Jason Sudeikis "had no idea" his ex-fiancée Olivia Wilde would be served custody papers on stage and is "appalled" by the incident, a source close to the star has reportedly said.
On Tuesday night, Wilde, 38, was handed a "personal and confidential" envelope while discussing her latest movie - thriller Don't Worry Darling - in front of 4,000 people at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
Photos show the moment the shocked director discovered that she had been served with jurisdiction papers pertaining to the custody of the two children she shares with Sudeikis, 46.
The snaps quickly went viral, sparking an outcry on social media and prompting many people to rail against Sudeikis for purportedly subjecting the mother of his children to public humiliation.
But a source close to the celebrity exes has claimed that the Ted Lasso star was just as blindsided by the stunt as his ex, adding that he does not condone the way the serving was handled.
The source - who reportedly spoke to DailyMail.com - said: "Jason had no idea that this was happening."
"Nobody knew until the photos suddenly appeared. He is appalled about the whole thing and never would have wanted Olivia to be put in this kind of situation," the insider continued, adding: "His sole priority is their children and making sure that they are safe and happy."
The source confirmed that the woman who served Wilde was a process server hired by her ex's law firm - and explained that Sudeikis had left the serving of the jurisdiction papers entirely up to his attorneys.
"Mr. Sudeikis had no prior knowledge of the time or place that the envelope would have been delivered as this would solely be up to the process service company involved and he would never condone her being served in such an inappropriate manner," they told DailyMail.com.
Wilde and Sudeikis share two children together, Otis, 8, and Daisy, 5. The couple first started dating in 2011 and became engaged in 2013. But in 2020, they announced the news of their split, and shortly after, Wilde became linked romantically to pop star Harry Styles, who she met on set of her upcoming thriller Don't Worry Darling.