{"id":10684,"date":"2026-10-26T13:58:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T12:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/?p=10684"},"modified":"2026-10-26T13:58:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T12:58:44","slug":"lucy-hale-response-pretty-little-liars-reunion-aria-and-ezra-backlash-ian-harding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/2026\/10\/26\/lucy-hale-response-pretty-little-liars-reunion-aria-and-ezra-backlash-ian-harding\/","title":{"rendered":"Lucy Hale responds as Pretty Little Liars reunion sparks ‘problematic’ Aria and Ezra backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"

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. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pretty Little Liars<\/a> was a huge hit during its seven-season run, but Aria and Ezra\u2019s age gap relationship is still remembered as highly problematic all these years later. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s the TV show relationship that sparked controversy. <\/span><\/p>\n

And this is why a particular corner of the fandom didn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A post shared by Lucy Hale (@lucyhale)<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sharing it on TikTok<\/a> and Instagram, they wrote, \u201cA little older and wiser but the same two idiots! 12 dates of Christmas comin soon. Like really sooon. Info sooon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While many of the comments are positive, there was some backlash. \u201cIt\u2019s 2026. We don\u2019t romanticize that couple anymore,\u201d said one, while another wrote, \u201cEven as a kid y’all grossed me out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A third added, \u201cNot 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.\u201d There were enough comments for Hale to share a video addressing the backlash. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lucy Hale says the reunion post was about her friendship with Ian Harding<\/h2>\n

Taking to Instagram, Hale said, \u201cHello, 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\u2019s coming out at an undisclosed date, really soon, I\u2019m obviously seeing a lot of the comments. <\/span><\/p>\n

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not lucy hale having to come on here to teach y'all about nuance pic.twitter.com\/8tg0mA4nQ2<\/a><\/p>\n

— tessy (@diclefnan) October 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n