American Horror Story: Delicate is taking no prisoners — and Olivia Wilde is its latest target.
During a new episode of the FX series, which aired on Wednesday, September 27, Kim Kardashian‘s character, Siobhan, offered her advice as a publicist to Emma Roberts‘ character, Anna, after she fainted at an awards show.
“We are going to pull a Wilde card. As in Olivia Wilde,” Siobhan said, seemingly referencing the Don’t Worry Darling press tour. “Don’t mention what happened and wait until everyone forgets slash low-key gaslight the people that do ask and make them think that they’re the problem. Because, you know, sexism.”
Don’t Worry Darling, which was directed by Wilde, 39, was released in theaters in September 2022. Whilehe film originally sparked interest due to its mysterious plot, the offscreen drama caused even more commotion. Reports surfaced before the film’s debut that lead actress Florence Pugh had issues with Wilde, 39, due to relationship with male lead Harry Styles. (Wilde and Styles, 29, dated from January 2021 to November 2022.)
Pugh, 27, initially decided to opt out of doing press at the 2022 Venice Film Festival due to her Dune 2 filming commitments — but she showed up in Italy at the last minute. She skipped interviews, later reuniting with her costars on the red carpet.
Wilde attempted to shut down rumors of a rift, telling reporters at the time, “Florence is a force, and we are so grateful that she’s able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune. I know, as a director, how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day, so I’m very grateful to her, to [Dune director] Denis Villeneuve for helping us. And we’re really thrilled we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight. I can’t say enough how honored I am to have her as our lead. She’s amazing in the film.”
A source exclusively told Us Weekly that the duo were keeping their distance amid the promotional tour, adding, “Florence and Olivia have had several disagreements personally and professionally, that’s why Florence isn’t doing any press for the movie.”
Earlier this year, Pugh declined to discuss the “media frenzy” surrounding Don’t Worry Darling during an interview with Vanity Fair.
“Ideally I don’t really want to be going down the Don’t Worry Darling conversation because this whole release for The Wonder has been so positive and I’ve been really excited to talk about that,” she told the magazine in February. “I don’t really feel the need to go into the nitty-gritty details of Don’t Worry Darling. So, if it’s OK, I’ll probably just let that one sit.”
American Horror Story, meanwhile, has been leaning into the drama by poking fun at various pop culture topics since Delicate’s September 20 debut. During Wednesday’s episode, Kardashian’s character got a dress previously worn by Madonna for Robert’s character to wear at an event. Siobhan reminded Anna “not to rip” the garment, which some viewers believed was a reference to Kardashian, 42, wearing Marilyn Monroe‘s vintage Bob Mackie gown at the 2022 Met Gala.
