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<\/p>\nJessie Buckley has now declared herself a “lover of cats” following a wave of online criticism sparked by a resurfaced podcast interview.<\/p>\n
The Oscar favourite found herself in hot water after clips from her appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast went viral, showing her and Hamnet co-star Paul Mescal making some rather unflattering remarks about felines.<\/p>\n
During the November interview promoting their critically acclaimed historical drama, Ms Buckley admitted she was not particularly fond of cats, while Mr Mescal chimed in with a blunt “f*** cats.”<\/p>\n
Host Josh Horowitz warned the pair such bold declarations could prove career-damaging, but the 36-year-old actress doubled down with an anecdote that really got cat lovers’ backs up.<\/p>\n
Jessie Buckley was ridiculed for her views on cats<\/p>\n
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GETTY<\/p>\n
Ms Buckley revealed that when she first started dating her now-husband, he owned two cats.<\/p>\n
One of them, which she described as a “pedigree model b***h”, apparently took an instant dislike to her.<\/p>\n
“She staged like a coup against me,” the Kerry-born actress explained.<\/p>\n
“I’d come home and there’d just be poo on my pillow.”<\/p>\n
![\"Jessie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jessie-buckley-and-paul-mescal.png\")
Clips from the podcast circulated online<\/p>\n
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Happy Sad Confused podcast <\/p>\n
Faced with this feline hostility, Ms Buckley issued her partner with a stark choice: “It’s me or the cats.”<\/p>\n
The actress gleefully confirmed she emerged victorious from this standoff, adding “But I won!”<\/p>\n
She had even acknowledged before telling the story it might land her in trouble, joking she was “going to get cancelled” for sharing it.<\/p>\n
The online reaction was indeed swift and unforgiving.<\/p>\n
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Jessie Buckley appeared on the pod alongside Paul Mescal<\/p>\n
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Happy Sad Confused podcast <\/p>\n
On Reddit, one user wrote: “Getting rid of your pets for someone is crazy. Asking someone to do that is even crazier.”<\/p>\n
Another commenter didn’t hold back: “So vile to make someone get rid of their pets. And her husband is a loser for doing so.”<\/p>\n
Over on X, fans labelled the ultimatum a major “red flag,” with one posting: “I like Jessie Buckley a lot as an actress, but her gleefully retelling the story of giving her husband the ultimatum of rehoming his cats when they got together…”<\/p>\n
They continued: “Not to be dramatic, but that genuinely makes me think less of her.”<\/p>\n
Another added: “She made her husband get rid of his cats when they met. And laughed about it like it’s funny.”<\/p>\n
The timing of this viral controversy is rather interesting, given that the Academy Awards voting closed last night.<\/p>\n
Ms Buckley, who picked up a win at the Actor Awards last weekend, remains the clear favourite to take home the best actress Oscar when the ceremony takes place on Sunday next week.<\/p>\n
Despite the negative publicity, most observers don’t expect the cat kerfuffle to dent her chances significantly.<\/p>\n
![\"Jessie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772808609_320_jessie-buckley.jpg\")
Jessie Buckley is up for an Oscar<\/p>\n
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GETTY<\/p>\n
Some have even questioned whether there might be something more calculated behind the clip resurfacing at such a crucial moment in the awards race.<\/p>\n
As one commentator put it, perhaps it’s time to “give Jessie Buckley a break and let her celebrate her recent success.”<\/p>\n
“Good god, can you not ‘talk shite’ anymore?” they added.<\/p>\n