The invention relates to the technical field of aromatic hydrocarbon oil catalysis and discloses an acid mesoporous zirconium phosphate pillared activated clay de-olefin catalyst. The de-olefin catalyst is prepared from mesoporous zirconium phosphate and activated bentonite, wherein the mesoporous zirconium phosphate is pillared between activated bentonite layers; and the ratio of the mesoporous zirconium phosphate is 12.5-25wt%. The preparation method comprises the following steps: S1, adding a sulfuric acid solution into zirconium hydroxide, adding a mesoporous template agent and the activated bentonite, stirring and reacting, transferring into a reactor, and crystallizing to obtain a crystal compound; S2, centrifuging, washing and drying the crystal, and performing phosphoric acidtreatment on the crystal; and S3, washing, filtering and drying the crystal subjected to phosphate treatment, and calcining the crystal, thereby obtaining the acid mesoporous zirconium phosphate pillared activated clay de-olefin catalyst. The catalytic activity of the mesoporous zirconium phosphate pillared activated clay catalyst disclosed by the invention is obviously improved; and meanwhile, the catalyst is high in stability and long in service life.