"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
THE RUNDOWN
Leighton Meester and Adam Brody were first linked in 2011 and eventually tied the knot in 2014.
They now have two kids together, a daughter named Arlo Day and a son whose name has not been publicized.
The pair most recently appeared at the Critics Choice Awards together.
It's a match made in teen TV heaven. Leighton Meester, who played Blair Waldorf onGossip Girl, and Adam Brody, who played Seth Cohen onThe O.C.,were first linked back in 2011. News of their romance sent fans into a frenzy. Since then, they've quietly married, co-starred in a few films, and nowhave two childrentogether.
Below, a rewind on their low-key love, including what they've said about each other's iconic CW characters.
2011
In 2011, Brody and Meester appeared in the indie comedyThe Oranges. "They were always close and friendly," a source toldUs Weeklyof the duo's dynamic during filming.
2012
The co-stars reunited in September 2012 for a screening ofThe Orangesin NYC.
Usreported that Meester split from her actor boyfriend Aaron Himelstein over the holidays. She hadpreviously datedherGossip Girlco-star Sebastian Stan. Brody had been mostrecently linkedtoHustlersdirector Lorene Scafaria and dated hisO.C.co-star Rachel Bilson until 2006.
February 2013
Us Weeklybroke the news that Brody and Meester were dating on Feb. 6, 2013. The article claimed that the pair had been "hanging out" for weeks, with a trip to Bangkok at the start of the year and stop at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on February 1.
A couple days after their relationship became public, Meester hid from paparazzi in Brody's car, perE!. Towards the end of the month,the outletsnapped them walking to a Mexican restaurant in Venice, California.
June 2013
Brody and Meester made their first public appearance as a couple at the premiere of his film,Some Girl(s). They held hands during the outing and posed alongside Brody's co-star Mia Maestro.
September 2013
Neither Meester nor Brody confirmed their 7-month relationship. ButE!spotted the couple walking through NYC toward the end of the year.
November 2013
On November 20,E!reported that the couple was engaged after less than a year of dating. Neither actor weighed in on the news themselves. A month later, the pair wasspotted kissingin South Africa.
February 2014
On February 18,Us Weeklyconfirmed that Meester and Brody had tied the knot in a secret wedding, according to multiple sources.
"Leighton and Adam got married in Northern California by the ocean a couple of weeks ago," a source toldE!. "It was a very small and intimate wedding with close family and friends. It was beautiful."
E!hinted at a possible honeymoon spot, reporting that the couple had recently been "seen relaxing" at St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico. However, a source shut that down toPeople, saying that Meester had been working. "She was in Mexico shooting," the source explained. "Adam was with her, but it wasn't their honeymoon. It was strictly a professional trip."
June 2014
Meester and Brody walked their first red carpet as a married couple at the Tony Awards. She wore a white Antonio Berardi gown, and he wore a dark suit with lightly-patterned tie. Meester had made her Broadway debut in March 2014, co-starring alongside James Franco and Chris O'Dowd in the playOf Mice and Men.
August 2014
Brody slyly referenced his relationship with Meester during an Ask Me Anything with fans on Reddit. A fan asked Brody, "How's Leighton?" According toUsWeeklyhe responded, "She's swell!" He also covered how many kids he'd like: "I say twelve. And I decide," he joked. When asked what life was like at the Brody-Meester household, he replied, "I do some stuff but she definitely does the heavy lifting (figuratively). Literally, I do the heavy lifting."
November 2014
The married couple re-teamed onscreen in the indie comedyLife Partners, which sees the friendship between Meester and Gillian Jacobs's characters torn apart when Jacobs begins dating a character played by Brody.
September 2015
Usconfirmed that Brody and Meester hadwelcomed their first childtogether, a daughter named Arlo Day. The new parents did not confirm that they were expecting whenrumors swirled in May, nor did they reveal the baby's gender or name.TMZreported that Arlo was born on August 4, per the birth certificate.
August 2016
Brody and Meester kept quiet for the next year after their daughter's birth. However, they did step out together for theStartuppremiere in Los Angeles.
January 2017
The couple attended the 2017InStyleGolden Globes after-party on January 8. Meester wore a white Galvan dress with cobalt-colored Sophia Webster pumps, while Brody wore a dark-blue suit and tie combo.
March 2017
In anAccess Hollywoodinterview, Meester mentioned she had a crush on Brody when she was younger. She said, "When his show came out, I think I was just like, 'I don't want to watch that show, it's a teenage show,' even though I was 16, but all my friends watched it." She added, "I think maybe I thought he was cute. I remember he was a screensaver of one of my best friends when we were like 17. I saw it from afar. Her [screensaver] kind of changed every week, but I was like, who is that?" The actress then admitted that they were "meant to be" together.
June 2017
Later that year, the couple granted their first joint interview toEntertainment Tonightwhile volunteering at Feeding America's Summer Hunger Awareness event in Los Angeles.
During the conversation, the couple joked that they "occasionally" talk about how their iconic teen characters had ended up together in real life. "Once a year, randomly, on our Seth and Blair day," Brody joked. "It's good for a laugh."
Meester 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. It's cool."
August 2018
Meester spoke toEntertainment Tonightabout her and Brody's work-life balance. "I think we're a pretty modern couple," the actress said. "I also think the nice thing about being an actor [is] you can work a lot, and when work is work, it's, like, super intense and long hours, and you might not see your family for a long period. But then I'll have, like, months off at a time, so I can really be home and spend time [with Arlo], so I prefer it that way."
September 2018
In an interview withPorterEdit, Meester spoke glowingly about Brody and her journey to him. "I wouldn't change anything [in the past] because I'm happy where I am now," she said. "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."
March 2019
Meester also spoke about her life as a wife and mother withShapemagazine. "I just don't believe in balance," she explained to the outlet. "I think that's not possible if you're a working mother—and with single mothers, I cannot even imagine that. Some days my husband cooks dinner, and some days, I do. Other days, I'm too tired, and I eat a bowl of cereal for dinner. It's just the thing we do to make it work." She also mentioned that Brody had taught her how to surf.
That same month, the couple attended theirfirst red carpet in more than two years. Meester was on hand to support Brody at the premiere of his new superhero flickShazam!.
May 2019
On May 8, Brody guest-starred on the season 1 finale of Meester's ABC comedy,Single Parents. In the episode, he plays Derek, the ex of her character, Angie.
When asked about working with her husband for the third time, Meester toldThe Hollywood Reporter, "He's my best friend. I wanna work with him on everything, and I think he's the best in everything."
Brody went on to appear in four subsequent episodes of the series—two in October 2019 and two in January 2020.
July 2019
Brody and Meester made a rare public appearance at the film premiere ofOde to Joy, posing with director Jason Winer in West Hollywood.
August 2019
The following month, the couple had anotherpublic date nightat the premiere of Brody's film,Ready or Not.She wore a salmon and purple belted Michael Kors dress while he opted for a black suit and plaid tie. Meester wentInstagram officialwith her husband of more than five years. She captioned a shot of them at the premiere, "Me and my hero #readyornotmovie."
Brody opened up about his marriage in a profile withGQ. "She's more inherently private than I am," he said of his wife. "I don't seek publicity but if I'm sitting next to you on the subway, I'll tell you everything about me." He explained further, "We're homebodies. We don't go to a lot of things that perhaps we could, and don't seek out promotion in that way. I'm not shitting on anyone who monetizes that aspect of their life because I get it. But we've found this great balance so far that really works for us. We're also not very active on social media."
When asked about the fact that both he and Meester played beloved characters on CW teen dramas, he responded, "It's not bizarre. To be perfectly honest, it was a little embarrassing. I guess love knows no bounds?"
October 2019
Meester commemorated her husband's return toSingle Parentswith a photo of him leaning against a trailer on set. "My boyfriend's back. Tonight on #SingleParents on @abcnetwork at 9:30/8:30c," she captioned the post.
March 2020
On March 28, Brody's ex and formerO.C.co-star Rachel Bilsonreferenced his marriage to Meester.InStyleposteda throwback photo of the former couple with the caption, "#rachelbilson and #adambrody's breakup basically ruined high school for all of us." Bilson hilariously commented, "IM SORRY! He fared really well!"
The exesalso reunited in August 2019, when Brody and Bilson unexpectedly met at the airport. "Ran into my ol buddy from jfk to lax #californiaherewecome🤓," Bilson captioned her Instagram of the pair.
April 2020
Us Weeklyreported that Meester and Brody were expecting their second child on April 1. The report came a day after she was spotted by theDaily Mailon a walk in Los Angeles. However, the couple didn't publicly confirm that they were expanding their family at the time.
September 2020
Brody announced the two recently welcomed their second child while making an appearance on Twitch showThe Fun Time Boys Game Night Spectacular,perThe Sun. When a fellow participant remarked, "Adam, you have a new baby," he casually confirmed the news. "I have a new—yeah, since last I played I have a new kid," Brody said, revealing the baby's gender. "I have a boy, and he's a dream, he's a dream boy."
October 2020
The following month, theShazam!actor opened up toPeopleabout welcoming his son. "It's been pretty magical," Brody said. "It's such a crazy time for everyone, and we're so, so, so fortunate that we have some of the security we do and have the flexibility with our jobs we do. We talk about it all the time, and we're just ridiculously fortunate and lucky."
December 2020
In aWall Street Journalinterview, Brody opened up his experience quarantining with his family. "A big part of our quarantine life is that my wife and I have been surfing our brains out," he said, viaStyle Rave."My wife will come down with our son half an hour, 45 minutes after I'm up and join the party, and we will check the surf on our phones. I've been off-and-on, a lifetime surfer. My wife's relatively new to it but is very dedicated," Brody said.
He later mentioned how Meester helped changed his life during the pandemic. "I was on Twitter so much up until the election, and I enjoy it, I really do, but it's very addicting. I found myself, as most people, just so pissed off for most of this year and was really happy for about 48 hours after the election and then 48 hours after [that], I was so pissed again. So my wife put a 30-minute time limit on Twitter, and my life has changed." Brody added, "I'm back to reading books, and I felt my blood pressure lower instantly—I feel a new sense of calm and accomplishment."
March 2021
Brody opened up about his relationship with Meester on Anna Faris'sUnqualifiedpodcast. He mentioned, perE!, his first initial meeting Meester was through Josh Schwartz, who producedGossip GirlandThe O.C.
"Literally the first time we met, that whole cast [Gossip Girl] was eating at Canter's [restaurant], and I lived at Canter's for like my entire 20s. And I was leaving, and [John Schwartz] introduced all of us," Brody said. As the pair filmedOrangesin 2011, Brody explained he had a girlfriend at the time but still found Meester attractive. "I thought she was gorgeous. And even when we did the movie, there was chemistry there, but I was seeing someone," he said.
He shared his first initial thoughts about Meester, following their first date later. "I had no idea whether she was a good person or not. And, in fact, kind of assumed she probably wasn't for like the first handful of years that I didn't know her, just because, I don't know,Gossip Girl," he said.
Later in the interview, Brody shared his admiration for his wife of seven years. "She's literally like Joan of Arc. She is, like, the strongest, best person I know. She is my moral compass and North Star, and I just can't say enough good things about her character. It's crazy."
April 2021
The following month, Brody was interviewed for theKelly Clarkson Show.TheO.C.actor spoke about his new movie,The Kid Detective, and how having a daughter changed his perspective. "One of the things that's been interesting and that I am happy to use and implement with my son now is all the female-centric stories, movies, and myths that I've seen now that I didn't get to grow up with," Brody said. "I am happy to have this whole other catalog of stories to show my son as well."
March 2023
Brody offered a little inside into the early days of their marriage while on the March 8, 2023, episode of SiriusXM Radio'sThe Jess Cagle Show.
"I was never scared of the idea of marriage or kids," Brody said. "It always seemed like a route I would go eventually, and I was excited...when it came together, when I met the right person."
He knew that Meester was the right person very soon after they got together.
"My wife and I actually got married very fast after we started dating," Brody explained. "That's how sort of easy a decision it was for me and us."
November 2023
Meester spoke about what makes her marriage to Brody work in an interview withE!, published on November 21. They have a "normal relationship with all the good and the hard. We just make it work," she said.
"We're super, super lucky, and I think we recognize how lucky we are with one another," she continued. "We give each other a lot of respect and time and attention and focus. Like, really put our time and energy into a relationship."
February 2024
Brody and Meester made a rare appearance together at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Meester wore a brown St. John dress for the show with Pomellato jewelry.
March 2024
A source spoke toUs Weeklyabout Meester and Brody's life together. "They really live their lives like a normal couple," the insider said, adding that when they work together, "they love being able to stick up for the other and are happier and more comfortable when they're both on set."
September 2024
During an appearance on Dax Shepard'sArmchair Expertpodcast, Brody spoke in detail about how he and Meester help each with work.
"Everything is run through each other," he said, viaPeople. "We are each other's managers, and we also have the same two agents...We are in each other's shit in that way, and we even did a movie together a couple of years ago."
He added that Meester is "charmingly aloof to the business. She will literally not know Seth Rogen's name, you know what I mean?...It's fucking great, because it doesn't diminish her art. That's not where she's focusing, and so she has that outsider quality, and she can come in, but she's such an artist.
"She's a poet, she has a depth and a read on material that is always illuminating and has a great radar," he shared. "And so she can still get at the heart of something, a script, no problem, but it's for me to look at the cover letter and go, 'You're doing this or not.'"
December 2024
Brody toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat Meester is "very proud" of his success in Netflix seriesNobody Wants This.
"We're each other's biggest fans," he noted, adding that he isn't too concerned about his heightened fame affecting their marriage. "Any opportunity is an opportunity for both of us," Brody said, adding that "it's early days, but it's been great so far. We've been through this [household fame moment before]. I would be pretty upset anyway if something happened to my marriage, but I would certainly be upset if success ruined it."
February 2025
In February, it was announced that Meester was joiningNobody Wants Thisas a guest star, playing a character named Abby, "Joanne's (Bell) middle school nemesis who is now an Instagram mommy influencer,"Varietyreports.
May 2025
Meester spoke toBustleabout why she and Brody decided against having a big wedding in 2014. "On sets and in life, I've been able to wear a fancy dress and hit a mark and say lines, and I didn't want [my wedding] to feel like that," she said. "I wanted it to feel intimate and private."
She also spoke toFlauntabout being a family of four. "I mean, that's theultimate," she said. "I'm really happy that I have children. They're the best, they're all that matters to me."
She added that having kids "gives me so much perspective of my own self, of my own upbringing and my childhood and young adulthood. It's also just broadened and cracked open my capacity to understand what love is and what life is for."
June 2025
Brody spoke toPeopleabout what it's like to work with Meester on season 2 ofNobody Wants This. "I'm always impressed, and I'm always so proud," he said. "It's fun to bring her in and show off her talents."
He continued, "She does it all. I think she surprises me with how funny she is, and then, at the same time, can go as deep as anyone."
October 2025
Meester and Brody offered a glimpse into their family life while attending the Los Angeles premiere ofNobody Wants Thisseason 2. On the red carpet, they spoke toE! Newsabout their children's interests and what it's like to work together onscreen.
Meester said their two kids, 10-year-old Arlo and their 5-year-old son, "have their own thing going on."
Brody quipped, "I smell some theater in them. But they're not beating down the door. They're not thirsty."
The couple said their children have already watched a few of their family-friendly projects. "Our daughter likesMonte Carlo," Brody shared, as Meester noted, "Which is a movie that I did that's appropriate for children."
As for acting together, Brody said, "It's actually some kind of cherished alone time. It's sort of a date night. We're not being interrupted. Honestly, truly if we work together, we end up getting more one-on-one time in an average day than when we're not working together."
Meester agreed, saying, "Work is in many ways easier than parenting from time to time. You sit to have your coffee, you talk to grown-ups."
January 2026
The couple stepped out in style for the 2026 Critics Choice Awards in L.A. While Meester stunned in a lavenderCarolina Herrera gown, Brody wore a gray, pinstriped suit paired with a cream button-up and a red and navy tie.
They were also photographed enjoying refreshments inside the Barker Hangar venue:
The pair even caught the attention of Ariana Grande. In avideocaptured by E! News, theWicked: For Goodstar is seen complimenting Meester, who's preparing to take red carpet photos with Brody. "Love you so much. Wow, wow, wow," Grande said, to which Meester replied, "Wow, wow, wow."
In an interview withPeoplelater that month, Meester reflected on the length of her relationship after being asked how they have made it last.
"It's so funny, because the other night somebody asked me that, and I was like, 'I wish I had the answer,' [but] I think just liking each other, and getting along is a big part of it," she shared. "It is sort of at a base level what it's about. Just being like, 'I really like this person.'"
Additional reporting by Starr Savoy.
You Might Also Like
The 15 Best Organic And Clean Shampoos For Any And All Hair Types
100 Gifts That Are $50 Or Under (And Look Way More Expensive Than They Actually Are)