Westworld actor Jimmi Simpson’s girlfriend Kyra Gardner came to his defense over the weekend after a fan she described as a ‘stalker’ allegedly accused him of ‘grooming’ her.

In a series of comments on a TikTok video she posted last week, Gardner defended her and Simpson’s age gap, as he is apparently more than 20 years her senior.

She also blasted rumors that she and her boyfriend got to know each other when she was a teen, which she said were flatly ‘false.’

The controversy erupted after Gardner, who is a filmmaker, jump on a TikTok trend and posted a short video of herself at the premiere of Studio 666 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, which was held on February 16, 2022.

The video appeared to show Gardner setting up a camera outside the theater to do interviews with the stars as they arrived, one of which ended up being her future boyfriend.

‘She doesn’t know it yet, but she’ll meet the love of her life that night, and is actually looking at a pH๏τo of him on the paper she’s holding,’ Gardner wrote over the footage.

Westworld actor Jimmi Simpson’s girlfriend came to his defense over the weekend after a fan she described as a ‘stalker’ allegedly accused him of ‘grooming’ her; pictured in 2022 in LA

In a series of comments on a TikTok video she posted last week, Kyra Gardner defended her and Simpson’s age gap, as he is apparently more than 20 years her senior

Despite the seemingly sweet nature of the video — which didn’t feature or mention Simpson — Gardner apparently had to fight back comments from a troll.

‘Wow this blew up overnight.. I WILL be deleting any false comments,’ she declared in the comments on Saturday.

She said their were ‘accusatory Reddit pages of a STALKER of mine that are FALSE.’

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Gardner appeared to be referring to Reddit pages that seem to have popped up around nine months earlier that claimed that Simpson had been a friend one of Gardner’s parents — and her by extension — for 10 years prior to when they began dating.

The posts were filled with comments from users deriding their relationship because of their age gap, while others accused Simpson of being a ‘groomer.’

Although Gardner’s birthdate isn’t certain, they appear to have made their red carpet debut at the premiere of Apple TV+’s Dark Matter in April of last year, and she confirmed that she was 26 when they began dating, while Simpson is 49 currently.

‘Our stalker is weirdly claiming I’ve known him since I was 16 and he was friends with my dad,’ Gardner continued. ‘FALSE. My dad didn’t even know who he was and I had to introduce THEM while at work.’

Gardern collaborates regularly with her father, the special effects makeup artist Tony Gardner, as the two host Fangoria magazine’s Flesh & Blood & Bone podcast, which highlights his stories about working on makeup and effects for films including Dark Man, Hocus Pocus and Bad Grandpa, among many others.

 The controversy erupted after Gardner, who is a filmmaker, jump on a TikTok trend and posted a short video of herself at the premiere of Studio 666 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, which was held on February 16, 2022

That was the night Gardner met Simpson (pictured at the Studio 666 premiere) before they began dating. But Gardner said a ‘stalker’ was claiming Simpson was guilty of ‘grooming’ her

She said it was ‘false’ that Simpson had been a friend of her father’s for 10 years and noted that, even though they have a large age gap, she was 26 when she they began dating

Gardner then clarified that she previously met Simpson when she was 22 while ‘BRIEFLY interviewing him for my job on his film.’ 

She said the they ‘Never interacted again until re-meeting’ in 2022 at the Studio 666 premiere in Hollywood. 

‘Didn’t start dating til I was 26,’ she continued, declaring, ‘It’s an age gap but certainly not grooming.’

Gardner added: ‘Every1 wanting to push that false narrative is gross & I don’t know why you WANT it to be a grooming story. Please read more than the 2 minutes of REDDIT gossip before making ᴀssumptions about people.’

As Gardner said she would be deleting ‘false comments,’ the comments section on her TikTok video was mostly full of fans of her or Simpson who offered condolences as she dealt with social media trolls.

Several people also urged her not to refer to the alleged stalker posting falsehoods about her relationship as ‘our stalker’ or ‘my stalker,’ as they said it could give the person a sense of connection to her or Simpson, which stalker’s usually desire.

Another person questioned her about Simpson’s marriage to Sophia Del Pizzo, though she noted that the two, who divorced in 2021, had split years ago. 

Gardner most recently featured her boyfriend Simpson on Valentine’s Day in a sweet Instagram post featuring several pH๏τos of the lovebirds beaming for the camera and embracing.

The false rumors appear to have originated in Reddit posts dating back at least 9 months, after she and Simpson made their red carpet debut in April 2024

Gardner most recently featured her boyfriend Simpson on Valentine’s Day in a sweet Instagram post featuring several pH๏τos of the lovebirds beaming for the camera and embracing

‘I choo choo choose you today and every day @jimmisimpson ❤️ �� (and also our kitties��) Happy Valentine’s Day to all! ��,’ she captioned the post

Simpson is best known for starring on HBO’s Westworld from 2016 to 2020. He has also appeared on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and films like Zodiac and Date Night; pictured with Evan Rachel Wood on Westwood

‘I choo choo choose you today and every day @jimmisimpson ❤️ 🚂 (and also our kitties🐱) Happy Valentine’s Day to all! 💝,’ she captioned the post.

Prior to marrying Sophia Del Pizzo in 2019, Simpson was married to Yellowjackets actress Melanie Lynsky from 2007 until she filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, in 2012. Their divorce was finalized in 2014.

Simpson is best known for starring on HBO’s Westworld from 2016 to 2020. He was a lead actor as part of the show’s main cast in the first season, though he appeared as a recurring character in season two and had less time in the third season as a guest actor.

He’s also known for his recurring role as Liam McPoyle on the longrunning comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and recent projects including Apple TV+’s Pachinko and Dark Matter. Simpson has also acted extensively in films, with roles in Zodiac, Date Night, White House Down, Under The Silver Lake and more.

Since making his film debut nearly 25 years ago, Simpson has earned Primetime Emmy, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA Award nominations.