Who Is Sophia Bush's Ex-Husband? All About Grant Hughes

After 13 months of marriage, Sophia Bush and Grant Hughes' relationship is over.

Bush filed for divorce from Hughes in August 2023. However, a source close to the couple told PEOPLE that the two "remain good friends.”

The One Tree Hill actress and Hughes were friends for nearly a decade before their relationship turned romantic during the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple were first linked in 2020 when Bush was spotted holding hands with Hughes during a date in Malibu, California.

They didn't go public with their relationship until the following year — but it wasn't long before Hughes got down on one knee to propose to Bush during a romantic trip to Italy. In June 2022, they tied the knot in a stunning ceremony held in Hughes' home state of Oklahoma.

In October 2023, Bush began dating professional soccer player Ashlyn Harris.

“Grant will always want the best for Sophia, and is supportive of all that makes her happy and fulfilled," a rep for the entrepreneur told PEOPLE.

Here's everything to know about Grant Hughes, from his charity work to his marriage to Sophia Bush.

He grew up in Oklahoma and later attended the University of Oklahoma

Hughes was raised in Oklahoma and as a young adult, he attended the University of Oklahoma where he got a Bachelor of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship and Venture. He later attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles where he received his Masters in Education. After, he headed to the University of Michigan where he received an MBA in Strategy, Innovation and Design Thinking as well as an M.S. in Environmental Psychology & Decision Making.

Hughes is an entrepreneur who co-founded FocusMotion Health

Hughes has spent the majority of his career pursuing entrepreneurial efforts and working with nonprofits. After finishing his education, he began working at SHFT, a lifestyle platform founded by producer Peter Glatzer and actor Adrian Grenier, which aimed to convey a more sustainable approach to the way people live through film, design, art and food.

He later co-founded FocusMotion, a machine-learning software company that tracks movement through body sensors and delivers personalized health advice to its users. In 2016, the late Kobe Bryant even invested in the company.

Hughes now invests in several other companies, and most recently founded Drink Good Wine, a startup that curates a selection of natural wines and delivers them to customers' front doors.

He's actively involved in giving back to his community

While in grad school, Hughes was a teacher with Teach for America, which aims to eliminate educational inequity in schools. He later taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he helped young students achieve their goals and even create their own fourteen-minute short film.

He's also volunteered with numerous other organizations, including the Wayfarer Foundation, which helps provide "free clothes, haircuts, foot washing, medical services, legal services, a warm meal, showers [and] eye exams" to people living on Skid Row in L.A. During the pandemic, Hughes also worked to support medical professionals and essential workers, delivering nutritious meals with Frontline Foods.

He's an avid reader who started a book club in Venice Beach

Early in 2020, Hughes founded the Venice Book Club, sharing some of his favorite reads with others. Over the course of the year, the California-based group read 29 books, including Night by Elie Wiesel and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

He and Bush were friends for years before they started dating

After first meeting during a New Year's trip to Nicaragua, Bush and Hughes were friends for nearly a decade before things turned romantic between the duo.

"We became fast friends but only saw each other a few times a year because both of us were traveling all of the time for work," Bush explained to Vogue.

However, the pandemic brought the two closer. During quarantine, they started connecting over books, articles and their mutual activism, which eventually led to long FaceTime calls.

The actress later explained during an episode of the Drama Queens podcast that after continually dating the wrong people, she had a realization that made her alter her approach to romance. Not long after, she began to see Hughes in a new light.

"When I shifted the place that I pick from or that I was willing to see potential from to being not sympathetic but inspired, I went, 'Oh, oh!' It's not lost on me — nor any of my friends — that the person that I went, 'Oh!' about, I'd known for 10 years. And everybody was like, 'Welcome to your own party, ya idiot.' And I was like, 'Well, cool, I'm glad I'm here,'" Bush said.

His and Bush's first date involved getting a COVID-19 test together

Before Bush and Hughes made things official between them, they headed out on their first date in early 2020. Their outing was very telling of the times, as they ended up getting a COVID-19 test together.

"Our first date was also our first Covid test," Hughes shared in a slideshow on Instagram.

He and Bush met with a couples coach before getting engaged

During an appearance on the Podcrushed podcast, Bush shared that she and Hughes went through a couples coaching program before they even got engaged.

"She does [this program] with people who are prepping for their wedding. We were like, 'We've been together for four months but we think we're going to do this. We have a feeling and we need to know. We're either going to go through this thing and decide that we're each other's people or we'll know we're not and we'll be friends,' " the One Tree Hill alum said, admitting that their coach thought they were "very strange ducks."

He and Bush got married in his home state

After getting engaged at Lake Como in 2021, Hughes and Bush tied the knot in Tulsa in June 2022, where the entrepreneur is originally from. Bush told Vogue that the couple spent time there during the pandemic, and chose the location because it reflected their shared passion for activism.

"Tulsa is a place where so much progressive justice work is happening, so much deep history has been uncovered and is at long last being honored, and so many people are building a deeply inspiring future," she explained.

The nuptials took place at the Philbrook Museum of Art, and Bush wore a custom floral Monique Lhuillier dress. After a procession that included their parents and a bridal party made up of the pair's closest friends, Bush and Hughes walked down the aisle together.

"We met in the middle, took one another's hands, and together we walked into our wedding," she shared. "As we got up to the aisle, we slowed to look at everyone there—our friends and loved ones. It was such a sight to behold. And then up the aisle we went, to meet our emcee, longtime best friend, and prolific author Jedidiah Jenkins."

The couple celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary in June 2023.

"Today marks 365 days of calling you “husband.” Best decision of my life. It still feels just like this. Ecstatic. Running toward the future, grinning and laughing, together. I love you, my favorite," Bush wrote on Instagram alongside a throwback photo from their big day.

In a separate Instagram post, Hughes wrote: "What a full, beautiful, dynamic, exciting, growth-filled year we’ve had together. I truly love doing life with you!"

He supported Bush ahead of the 2022 premiere of her show Good Sam

Hughes has proven to be one of Bush's biggest supporters, and ahead of the premiere of her show Good Sam, he wrote a touching note dedicated to her on social media. He praised her commitment to the role, which included getting hands-on experience in a real hospital and learning to play the piano.

"My babe, I could not be prouder of you. You've given Sam life. You've observed open heart surgeries, out-tied real medical professionals with your one-handed surgical knots, learned piano, sprinted through hospitals, gotten up at ungodly hours to go to work, and have brought your talent, empathy, and hard work to a character with a commitment that only is satisfied by excellence. And Sam is a masterpiece with all her talents and foibles. It's been beautiful to observe you and support you as I stand by your side," he wrote.

Bush filed for divorce in August 2023

Just seven weeks after the pair celebrated their first wedding anniversary, Bush filed for divorce from Hughes.

“Sophia and Grant were friends for 10 years and bonded during COVID through their love of community service,” a source close to the couple told PEOPLE. “They continue to run their nonprofit together and remain good friends."

In October 2023, PEOPLE learned that Bush is dating professional soccer player Ashlyn Harris.

Five months after the news of their divorce became public, new court filings that PEOPLE obtained in January 2024 revealed that Hughes had requested the court drop the former couple's mutual, temporary restraining order so that he could invest $300k in real estate in the form of Oklahoma storage facilities, claiming that this investment wouldn't affect any prenup payouts. Bush wanted the court to uphold their "Unity Agreement," though Hughes's request was ultimately accepted.

Eight months after her split from Hughes, Bush opened up about her divorce and her new relationship in a personal essay she wrote for Glamour, coming out as "queer" for the first time in the process.

"The idea that I left my marriage based on some hysterical rendezvous—that, to be crystal-clear, never happened—rather than having taken over a year to do the most soul crushing work of my life? Rather than realizing I had to be the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, on a public stage, despite being terrified to my core?" she wrote. "It feels brutal."