The professional surfer who dated actor Jonah Hill and leaked messages between the pair following their breakup said it was never her intention to get him canceled.
Sarah Brady, 24, dated the Moneyball actor in 2021 for several months before they parted ways and he began dating online vintage store owner Olivia Millar.
But over the weekend, Brady accused Hill of being "emotionally abusive" during their relationship, and since Friday she has shared screenshots of messages, alleging he made coercive and controlling demands on her.
In some of the messages, Hill tells Brady he is setting boundaries with her. They included a "list of expectations," such as removing photos from her Instagram showing her "a** in a thong."
Other demands Hill allegedly made to Brady included preventing her having "inappropriate friendships" with other men in the surfing field or spending time with "women who are in unstable places."
"This is a warning to all girls. If your partner is talking to you like this, make an exit plan. Call me if you need an ear," Brady captioned one post.
Newsweek has requested comment from Hill by email several times.
As Brady shared more alleged screenshots, the exchange became a topic of hot debate on social media, especially among therapists, who shared their professional opinions online.
Another person who weighed in on the debate was makeup artist and influencer Matt Bernstein.
He shared a series of slides to his Instagram of people's opinions on the issues, and also a screenshot from an online article on culture website Poptopic, which had the headline: "Jonah Hill Cancelled by Ex for Having Standards and Boundaries."
"Thoughts on the overuse of therapy language by progressive straight guys," Bernstein captioned the post.
Beneath the Poptopic headline, Bernstein also shared examples of positive and negative phrases to use when setting boundaries with a romantic partner.
Brady then shared those slides to her own Instagram Stories, swearing she had no intention of wanting to "cancel" her ex-boyfriend.
"To be clear, my intention was not to cancel him, but I like all the other text in this post," Brady wrote of the communication advice.
Then in another post she wrote: "Same with this one. I'm not trying to 'cancel' anyone."
Brady also defended the timing of her releasing the messages, as Hill and Millar just welcomed their first child together in June.
"I'm sure the timing can seem bad, like, oh yeah, I waited until he had a kid," Brady said on Instagram on Monday. "But I waited until she had her baby, so I knew they were like physically not impacted by me sharing this s***, and she could be informed and make an informed decision of how she wants to care for herself and her baby, which she birthed and she created. Yes, it's his child, but that is that woman's infant. That's how I see it."
"Maybe she'll turn him into a real feminist, because the fact that he calls himself a feminist now is laughable," added Brady, who made her red carpet debut with Hill in August 2021.
In another post, Brady wrote: "If I could have one wish for him it would be that he is surrounded by feminist men who can hold him accountable to grow in the ways he has expressed he wants to."
"I think fame can put people in an echo chamber of viewpoints, which can enable emotionally abusive behavior."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
