Florence Pugh responds to ‘irritating’ criticisms of her relationship with Zach Braff: ‘How ridiculous is that?’

Florence Pugh is speaking out against the “ridiculous” criticism she says she regularly faces just for dating an older man.

Pugh, who is 24, has been in a relationship with former “Scrubs” star Zach Braff (who is 45), since April of 2019. The 21-year age difference is apparently something she’s reminded of a lot, usually by people who she says should have no control over her love life.

Speaking to comedian Sue Perkins on the “An Hour Or So With…” podcast, the “Little Women” actress explained why she believes women’s lives are “completely devoured by people” the moment they become famous. She added that she feels that scrutiny is nowhere near the same for men.

“I’ve always found that really interesting, and how you’re supposed to just put up with it,” Pugh said.

The “Midsommar” star went on to say that no one should be able to control her life choices, especially people who claim to be her fans.

“I’ve always found it funny, how I can be good enough for people to watch my work and support my work and pay for tickets and I’m old enough to be an adult and pay taxes, but I’m not old enough to know who I should and should not have sex with, once again making a young woman feel like s*** for no reason,” she told Perkins.

“I think I did feel s*** for a while about admitting that,” Pugh added. “Then I thought how ridiculous is that? [That] I’m 24 and I can’t choose who I love.”

Pugh has spoken out in the past about her interactions with fans who have criticized her relationship on social media, including a time she directly responded to an Instagram commenter reminding her of Braff’s age.

In April, she posted a photo on Instagram to celebrate Braff’s birthday, but ultimately turned off the comments. Pugh said at the time that she had done so because of “horrid” messages people were leaving on the photo.

Braff, who currently hosts a “Scrubs”-themed podcast with his former co-star, Donald Faison, has generally remained quiet on the couples’ negative treatment online. Pugh, meanwhile, told Perkins that she was “glad” she’s spoken out about the situation.

“People want to have a say on who you go out with, where you go for lunch,” Pugh said. “For me, I’ve always found that part of this life, even when I grew up watching actresses, I’ve always found that weird how people have a say over your private life.”

If you liked this story, check out In The Know’s article on Chrissy Teigen’s response to a fan who said she looks like she “has cancer.”

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