See The O.C. cast, then and now: Here’s what happened to the stars after they bid Newport Beach farewell

Mischa Barton (Marissa Cooper)

Mischa Barton played Marissa, who had a steamy romance with presumptive bad boy Ryan Atwood. She departed the show in a terrible blaze in the season 3 finale, with Marissa’s storyline ending in Ryan’s heartbroken arms.

It was a breakthrough performance for Barton, who had previously played a ghost with unfinished business in The Sixth Sense (1999). After leaving The O.C., the British-American actress had a string of lower-profile movies before starring in the short-lived teen soap The Beautiful Life (2009). She worked with Martin Sheen in Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain (2014) and recently starred in the revival of Australian soap Neighbours (2023). 

Barton revealed to PEOPLE in 2024 that she had a clandestine affair with costar Ben McKenzie during filming of The O.C. when she was 17 and he was 25. Barton confessed she had “no idea what I was doing, really. So I felt like I needed to catch up I think a lot of the time.”

Adam Brody (Seth Cohen)

While Seth Cohen wasn’t Adam Brody’s breakout role — that would be heartthrob Dave Rygalski in Gilmore Girls — it’s certainly the role that defined his career.

He told GQ in 2023 that he finally rewatched a few episodes after 20 years: “It’s like looking through a high school yearbook and all the nostalgia that comes with it that wasn’t there, you know, even probably five years ago, let alone 10.”

Big-screen opportunities soon followed, including as the target of a double-assassination attempt in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and as Rob Lowe’s assistant in Thank You for Smoking (2005). He fortified his horror bonafides in Jennifer’s Body (2009) and Scream 4 (2011), then starred opposite Greta Gerwig in the acclaimed Damsels in Distress (2011). In recent years, he’s booked key supporting roles in Shazam! (2019), the horror-comedy hit Ready or Not (2019), and the vengeful feminist satire Promising Young Woman (2020).

The actor played a pivotal role in Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022) and recently starred alongside Kristen Bell in Netflix’s rom-com Nobody Wants This (2024–present), earning his first Golden Globe nomination.

Brody met Gossip Girl actress Leighton Meester on the set of The Oranges in 2011. They got married in 2014 and have two children together. He was previously in a relationship with O.C. costar Rachel Bilson.

Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts)

Bilson’s quippy Summer Roberts was originally written into only a handful of episodes. But after audiences fell hard for her, Summer quickly became an essential ingredient in The O.C.

While Bilson found major big-screen roles in Zach Braff’s The Last Kiss (2006) and the Hayden Christensen teleportation thriller Jumper (2008), television has remained her primary home. She took on the lead role of Zoe Hart in the super fun rom-com Hart of Dixie (2011–2015) and landed a memorable guest arc on Nashville (2017).

The actress has since expanded into podcasting. She and costar Melinda Clarke created Welcome to the O.C., B—-es!, in which they rewatch episodes and tell behind-the-scenes stories. Bilson spoke with Cosmopolitan on The O.C.’s 21st anniversary when she and Josh Schwartz teamed up for a Summer-themed tequila from the 21 Seeds brand. If Summer Roberts were a drink, Bilson says, she’d be a “spicy marg.”

Bilson dated her O.C. costar Adam Brody between 2003 and 2006. She later had an on-again, off-again relationship with Christensen that officially ended in 2017. The actors co-parent their daughter, Briar Rose.

Ben McKenzie (Ryan Atwood)

Ben McKenzie wasn’t the first choice to play troubled teen Ryan Atwood. Chad Michael Murray was up for the role before choosing the rival CW show One Tree Hill, and Schwartz confirmed Garrett Hedlund was a contender as well.

By now it’s hard to imagine The O.C. without McKenzie, who has become a small-screen staple between Southland (2009–2013) and his role as a young Commissioner Gordon on Gotham (2014–2019).

McKenzie told PeopleTV’s Couch Surfing that working on The O.C. “was a rocket ship… and I think we all kind of hung on for dear life.” 

The Texas native made his film debut in the acclaimed Southern drama Junebug (2005) and later appeared in the Al Pacino-led serial killer thriller 88 Minutes (2007). Recent years have taken him to the Broadway stage, while he’s also become a vocal cryptocurrency critic. He co-wrote a 2023 book on the subject with reporter Jacob Silverman, Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud.

McKenzie married actress Morena Baccarin (Firefly, Deadpool) in 2017. They have two children and he is stepfather to her son from a previous marriage. Though they started darting after appearing together on Gotham, the pair first met on the set of The O.C., a detail Baccarin shared on Couch Surfing.

Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen)

As the owner of Sandy Cohen’s iconic eyebrows, Peter Gallagher was clearly made for the spotlight.

Long before his turn as the show’s kindly, empathetic center, Gallagher was the unfaithful husband in Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), the smarmy Hollywood exec in The Player (1992), the would-be love interest in While You Were Sleeping (1995), and the real-estate hotshot in American Beauty (1999).

He’s remained a familiar face on TV over the years, including regular gigs on Covert Affairs (2010–2014), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014–2019), and Netflix’s buddy comedy Grace and Frankie (2015–2022).

Gallagher has been married to Paula Harwood since 1983. They have a son and daughter together.

Kelly Rowan (Kirsten Cohen)

As the conservative foil to liberal do-gooder Sandy, his wife Kirsten Cohen (played by Kelly Rowan) was a better representation of the upper-crust Newport Beach population in many ways.

Rowan was a regular face on the small screen for years, largely in guest spots as well as a major role in Lonesome Dove season 2 (1995–1996). After The O.C. ended, the Ottawa native was a series regular on the crime procedural Perception (2012–2015).

In 2021, Rowan appeared on Bilson’s Broad Ideas podcast along with Melinda Clarke and discussed rewatching the show: “I was pleasantly surprised because it does hold,” she said. “When we all got this show we had no idea that people would still be talking about it in 2021. And I think what’s nice about it is whenever you encounter somebody they always get a big smile on their face and they always say, ‘Oh my God, I just love that show!’ So it’s nice looking back on it, to have been part of something that made an impact.”

Rowan has a daughter with her former partner, billionaire David Thomson.

Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper)

As the beautiful and cruel Julie Cooper, Melinda Clarke brought bite to this juicy, oft-villainous role, whom Entertainment Weekly named as one of the top 21 TV b—-es.

“Julie started as this very superficial woman, but ultimately, we find that she’s not one-dimensional,” Clarke told Refinery29. “She’s a human being on a journey of discovery, which takes her through so many different aspects of what’s important in life. When she loses a child, we really do end up seeing the humanity in her. The character was super rewarding.”

The long-time TV veteran, who got her start on Days of Our Lives (1989–1990), maintained a recurring part as dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI (2001–2011) and later booked another meaty antagonistic role in Nikita (2010–2013). The actress also had a memorable guest turn in The Vampire Diaries (2010–2017) and a diabolical three-episode run on Gotham (2016). 

Clarke has been married to Adam Farmer since 2015 and has a daughter from a previous marriage to Ernie Mirich. She cohosted Welcome to the O.C., B—-es! with Rachel Bilson.

Tate Donovan (Jimmy Cooper)

Named one of TV’s 24 worst dads by EW, Tate Donovan’s Jimmy Cooper spends most of his time on The O.C. in financial straits. Despite his loving relationship with his daughters, the man just cannot pull himself together.

“I dug the character,” Donovan told Vulture about first joining the show. “I thought it was interesting to show a guy who was not the most savory of characters. He’s lost all of his money. He was the greedy guy who’d been handed everything his whole life and now had lost it.”

The veteran character actor has been a consistent presence on the big and small screen for decades, including a turn in the WWII drama Memphis Belle (1990), voicing the title character in Hercules (1997), guest-starring as Joshua Burgin on Friends (1998), and appearing in Good Night, and Good Luck (2005). 

After his time on The O.C. was up, he landed starring roles on Damages (2007–2010), alongside Glenn Close, and the event series 24: Live Another Day (2014). In recent years, he’s appeared in The Man in the High Castle (2016), MacGuyver (2018–2020), and the Oscar-decorated The Holdovers (2023).

After high-profile relationships with his Love Potion No. 9 costar Sandra Bullock and Friends costar Jennifer Aniston, he married Corinne Kingsbury in 2005. They divorced in 2008 and he wed Corry Scheuerman in 2015.

Alan Dale (Caleb Nichol)

As Kirsten Cohen’s stern taskmaster of a father, Alan Dale was only supposed to have a brief appearance on The O.C. Instead, Caleb Nichol’s commanding presence took on even more importance as the series went on, including his eventual marriage to Julie Cooper after she divorced Jimmy.

A longtime veteran of the Aussie soap Neighbours (1985–2019), the actor has also been ubiquitous on American TV screens for years, appearing in everything from The X-Files (2002) to 24 (2003–2004). He’s had something of a habit of playing domineering fathers, doing so on Ugly Betty (2006–2007) and as Charles Widmore on Lost (2006–2010).

Dale’s film career includes Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). He is also an accomplished stage actor, having starred in several West End productions, including Spamalot. 

Dale has been married to former Miss Australia Tracey Pearson since 1990 and they share two sons. Dale also has two sons from a previous marriage.

Autumn Reeser (Taylor Townsend)

The third season of The O.C. introduced us to quirky would-be villain Taylor Townsend, played to sly perfection by Autumn Reeser.

After a string of major or recurring television roles, including Entourage (2009–2010), No Ordinary Family (2010–2011), and Hawaii Five-0 (2011–2013), the actress found a foothold with the Hallmark Channel, starring in a number of its signature romantic movies — including The Wedding Veil franchise, which has six installments and counting.

Reeser married Jesse Warren in 2009 and filed for divorce in 2014. They share two children.

Chris Carmack (Luke Ward)

Luke Ward may have only been on the show for season 1 and the season 2 premiere, but he’s responsible for the now-iconic catchphrase, “Welcome to the O.C., b—-!”.

Actor Chris Carmack has continued to make his mark on television since his exit from The O.C., taking on a major role in Nashville (2012–2018) and providing Grey’s Anatomy (2018–present) with another dreamy doctor in Atticus “Link” Lincoln.

Carmack has been married to Erin Slaver since 2018. They have two daughters together.

Willa Holland (Kaitlin Cooper)

While Kaitlin Cooper was originally played by Shailene Woodley, Willa Holland carried the role in seasons 3 and 4. As Marissa’s precocious sister, she took on particular importance in the final season after Marissa’s death.

A child of the industry, Holland’s stepfather is legendary director Brian De Palma. After The O.C. wrapped, Holland went on to land a longstanding role on the vigilante superhero series Arrow (2012–2020). Her film credits include the supernatural horror film Legion (2010) and the remake of Straw Dogs (2011).