Teenagers can be the most hardcore fans when it comes to the music,
movies, and TV shows they like. They laugh, cry, and fall in love together with their
favorite idols. Maybe that's why when two of the artists they like begin dating each other,
it is sure to generate A LOT of reactions. Of course, Leighton Meester and Adam Brody,
stars of the 2000s T.V. shows Gossip Girl and The O.C., were no exception. Let's see how
these two began dating and how their love story blossomed into something beautiful.
In 2011, both actors appeared in the indie comedy The Oranges. Although they weren't
dating during this time, a source told U.S. weekly that "They were always close and
friendly" during filming. The couple went their separate ways until 2012,
when they reunited for a screening of the movie. Things might have stopped there,
but during the Christmas holidays, Leighton split with her then-boyfriend, actor Aaron Himelstein.
After a few months, Meester and Brody began dating. In February 2013, a source told U.S.
Weekly that the pair had been hanging out for weeks. They had even gone on a trip to Bangkok
in January! Some paparazzi also took pictures of them leaving an art exhibit in Los Angeles.
During the beginning of their relationship, both stars were very private and didn't speak
about each other in interviews. They also didn't confirm they were together. However,
the paparazzi still managed to take pictures of their dates.
It makes sense that Meester and Brody wanted to keep things private at first since they
had both previously been involved with other celebrities and likely knew what a toll media
attention could take on a relationship. Adam had dated Rachel Bilson, his co-star on The O.C.,
from 2003 to 2006. When their split happened, there was no official reason,
although a source told People Magazine that the couple just grew apart.
However, it seems like the exes were able to keep things friendly.
In fact, in a 2020 Instagram comment, the actress even said that Adam had
"fared well" after their split. It is also worth mentioning how much
Rachel and Leighton look alike. It seems like the actor definitely has a type!
As for Leighton, she also knows a thing or two about dating co-stars. The actress went
out with Sebastian Stan, who famously starred on Gossip Girl. It was even rumored that they
made out a lot while on set! Years later, in 2014, Leighton ventured into music and
released a song named Heartstrings, where she talked about an ex who broke her heart when
she was 25 Although everybody assumed the song was about the actor, he never commented on it.
After Sebastian, Meester dated actor Aaron Himmelstein. Although it is unclear when
their relationship began, the couple was spotted visiting Rio de Janeiro
in April 2012. But we already know they separated in December of the same year.
But let's get back to Brody and Mesteer's relationship! In June 2013, both actors
made their first appearance as a couple, even before officially confirming they were dating!
The pair attended the premiere of Brody's movie, Some Girl(s). They held hands during the event and
posed alongside Mia Maestro, Adam's co-star. By September of the same year, the pair still hadn't
confirmed they were together, although they were spotted walking the streets of New York.
Leighton and Adam's relationship was going so smoothly that engagement rumors began in
November 2013, when they had been dating for less than a year! Neither of them confirmed or
denied the rumors themselves. Well, it's clear now that they were true since, in February 2014,
multiple sources confirmed to U.S. Weekly that the actors had tied the knot in a secret wedding.
"Leighton and Adam got married in Northern California by the ocean a
couple of weeks ago," a source told E! News. "It was a very small and intimate
wedding with close family and friends. It was beautiful." After their wedding,
the T.V. stars were seen relaxing at the ST Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico for their honeymoon.
A few months later, Adam publicly referenced the relationship for the first time. During an
"Ask Me Anything" event with fans held through the social platform Reddit , somebody asked,
"How's Leighton?". The actor responded: "She's swell!" He also talked about their day-to-day
life saying: "I do some stuff but she definitely does the heavy lifting figuratively. Literally, I
do the heavy lifting." We are glad they were able to work together so easily since the beginning of
their marriage! They even starred in another movie together, a comedy called Life Partners.
In May 2015, pregnancy rumors started spreading after Leighton was seen with
what seemed to be a baby bump. And again, the rumors were right! Their daughter Arlo,
the couple's first child, was born on August 4, according to TMZ.
Although the couple didn't make any public comments about their daughter's birth,
they did attend some events together in the following years,
like the 2017 InStyle Golden Globes afterparty.
Finally, in March of that same year, Meester opened up about her relationship with the actor.
In an interview with Access Hollywood, the TV star confessed she had a crush on her husband
when she was younger. "I think maybe I thought he was cute. I remember he was a screensaver of
one of my best friends when we were like seventeen. I was like, 'who is that?'."
A few months later, the couple gave their first joint interview to Entertainment Tonight while
volunteering at an event against hunger in Los Angeles. Both actors joked about their
iconic characters ending up together in real life. Brody said that they had a "Seth and
Blair day" once a year, while Mesteer added, "It doesn't excite us, I think,
because we're just human beings … but it's exciting to us that it's exciting to you."
In August 2018, the actress talked further about her marriage in another interview with
Entertainment Tonight. When discussing their work-life balance, she said:
"I think we're a pretty modern couple." She also talked about her daughter, saying that she was
really into the movie Edward Scissorhands. She joked that she showed it to Arlo after saying:
"We don't wanna watch these cartoons anymore. You can watch a better movie."
In another interview with PorterEdit, Leighton opened up about her difficult past. The star
didn't have an easy childhood, as she was born in a federal prison, where her mother was serving
time for drug trafficking offenses. Her father also spent time in jail. She confessed that part
of the reason she started an acting career so young was to bring money to her family. However,
she reflected on it, "I wouldn't change anything because I'm happy where I am now. And I think
that's one of the many wonderful parts of not only having a child and meeting your soulmate,
but also, I feel really lucky career-wise, really in a place that I want to be."
We are so glad she was able to find happiness after going through so much!
It seems like the actress was finally ready to open up about her relationship and motherhood,
since she mentioned them again in a 2019 interview with shape magazine. She revealed that Brody had
taught her how to surf, a sport that she loved. When talking about her daughter, she said: "I feel
that I am really lucky, and yet, still, I stepped into the hardest job in the world: being a mom."
Both actors make it work not only when it comes to parenting, but also when performing.
In May 2019, Brody guest-starred in the series 1 finale of Meester's show,
a comedy called Single Parents. It went so well that he appeared in four subsequent episodes of
the show's second season. Meester talked to the Hollywood Reporter about working with her husband,
saying: "I wanna work with him on everything, and I think he's the best in everything."
During the following months, the couple made several public appearances, like the one at the
premiere of Ready or Not, Brody's film. Meester also used the occasion to go Instagram official!
She uploaded a photo with her husband with the caption "Me and my hero #readyornotmovie."
Adam has also talked about his marriage. In an interview with G.Q., the actor described his wife,
saying she was "more private" than himself. : "We're homebodies," he explained about
their relationship. "We don't go to a lot of things that perhaps we could,
and don't seek out promotion in that way. We've found this great balance
so far that really works for us. We're also not very active on social media."
It seems everything was going smoothly for the couple. So much that, in 2020,
they had their second child. In October of that same year,
Adam talked about welcoming his son into the world. "It's been pretty magical,"
he said. He also revealed that Arlo was very excited to be a big sister!
A few months later, Adam was invited on Unqualified,
Anna Faris' podcast. He jokingly confessed that, at the beginning,
he wasn't sure if Leighton was a good person or not. He explained the reason,
saying: "I don't know, Gossip Girl." Well, the actress sure delivered a convincing performance!
And where is the couple now? The two lovebirds are set to co-star
in the first feature together since getting married. The film is called
"The River Wild" and will be on a video-on-demand platform in 2023!
The pair have now been married for 8 years and seem to irradiate love and happiness.
Here at Rumor Juice, we wish them many more years together. It's clear that,
in this case, the teenagers were right!