Overview
- O'Connell recounted on Kelly Ripa’s podcast that Gellar ended their single outing after she told him she had to "get away from this drunk," a line he delivered with self-mockery.
- He said the meeting was arranged so Gellar would have a date to the Emmys and that the red-carpet night was their only time out together.
- O'Connell referenced his past alcoholism and noted he has been sober for 13 years, using that context to explain the remark and his reaction.
- Both actors later married other partners and built families: Gellar wed Freddie Prinze Jr. and has two children, and O'Connell married Rebecca Romijn and has twin daughters.
- The story was reported by entertainment outlets the same day as the podcast appearance, has prompted no public response from Gellar, and has been treated as light, nostalgic '90s trivia rather than a controversy.