Olivia Wilde has publicly responded to fans after a red carpet appearance sparked health concerns and trolling.
Wilde, 42, spoke with SFGate about her upcoming film, The Invite, at the 2026 SFFILM Festival in San Francisco on April 24, and video of the interview quickly went viral.
Across TikTok, commenters compared Wilde to Lord of the Rings character Gollum, while others speculated that she could be taking a GLP-1 drug.
The House star addressed the concerns in an Instagram video posted to her stories on Sunday. “Care to address recent rumors you’re a resurrected corpse?” Wilde’s brother, Charlie Cockburn, asks in the clip. The actress is seen laughing in response, saying, “Listen, that is a fish-eye lens.”
“I admit: Is that my best angle? Was that my best-ever look? No,” she said.
Wilde added, “It’s startling. It’s a startling image. It was a fish-eye lens and not the best. I don’t know why I was so close to the camera. I didn’t have to be!”
“That’s not the truth,” she said. “Do you have any more questions?” she asked her brother, who was laughing. “I’m not dead!” she concluded.
In the Instagram story, Wilde included images of her red-carpet moment and of Gollum. “Leave it to your little brother to give you the maximum amount of s---,” she captioned the story.
Her facetious reaction shut down days of trolling. On TikTok, a user pondered, “Is she... OK?” Another wrote, “Bro, Hollywood is STARVING!” Many made references to the LOTR universe, with one user writing, “what the Lord of the rings is happening!!!!” Others still lambasted the camera angle and lighting.
Wilde is promoting her next directorial feature, The Invite, which is due for a limited theatrical release on June 26. The film stars Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager described the movie as “a hysterical, insightful, and ultimately moving portrait of the difficulties of keeping long-term relationships alive.”
