Oscars Winner 2026, Jessie Buckley’s Ultimatum To Husband Freddie Almost Got ‘Hamnet’ Star Cancelled

The internet is abuzz with discussions about Jessie Buckley after she won the prestigious 2026 Oscar Award. She bagged the accolade in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category for her performance as ‘Agnes’ in Hamnet. Notably, just two months ago, the role earned Jessie Buckley her first Golden Globe nomination and win, and now, adding on to her list of firsts is the 98th Academy Award. As she beat talented actresses like Emma Stone and Kate Hudson for the title, the spotlight fell on Jessie’s personal life, particularly her secret husband, Freddie. Here’s a look back at Jessie and Freddie’s little tiff that almost led to her getting cancelled by fans.

Jessie Buckley threatened to leave Freddie if he didn’t agree to her one clause

During her November 2025 appearance at Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Jessie Buckley shared that when she first started dating her now-husband, Freddie, his cats “staged a coup” against her. He had two fur babies, and one of them, as per the actress, was a “pedigree model b****” that would leave poop on her pillow when she came home. She meant that the cats didn’t like her and did unpleasant things to chase her away. Unable to bear it any longer, Jessie gave Freddie an ultimatum: get rid of his pets if he wanted to keep dating her. Jessie’s exact words were:

“I don’t like cats…Cats are mean…When I started dating (Freddie), he had two cats. This is bad, so I’m going to get canceled. One of the cats was like a pedigree model b**** and she staged like a coup against me. I’d come home and there’d just be like poo on my pillow. And I was like, ‘It’s me or the cats.’…But I won.”

Jessie Buckley’s comment on Freddie’s cats almost got her cancelled

Jessie calling cats “mean” and “b***” didn’t sit right with pet lovers. It sparked a hate train against her, making her prediction of getting “cancelled” almost a reality. The Irish star’s “I won!” remark confirmed that Freddie did as she wished and chose her over his pets. Notably, she did not clarify whether the two cats were abandoned or whether the couple found them a new home, leaving fans even more frustrated. As the backlash surrounding the cat comment heightened, Jessie addressed the issue. She clarified the intention of her statement on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March 2026.

Jessie Buckley contradicted her previous statement, saying she loved cats and that the criticism she was facing was uncalled for. The Hamnet actress said the aftermath of her statement was draining her emotionally and leaving her feeling sick. To prove her affinity for cats, she revealed that she once auditioned for Tom Hooper’s 2019 film, Cats. Additionally, Jessie jokingly described herself as being “a quarter cat and three-quarters dog.” Speaking about how the backlash affected her, she said:

“I am a lover of cats. I woke up this morning– does the world think that I really don’t love cats? And it’s really weighed on me all day. I felt sick.”

More about Jessie Buckley and Freddie

Jessie and Freddie met on a blind date in London in 2018, arranged by a music executive with whom he worked on the film, Wild Rose. After dating secretly for two years, Jessie hard-launched Freddie at an event. In March 2022, he accompanied her to the 94th Academy Awards, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Lost Daughter. After five years of dating, the couple married in mid-2023, in a private ceremony held at their 15th-century home in Norfolk. They welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in December 2025.

What are your thoughts on Jessie Buckley’s controversial comment regarding Freddie’s cats? Let us know.

Also Read: Oscars Winner 2026, Why Jessie Buckley Keeps Husband, Freddie Hidden? ‘Hamnet’ Star Reveals