Adam Brody’s Ex Rachel Bilson Has Thoughts on the Revival of His Heartthrob Status

Adam Brody is having a moment — again — after his dazzling turn in Netflix’s Nobody Wants This with Kristen Bell. His fans from The O.C . never abandoned him, but he’s added a new contingency of admirers, thanks to his role as the hunky rabbi Noah. Now, his ex-girlfriend and former co-star Rachel Bilson is weighing in with her thoughts about Brody’s resurgence in popularity.

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“I feel like it’s always been there,” Bilson shared with People . “But if it is, it’s well deserved.” Even though they are exes, she has nothing but high praise for the 44-year-old actor, too. “I mean, he is awesome,” she added. “He’s the best.” Bilson loves seeing his success a second time around even though she hasn’t caught up with his latest series just yet. “I hear everyone loves it and I couldn’t be more excited, ’cause literally Kristen and Adam both I love, and are like my people,” she said. “So, I’m really excited about it and excited for them.”

Bilson and Brody dated for three years while they starred on The O.C. , breaking up ahead of the fourth season which premiered in 2006. It was hard for fans to accept that the iconic Seth Cohen and Summer Roberts had broken up in real life, but there was no drama in their split — they kept it professional and classy in the aftermath.

Of course, the former duo had a meet-cute moment at the airport in 2019 that had fans foaming at the mouth. A deliciously blurry selfie with Bilson in the foreground and Brody sneaking in the back was all we needed. Seth and Summer are doing OK all these years later. She captioned the image, “Ran into my ol buddy from jfk to lax #californiaherewecome.” It was a fun reunion, but not a romantic one!

Bilson is currently single, but she shares daughter Briar Rose, 4, with ex-partner Hayden Christensen, and Brody had a teen-dream moment come true by marrying Gossip Girl ‘s Leighton Meester in 2014. They share a daughter Arlo Day, 4.

Still, it’s hard not to get nostalgic about those early aught memories that Bilson shared on her Welcome to The OC, Bitches! podcast in 2021. “I remember after shooting the scene where I kiss him, like, I remember thinking, ‘Do I like Adam?’” she described their first on-screen kiss in the sixth episode of Season 1. “And I remember thinking after work, because I feel like it was the last scene I shot that day, being, like, “Wait, do I like Adam? That’s when those wheels started turning.”

Ah, there’s nothing like young Hollywood love!

Before you go, click here to see celebrity exes who will always be friends.