‘The O.C.’ Cast’s Dating Histories Through the Years: Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody and More

Credit: Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

'The O.C.' Cast's Dating Histories Through the Years: Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody and More

California, here they come! Newport Beach's coolest teens went through plenty of romantic drama on The O.C., but so did their real-life counterparts. The show documented the lives of Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), Seth Cohen (Adam Brody), Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) and their parents, all of whom lived in the wealthy enclave of Orange County. Ryan had his fair share of entanglements, first with Marissa and later with Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser), but Seth's relationship with Summer was always No. 1 with fans. Their onscreen romance was deepened by the fact that Bilson and Brody were dating in real life for most of the show's run. They split in 2006, ahead of the series finale in February 2007. Though Seth and Summer were still together after the actors portraying them broke up, the Hart of Dixie alum has said she didn't mind working with her ex after their breakup. [sendtonews type="float" key="g36fxG0JsK-3114747-14453"] "Because of what the show was and how young we all were, going through it with someone experiencing the same thing and having that kind of support was really awesome," she told Nylon in April 2021. "I’m actually grateful that I did have it. It was definitely a unique experience and I don’t think anyone else could have really understood it had they not been in it, so for that reason, it was super helpful and supportive, and I have total gratitude for the whole experience." During the show's original run from 2003 to 2007, rumors often swirled that McKenzie and Barton were dating too, but the Hills alum said they were always just friends. "It's terribly weird, but it's kind of amusing now that I can laugh about it," the Starcrossed actress told Cosmopolitan in 2004. "[Once], we pretended for a whole day that I was dating Adam and Rachel was dating Ben, just throw everyone off." While Brody didn't end up with his onscreen girlfriend, he eventually tied the knot with an actress from a different Josh Schwartz teen drama: Leighton Meester, who played Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012. The would-be crossover has always delighted fans, but the couple isn't quite as amused by the coincidence. “It doesn’t excite us, I think, because we’re just human beings," the singer told E! News in June 2017. "But it’s exciting to us that it’s exciting to you." Keep scrolling for a look back at the O.C. cast's dating histories: [podcast_block]

Credit: Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

'The O.C.' Cast's Dating Histories Through the Years: Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody and More

California, here they come! Newport Beach's coolest teens went through plenty of romantic drama on The O.C., but so did their real-life counterparts. The show documented the lives of Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), Seth Cohen (Adam Brody), Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) and their parents, all of whom lived in the wealthy enclave of Orange County. Ryan had his fair share of entanglements, first with Marissa and later with Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser), but Seth's relationship with Summer was always No. 1 with fans. Their onscreen romance was deepened by the fact that Bilson and Brody were dating in real life for most of the show's run. They split in 2006, ahead of the series finale in February 2007. Though Seth and Summer were still together after the actors portraying them broke up, the Hart of Dixie alum has said she didn't mind working with her ex after their breakup. [sendtonews type="float" key="g36fxG0JsK-3114747-14453"] "Because of what the show was and how young we all were, going through it with someone experiencing the same thing and having that kind of support was really awesome," she told Nylon in April 2021. "I’m actually grateful that I did have it. It was definitely a unique experience and I don’t think anyone else could have really understood it had they not been in it, so for that reason, it was super helpful and supportive, and I have total gratitude for the whole experience." During the show's original run from 2003 to 2007, rumors often swirled that McKenzie and Barton were dating too, but the Hills alum said they were always just friends. "It's terribly weird, but it's kind of amusing now that I can laugh about it," the Starcrossed actress told Cosmopolitan in 2004. "[Once], we pretended for a whole day that I was dating Adam and Rachel was dating Ben, just throw everyone off." While Brody didn't end up with his onscreen girlfriend, he eventually tied the knot with an actress from a different Josh Schwartz teen drama: Leighton Meester, who played Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012. The would-be crossover has always delighted fans, but the couple isn't quite as amused by the coincidence. “It doesn’t excite us, I think, because we’re just human beings," the singer told E! News in June 2017. "But it’s exciting to us that it’s exciting to you." Keep scrolling for a look back at the O.C. cast's dating histories: [podcast_block]

Credit: John Salangsang/Shutterstock

Adam Brody

The Ready or Not actor dated Bilson from 2003 to 2006, and they've remained friendly in the years since. When they ran into each other at the airport in 2019, they snapped a selfie for fans. “Ran into my ol buddy from jfk to lax #californiaherewecome,” Bilson wrote via Instagram.

In 2010, Brody met Meester while filming the show The Oranges. They got engaged in 2013 and wed the following year. In August 2015, they welcomed daughter Arlo. Their second child, a son, followed in September 2020.

Credit: Scott Kirkland/Shutterstock

Rachel Bilson

After splitting from Brody in 2006, the Nashville alum moved on with Hayden Christensen. They split in 2017 after 10 years together. Their daughter, Briar Rose, was born in October 2014.

In 2019, she was briefly linked to former Bachelor Nick Viall. She later dated Bill Hader from late 2019 to July 2020.

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Ben McKenzie

The former Gotham star started dating Morena Baccarin (who appeared in three episodes of The O.C.) in 2015. They tied the knot in June 2017 and share two children: daughter Frances, born in March 2016, and son Arthur, born in March 2021.

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Mischa Barton

The Sixth Sense star dated oil heir Brandon Davis from 2004 to 2005. She later dated musician Cisco Adler from 2005 to 2007 and model James Abercrombie from 2017 to 2019.

Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock

Peter Gallagher

The Center Stage actor has been married to Paula Harwood since 1983. They share two children: son James, born in 1990, and daughter Kathryn, born in July 1993.

Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

Kelly Rowan

Rowan, who played Cohen family matriarch Kirsten, got engaged to billionaire David Thomson in 2007 after one year of dating, but they called it quits in 2008. They share one daughter, born in April of that year.

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Melinda Clarke

The Vampire Diaries alum was married to Ernie Mirich from 1997 to 2005. They share daughter Catherine, born in 2000. In 2015, she remarried, wedding Adam Farmer in a ceremony held in Dana Point, California.

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Autumn Reeser

The Entourage veteran married writer and director Jesse Warren in May 2009. She filed for divorce in November 2014. The duo share two sons, born in 2011 and 2013.

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Tate Donovan

The Rocketman actor, who played Jimmy Cooper on The O.C., had a string of high-profile relationships in the '90s, dating Sandra Bullock from 1990 to 1994 and Jennifer Aniston from 1995 to 1998. He was married to writer Corinne Kingsley from 2005 to 2008.

Credit: Byron Purvis/Admedia/Sipa/Shutterstock

Chris Carmack

As The O.C.'s Luke, Carmack had a very controversial romantic life, dating both Marissa and her mom, but his offscreen romantic history is far less dramatic. He wed longtime girlfriend Erin Slaver in 2018 after meeting her on the set of Nashville. They welcomed daughter Kai in September 2016.