Olivia Wilde called the 'Don't Worry Darling' controversy 'endless tabloid gossip' at a press conference Florence Pugh missed

• Olivia Wilde appeared on a panel about "Don't Worry Darling" during the Venice Film Festival.
• Wilde said the rumors of a rift between her and Florence Pugh were "tabloid gossip" in the panel.

Olive Wilde avoided a question about her alleged "falling out" with Florence Pugh at the Venice Film Festival on Monday.

Wilde, 38, appeared on a panel to discuss "Don't Worry Darling," her latest directorial and acting project, ahead of its premiere at the festival Monday night.

The film's cast appeared with Wilde, including Harry Styles, Chris Pine, and Gemma Chan; however, Pugh, 26, the star of the movie, was noticeably absent from the panel, as she flew into Venice for Monday's premiere from the set of "Dune" after it was over, according to People.

Pugh's filming schedule for "Dune" is limiting her press for "DWD" according to The Wrap, adding fuel to rumors of a rift between Pugh and Wilde. Speculation about tension between the two has been building for months and reached a head in August when Shia LaBeouf, 36, denied Wilde's comments to Variety that he was fired from "Don't Worry Darling."

In her interview with Variety, Wilde seemed to imply she fired LaBeouf both because of his acting process and because making Pugh feel "safe" during filming was her priority. Styles replaced LaBeouf in the film.

LaBeouf asserted that he quit after the interview was published, and he told Variety via email he had a video of Wilde asking him to reconsider his decision to leave the film. The video leaked online following LaBeouf's comments to the outlet. In the video, Wilde said she was "not ready to give up on" LaBeouf starring in the film and added that she thought his decision to leave "might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo," seeming to refer to Pugh.

According to People, during the conference, a reporter asked Wilde if there had been "a falling out" between her and Pugh. Instead of answering the question directly, Wilde praised Pugh's acting and criticized "tabloid gossip."

"Florence is a force, and we are so grateful that she's able to make it tonight despite being in production on 'Dune.' I know, as a director, how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day, so I'm very grateful to her, to Denis Villeneuve for helping us," she said. "And we're really thrilled we'll get to celebrate her work tonight. I can't say enough how honored I am to have her as our lead. She's amazing in the film."

Wilde went on to say that she didn't "feel the need to contribute" to the chatter about the reported rift between herself and Pugh.

"As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself," she went on to say, according to People. "I don't feel the need to contribute. It's sufficiently well nourished."

A journalist from The Hollywood Reporter then tried to ask Wilde about LaBeouf, but according to the outlet, the panel's moderator said Wilde "had already answered" questions about "internet noise."

"Don't Worry Darling" premieres in theaters on September 23.

Representatives for Pugh and Wilde did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.