: See the Photos

“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,” she wrote in an essay for Glamour . “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.”

After coming out, Bush attended her first Pride event and wrote an empowering message about what Pride Month means to her.

“You are perfect. No matter how long it might take, you’ll find your people,” Bush wrote via her Instagram Story earlier this month. “And they will help you find more and more of yourself. It’s worth it. You’re worth it.”