Lucy Hale and Ian Harding recreated a shot of their Pretty Little Liars characters Aria and Ezra over the weekend, which quickly sparked criticism over their controversial on-screen romance. Now, Hale has responded with a thoughtful take on their reunion. Pretty Little Liars was a huge hit during its seven-season run, but Aria and Ezra’s age gap relationship is still remembered as highly problematic all these years later. Not that you need reminding, but Aria was a 16-year-old high school student when the show started, while Ezra was her 22 to 23-year-old English teacher. In reality, Hale and Harding were both over 18 when Pretty Little Liars started filming, but it’s the TV show relationship that sparked controversy. And this is why a particular corner of the fandom didn’t appreciate a recent video from Hale and Harding. They are now reuniting for the upcoming film The Twelve Dates of Christmas, and to promote it, the pair recreated a throwback photo of their Pretty Little Liars characters. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lucy Hale (@lucyhale) Sharing it on TikTok and Instagram, they wrote, “A little older and wiser but the same two idiots! 12 dates of Christmas comin soon. Like really sooon. Info sooon.” While many of the comments are positive, there was some backlash. “It’s 2026. We don’t romanticize that couple anymore,” said one, while another wrote, “Even as a kid y’all grossed me out.” A third added, “Not sure why they are still romanticizing this couple because the age gap in the show is literally a 20 something year-old teacher with a teenager.” There were enough comments for Hale to share a video addressing the backlash. Lucy Hale says the reunion post was about her friendship with Ian Harding Taking to Instagram, Hale said, “Hello, okay, I just wanted to pop on here really quickly to say that the video I posted earlier of me and Ian, in promotion of our new movie that’s coming out at an undisclosed date, really soon, I’m obviously seeing a lot of the comments. not lucy hale having to come on here to teach y'all about nuance pic.twitter.com/8tg0mA4nQ2 — tessy (@diclefnan) October 25, 2026 “I just want to say that two realities can be very true, where it’s very obvious that Aria and Ezra is problematic. Did not age well. And that can be very true, while it can also be true that Ian and I were teenagers when we were doing that show. And we were quick friends. “We have known each other almost 20 years. So the video was actually more about Ian and I’s friendship, not glamorising anything. So I might delete this, but just wanted to give a little intel.” Although her response is no longer available on her social media channels, it’s been shared online, with many jumping in to defend her. “Not Lucy Hale having to come on here to teach y’all about nuance,” said one, while another commented, “Oh she’s tired of ya’ll. I know I am. Let the shippers enjoy it and shut up.” A third added, “Everyone is sick and tired of stans not thinking.” Whatever the case, it’s been many years since Pretty Little Liars wrapped up – and clearly Hale and Harding are ready for their next project. Are Lucy Hale and Ian Harding dating? Despite their on-screen romance in Pretty Little Liars and their recent reunion, Lucy Hale and Ian Harding are definitely not dating in real life. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ian Harding. (@ianmharding) The pair have been good friends since working together on the series, and their latest video was a throwback to their characters rather than a hint at a real-life romance. As Hale made clear in her response, they’ve remained close for years. In fact, Harding is married to photographer Sophie Hart, with the pair tying the knot in 2019. Hale, meanwhile, has kept her romantic life relatively private, although she confirmed that she is in a relationship with someone. Speaking on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast in September 2026, the actress revealed that she met her boyfriend on a blind date arranged by friends, describing him as a grounded and consistent partner. However, she hasn’t publicly revealed his identity. Earlier in the year, Hale sparked dating speculation after being photographed with visual artist Phillip Lopez in Los Angeles, although she hasn’t confirmed whether he’s the boyfriend she discussed on the podcast. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Instagram/@lucyhale/Freeform Post navigation Next story
