A Timeline of Leighton Meester and Adam Brody's Sweet, Low-Key Relationship
The O.C.-Gossip Girl crossover nobody saw coming.
The Upper East Side met Orange County's sunny shores when Adam Brody and Leighton Meester became the celebrity couple nobody expected. The two made headlines back in 2011 and since then, they've managed to keep most of their relationship on the down-low, all while having a low-key wedding, two kids, and even starring in a few projects together. Read ahead for all the milestones in their sweet yet discreet relationship.
2011: They co-star in 'The Oranges.'
Meester and Brody co-starred in the indie comedy The Oranges. A source told Us Weekly, "They were always close and friendly," yet things hadn't yet turned romantic. Brody starred in The O.C. as Seth Cohen and fans will remember Meester as Queen B Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. They both dated their co-stars before getting together, with Meester being linked to Aaron Himelstein and Sebastian Stan, while Brody dated Rachel Bilson until 2006.
February 2013: It is confirmed they're dating.
Us Weekly broke the news that the two were officially dating. The magazine reported they took a trip to Bangkok at the beginning of the year. They were also seen together at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Feb. 1, 2013.
June 26, 2013: They make their couple debut.
The duo's first official outing together was at the premiere of Brody's film Some Girl(s). At this point, neither had confirmed (or denied) the relationship.
November 20, 2013: Their engagement is announced.
On November 20, E! News reported the two got engaged after less than a year of dating. The two still hadn't publicly announced that they were together.
February 2014: They get married.
The two get married in a super-secret ceremony in California.
"Leighton and Adam got married in Northern California by the ocean a couple of weeks ago," a source told E!. "It was a very small and intimate wedding with close family and friends. It was beautiful."
E! added that a few weeks before the big day, Meester reportedly had a bachelorette party at Hamburger Mary's in West Hollywood.
June 8, 2014: They make their red carpet debut.
The pair walked their first red carpet together as a married couple at the 68th Tony Awards. Meester made her Broadway debut in March 2014, alongside James Franco and Chris O'Dowd, in Of Mice and Men.
August 2014: Adam Brody acknowledges their relationship online.
Brody acknowledged his relationship with Meester during an Ask Me Anything on Reddit. After a fan inquired, "How's Leighton?" he responded, "She's swell!"
Brody also talked about the prospect of having kids, saying: "I say 12. And I decide."
November 2014: They star in 'Life Partners.'
The two reunite on the big screen in indie comedy Life Partners.
May 2015: Pregnancy rumors emerge.
Rumors begin to circulate that Meester is pregnant, though, in her usual M.O., she doesn't comment.
September 2015: They welcome their first child.
Brody and Meester welcomed their first child together in September 2015, a daughter named Arlo Day.
August 23, 2016: They have a rare date night.
The couple enjoy a rare date night at the after party for the premiere of Startup.
January 8, 2017: They attend InStyle's Golden Globes after-party.
The couple made a lovely appearance at InStyle's Golden Globes after-party. Leighton stunned in a plunging white dress and cerulean pumps, while Brody looked suave in a black suit with a gray button-down shirt and deep teal tie.
June 27, 2017: They have their first couple interview.
The two have their first interview as a couple with Entertainment Tonight while volunteering at Feeding America's Summer Hunger Awareness event. They took a few minutes to address their respective roles in iconic teen shows.
"Once a year, randomly, on our Seth and Blair day," Brody said. "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."
September 21, 2018: Leighton Meester opens up about their relationship.
Meester gave fans a little bit of insight into her marriage during an interview with Porter.
"I wouldn't change anything [in the past] 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," she told the publication. "But also, I feel really lucky career-wise, really in a place that I want to be."
March 28, 2019: Leighton Meester supports Adam Brody at the premiere of 'Shazam!'
Meester accompanied Brody to the premiere of his flick Shazam! They adorably matched in different shades of red.
She also opened up about motherhood and the balancing act of being a mom and a career woman, which means that sometimes she'll reach for cereal for dinner because she doesn't have the energy to cook.
"I just don't believe in balance," she told Shape magazine. "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."
May 2019: They return to the screen together on 'Single Parents.'
Brody guest-starred on Meester's show, Single Parents, as her character's ex. He went on to appear on the show four more times.
"He's my best friend," Meester told The Hollywood Reporter. "I wanna work with him on everything, and I think he's the best in everything."
August 21, 2019: Leighton Meester finally hard launches their relationship on social media.
After five years together, Meester and Brody finally became Instagram official after she posted a snapshot from the premiere of Brody's film Ready or Not.
"She's more inherently private than I am. I don't seek publicity but if I'm sitting next to you on the subway, I'll tell you everything about me," Brody told GQ of their choice to keep their marriage out of the tabloids. "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."
March 26, 2020: Adam Brody gets a blast from the past.
In a moment that sent the internet buzzing, Rachel Bilson commented on her ex after InStyle featured the two as part of its Breakups That Broke Us series.
April 2020: Rumors of a second baby swirl.
Reports that Meester and Brody are expecting their second child together appeared in April 2020.
September 2020: Adam Brody confirms they had a second child.
Brody announced the baby arrived during an appearance on a Twitch show called The Fun Time Boys Game Night Spectacular. When a fellow gamer said, "Adam, you have a new baby," he confirmed the news. "I have a new—yeah, since last I played I have a new kid." He also revealed the baby's gender. "I have a boy and he's a dream, he's a dream boy."
March 2021: Adam Brody gushes over Leighton Meester.
Brody spoke candidly about their relationship on an episode of Anna Faris's podcast, Anna Faris Is Unqualified. He explained that Josh Schwartz produced both The O.C. and Gossip Girl, and had acquainted Brody with the GG cast when they were eating at the deli Canter's.
While they met several times after that, it wasn't until they filmed The Oranges that Leighton and Brody were close. "We did this movie together. I was seeing someone at the time," Brody said. "So we met kind of through mutual work friends off and on. And then we didn't get together about a year after that movie when I was single."
He continued, "I was very attracted to her from the jump. She's a heavenly creature. I thought she was gorgeous. And even when we did the movie, there was chemistry there, but I was seeing someone."
Brody then went on to say that while he was attracted to her he wasn't sure if she was a good person. That is, of course, until they started hanging out. "And I was like, 'Oh, she's cool.' But I still didn't know, and that continued even to when we first started dating. And come to find out she's literally like Joan of Arc. She is 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."
November 7, 2022: Leighton Meester supports Adam Brody at the 'Fleishman is in Trouble' premiere.
Meester stepped out to support her man at the premiere for his show Fleishman is in Trouble. At the time, she was working on the projects How I Met Your Father and The Weekend Away.
March 14, 2023: And again at the 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' premiere.
Months later, the couple stepped out on the red carpet again, this time for the premiere of Brody's film Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
December 5, 2023: And once more at an American Fiction screening.
Meester is an ever-supportive wife at a screening for American Fiction, in which Brody portrays Wiley. They coordinated in dark looks, with Meester in a black velvet dress and Brody in a black suit over a denim button-down.
February 24, 2024: They attend the SAG Awards.
In a rare move, the pair took on awards season. They attended the Screen Actors Guild ceremony looking like contenders for Best Dressed Couple. Meester stunned in a floor-length, chocolate-brown gown, while Brody donned an all-black suit.
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