Famous Women Adam Brody Has Dated

Adam Brody has been acting since 1995, but he really rose to prominence thanks to his role on "The O.C.," which ran from 2003 to 2007. Since then, he has been a mainstay of Hollywood, starring in everything from rom-coms to slasher flicks to superhero blockbusters. So, it only stands to reason that his dating history would be fairly star-studded. These days, Brody is happily married to fellow actor Leighton Meester. But like a lot of people, he had a bit of a journey before settling down.

It all began in 2003, when Brody started dating "The O.C." co-star Rachel Bilson. Their characters were love interests on the show, and life quickly imitated art. After three years, however, the couple called it quits in 2006. Brody and Bilson kept working together on "The O.C." — and, ironically, their characters actually got married after their real-life breakup. "We broke up at the very end, so there wasn't much [left to film] after the breakup. ... That was like the only scene left to shoot was the wedding," Bilson said on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast in 2021.

During that same podcast, Bilson revealed that she and Brody "still got along really well." While the couple never gave a specific reason for their breakup, it's fairly well known that Brody was pretty bored with "The O.C." by the end. "I started to be creatively less interested," he admitted in the 2023 book "Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History."

After Adam Brody split from Rachel Bilson, rumors began to swirl that he was involved with Kirsten Dunst. Sites like TMZ and Oh No They Didn't reported seeing the two together in early 2007. At the time, Dunst — only a few years removed from her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal — was getting ready for the big-screen debut of "Spider-Man 3." Brody and Dunst never confirmed they were an item, and any romance between them would have been fairly short lived.

By 2008, Brody had begun another fling with "Bedtime Stories" star Teresa Palmer. Brody and Palmer had both been cast in George Miller's "Justice League" movie, which was later abandoned. According to Daily Mail, they started seeing each other during pre-production — and ended up taking a road trip around Australia following the film's abrupt cancellation. However, it doesn't look like anything long term really came of it.

Brody had one last (and slightly longer) fling with writer-director Lorene Scafaria. They were first seen together in late 2009. Both People and Life & Style claim their last public appearance as a couple was at the April 2011 premiere of "Scream 4," in which Brody starred as a police deputy. Brody and Scafaria were later seen together at the June 2012 premiere of "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," though that may have had more to do with the fact that she directed the movie.

Brody met Leighton Meester on the set of "Gossip Girl" in 2007, but the two didn't actually start dating until 2013. From there, however, things moved pretty fast. Brody popped the question to Meester that November, and they tied the knot at a private ceremony in February 2014.

The couple welcomed their first child, a girl, a year and a half later in August 2015. Their second child, a boy, was born in September 2020. In a 2024 interview on "Today With Hoda & Jenna," Brody offered some insight into his parenting style. "There is a helicopter, you know, I keep them safe," he said. "I'm not overly strict, but I see the sharp edges, literally. And their heads aren't gonna — I want to keep those heads maintained."

He also revealed the secret of his 10-plus-year marriage to Meester, saying that while all marriages require work, having a partner who really loves and understands you is a great head start. "If you're with someone great, you're on third base," Brody said. "Not that it doesn't take sacrifice and humility — and you have to grow together and you have to be willing to grow because you're not going to be able to stay 100 percent right where you are. But, if you're with someone wonderful, I think you're on third base."