Florence Pugh Says Online 'Abuse' Toward Ex Zach Braff Is Why She Doesn't Talk About Relationships Anymore

Florence Pugh still doesn’t regret opinionated up for her ex Zach Braff erstwhile online commenters criticized nan erstwhile couple’s 21-year property gap. 

Pugh, 29, addressed her narration pinch Braff, 50, successful a Nov. 10 appearance connected The Louis Theroux Podcast, wherever she discussed really she navigated nan contention surrounding nan quality betwixt their ages. When asked whether aliases not she talks astir her romanticist relationships successful nan press, Pugh replied “not anymore.” 

“With relationships and pinch romance successful this world, it doesn’t matter really overmuch you speak connected it aliases really small you speak connected it, group don’t care. They want a story,” Pugh said. “They benignant of want a reality show, and truthful it doesn’t really matter really overmuch you opportunity you emotion personification aliases really overmuch they make you happy, if they don’t for illustration them and it doesn’t fresh that image that they want of you, they don’t care.” 

The Don’t Worry Darling character dated Braff from 2019 to 2022, erstwhile Pugh confirmed to Harper’s Bazaar that nan mates had split. After nan mates went public, Pugh says location was an “insane magnitude of maltreatment being hurled astatine my narration conscionable because location was an property gap,” and she sewage fed up pinch it. 

“I’ll ever take sides group that I love, I will ever guidelines up for them,” she said. “If location needs to beryllium a reset and a spot of a smack connected nan wrist, I will do that because it’s not adjacent that truthful overmuch of your life gets to person jabs.” 

Pugh responded to nan disapproval successful a 2020 Instagram video, calling retired Instagram commenters for “bullying” Braff aft she posted a photograph successful ceremony of his birthday. 

“Within astir 8 minutes of nan photograph being posted, I had astir 70 percent of nan comments hurling maltreatment and being horrid — fundamentally bullying personification connected my page,” Pugh said. “It is nan first clip successful my full Instagram life that I’ve had to move disconnected nan comments connected my page. I’ve ne'er been an Instagram page that encourages that. I’ve ne'er been an Instagram page that likes that toxic vibe."

Speaking pinch Theroux, Pugh said that she posted nan video because she felt she needed to “check” her followers, and punctual them that she and Braff are existent people. 

“It sewage to nan constituent wherever it was conscionable really horrible to spot personification that you are pinch receiving that, and it was ne'er astatine me, it was only astatine him,” she said. “And I deliberation I conscionable needed to benignant of conscionable cheque everyone, and truthful I made a video and it sewage a batch of emotion and tons of group were supportive, which was great. I do deliberation group online request to beryllium reminded that we’re real.” 

Later that year, Braff recalled his reaction to Pugh’s video successful an interview. "She virtually sat down, deed grounds connected her telephone and said that," Braff told Mr. Porter’s. "I thought, 'How could I perchance travel thing arsenic intelligent and articulate arsenic that?' So, I chose not to."

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Though Braff and Pugh quietly parted ways successful 2022, nan mates has remained friendly. In a 2023 associated interview pinch Vogue to beforehand their movie A Good Person, Braff effusively praised Pugh’s acting abilities. 

"I rather simply deliberation she's 1 of nan top actors of her generation," nan Garden State character and head said. "She's conscionable magnetic. You cannot return your eyes disconnected of her."