Florence Pugh has had a quick rise to fame following her 2019 breakout role in Midsommar, which has led her to become a Marvel star and reportedly one of Dune Part Two’s latest additions. Unfortunately, being in front of the spotlight has led to Pugh facing the internet's wrath regarding her dating life, again. The actress’ “blissful” Ibiza vacation was disrupted by rumors she has split with her boyfriend of three years, Zach Braff, because she is enjoying time with Midsommar co-star Will Poulter overseas, which she attended with other friends, also of the male variety.
After photos of Florence Pugh at the beach alongside a group of friends, including Will Poulter, Archie Madekwe, Harris Reed and Chet Lo, among others, the internet began to speculate that Pugh perhaps ended things with Braff for Poulter. Pugh took to her Instagram stories to set things straight, penning this:
Ooookay. Man. This is getting a little silly now. No, Will Poulter and I are not dating. We went to the beach with our friends, who are always about half a metre away from us in every picture, but have been cleverly cut out / framed out so that it looks otherwise. You can LITERALLY see my best friend in the corner of so many shots and Archie’s arms at the sides. I understand that the nature of my job is that you sometimes get your privacy completely bulldozed by paparazzi, but to fabricate this stuff actually does more damage than good. Thanks for saying we look sexy… doesn’t mean we’re doing the sexy.
Alongside the note, Florence Pugh went on to point out a number of paparazzi photos that surfaced online that were not depicting her vacation in a factual light. Many of the images apparently cropped out the other friends she was with while next to Will Poulter, making it look as if she was on a private vacation with him. She cleared things up with a few images, including this one of her Midsommar co-stars:
Florence Pugh also pointed out that while the paparazzi was snapping photos of them, she was snuggling with one of her best friends Olive, and her “nipple kept popping out.” Yet, the photographers didn’t catch that. Pugh claimed the paparazzi was “hiding behind some poor family, waiting for the optimum time of ‘let’s make a fake relationship happen.'"
After the photos hit the internet, one viral comment on Twitter said they would “support” Florence Pugh and Will Poulter dating because he is “better than that expired man,” referencing 47-year-old Zach Braff, whilst another user called her longtime boyfriend a “senior citizen.” Many of those people likely didn’t think Pugh could see their comments, but she clearly did and called out the gossipers to put a stop to the bullying of the Scrubs actor and rumors about Poulter.
Florence Pugh and Zach Braff have long been bullied for being in a relationship with a 21-year age difference. Back in 2020, Pugh also made a point to address negative comments about their relationship, saying she was “upset” to see commenters “hurling abuse” at them, politely asking people to not tell her who she should or should not love as it is not their place. While addressing rumors about Will Poulter on Tuesday, Pugh also said:
On another note, a very important note. There’s no need to drag people through this. Regardless of your opinion on who I should or shouldn’t be with, at the end of the day if you’re complimenting someone by trolling another person… you’re just bullying. There’s literally no need to be horrible online - no need. Think about what you write. Think about who it affects.
Although Florence Pugh did not mention Zach Braff specifically, just last month she posted a cute photo alongside Braff on her social media, wishing him a happy birthday and calling him a “beautiful human being” who she is lucky to witness his “incredible talent.” Now that Pugh has indeed addressed the rumors amidst her vacation, let’s focus back on her upcoming movies, including the very exciting and creepy Don’t Worry Darling alongside Harry Styles and Chris Pine, which hits theaters on September 23.
