Where Do One Tree Hill's Hilarie Burton Morgan And Sophia Bush Stand Now?
If there's one thing that makes "One Tree Hill" extra special, it's the fact that the show's main cast members still remain good friends to this day. Hilarie Burton Morgan (Peyton Sawyer), Sophia Bush (Brooke Davis), and Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley James), who played besties on-screen, even started the "Drama Queens" podcast, where they discuss each episode and all the behind-the-scenes drama at length.
Morgan and Bush are especially close, and during the 2024 Halloween season, the two met up at a local Halloween Festival Morgan hosted for her town. The "One Tree Hill" star shared snaps of the evening featuring Bush and her girlfriend, Ashlyn Harris, to her Instagram account, writing, "I LOVE that my angels @sophiabush and @ashlynharris24 surprised us with a visit and got a real taste of small town community. Worlds colliding and showing up for each other in fun random ways......that's real love, babes." Bush took to the comment section to return some of the love. "PTSO for the win!! "Best day eveeeer!!"" she wrote. Some other "One Tree Hill" alumni also weighed in, with Antwon Tanner (Antwon "Skills" Taylor) responding with several heart emojis, and Kate Voegele (Mia Catalano) replying, "Love this!"
Speaking to People in 2021, Bush discussed the special bond she has with her co-stars, Burton and Lenz, saying, "This is what real sisterhood is," adding, "If anyone comes near one of you, I'll run and get a flamethrower ... [Our friendship] is really deep."
Hilarie and Sophia were pitted against each other during their time on One Tree Hill
When Hilarie Burton Morgan and Sophia Bush first met on the set of "One Tree Hill," they quickly realized that they clicked. "Hilarie grew up in a big family but doesn't have sisters and I grew up on my own," Bush told E! News in 2024. "And in this very interesting way, we're two sides of the same coin and we're exactly the same person. We're so different and we are so similar." But despite their special relationship, the two had to fight to stick together during their time on "One Tree Hill."
When she sat down for an interview on the "Chicks in the Office" podcast, Morgan explained, "A lot of people wanted to pit us against each other. You know, it's like, 'Oh Hilarie won't do this but Sophia will.' And 'She's the pretty one.' And 'She's the this one.' There's so much comparison that, as a young person, it's hard to navigate." Luckily, their friendship managed to survive through all the turmoil.
Bush and Morgan are practically twins — their birthdays are seven days apart, and Morgan talked about how this also drew them together, given that they both turned 21 at almost the same time when they started filming the show. These shared experiences cemented their friendship, leading to a special bond that outlasted the show's cancellation in 2012.