Where are the stars of The O.C. now? As the hit show turns 20, a look at their highs and lows
It’s been 20 years since the first episode of groundbreaking teen drama The O.C. hit screens.
The beloved series followed a group of wealthy yet troubled teenagers in Orange County, California and often featured hard-hitting storylines.
The series was an instant success and made the likes of Mischa Barton, Rachael Bilson, Adam Brody and Ben McKenzie household names, or at least their alter ego monikers of Marisa, Summer, Seth and Ryan.
The O.C. came to an end in 2007 after four seasons and since then the main cast have gone on to achieve varying levels of success in surprising new ventures.
Now MailOnline takes a look at what the cast have been getting up to over the past two decades.
Mischa Barton – Marisa Cooper
Mischa Barton’s character Marisa was in every sense the girl-next-door, however she also had a wardrobe full of Chanel, pots of money and a fairly substantial alcohol and drug problem.
Following her character’s tragic death in season three, Mischa, 37, later claimed that she departed the series because of ‘bullying’ behind the scenes but has never alluded to who was the bully.
Just like her alter ego, Mischa struggled during her young adult years; getting arrested in 2007 and receiving a DUI for marijuana possession and driving without a licence.
The actress, who was born in Hammersmith, London, was sent to court-ordered rehab as part of her sentence, however two years later, she was admitted to a mental health ward.
Mischa was sent to the venue under a psychiatric hold, after she started exhibiting worrisome behaviour that she later attributed to exhaustion.
The star was hospitalised again for a mental health evaluation in 2017, the same year two ex boyfriends teamed up to try and sell an intimate tape and photos of her that were taken without her consent.
Mischa successfully sued to have distribution of the video and images blocked and following the court case spoke out saying she ‘came forward to fight this not only for myself but for all women out there’.
Going through a difficult private life, Mischa’s career took somewhat of a backseat, starring in a number of limited-release movies and short-lived series, including The Beautiful Life: TBL, The Hills: New Beginnings, Virgin Territory and American Beach House.
In 2019 she came 11th on season 22 of Dancing With the Stars.
Mischa is currently starring on Australian soap Neighbours, playing Reece, an American who is new to Erinsborough who is ‘not quite who she appears to be’.
Her character is designed to appeal to American viewers, as Neighbours, which is set in a fictional Melbourne suburb will screen in the U.S. on the streaming platform Amazon Freevee.
Ben McKenzie – Ryan Attwood
As The O.C’s resident bad boy Ryan Attwood, Ben McKenzie made a leather jacket and grey hoodie look really attractive.
Since the show came to an end in 2007 with his character an architect, Ben, 44, has also bagged himself a number of successful roles.
He starred in acclaimed TNT drama Southland from 2009 to 2013, and then scored the lead role on FOX’s Batman prequel series Gotham.
On the set of that show he met and began dating actress Morena Baccarin. The couple got married in 2017 and share daughter Frances and son Arthur.
Ben’s career continues to be busy, with the actor appearing in romantic comedy I Want You Back in 2022, and most recently scoring the leading role in The Hurt Unit, an upcoming medical drama from ABC.
He has also made a surprise move into investigative journalism, embedding himself in the cryptocurrency community, and writing a book about the dark truth behind digital currencies.
Rachel Bilson – Summer Roberts
Summer was apparently only supposed to be a supporting character on The O.C. but after Rachel nailed the role, her character was upgraded to become one of the show’s four main stars.
As Marisa’s best friend and the object of Seth’s obsession, life later imitated art as Rachel and Adam, who played Seth, started dating before splitting in 2006.
Speaking about working with her ex while having to play his girlfriend on set, Rachel told Armchair Expert in 2021: ‘We broke up at the very end so there wasn’t much [for us to film] after the breakup.
‘We did get married after we broke up. … That’s always fun.
‘They totally did that on purpose. That was the only scene left to shoot, was the wedding.
‘[The writers were] like, ‘You broke up? Let’s give you a wedding’.’
However it seems the former couple are still on great terms as Rachel told Dax Shepherd: ‘I had so much, and still do, love and respect for Adam.
‘We went through so much together, being so young and everything with the show.
‘And I’m so happy for him with his family and his beautiful wife and kids and everything.’
Two years after the show ended, during April and May 2009, Rachel was burgled by The Bling Ring group three to six times, amounting to between $130,000 and $300,000 of stolen property.
Rachel went on to date her Jumper co-star Hayden Christensen, with the pair dating on and off for 10 years, during which time they welcomed their daughter Briar Rose in 2014.
The two called it quits in 2017 amid reports he cheated with his Little Italy co-star Emma Roberts.
Career-wise, Rachel starred in Hart of Dixie from 2011 to 2015, had stints on How I Met Your Mother and Nashville.
In 2021, she began hosting a popular podcast, aptly titled – Welcome to the OC, B**ches – with former co-star Melinda Clarke, who played Julie Cooper.
During each show they rewatch an episode of The O.C., often with members of the cast for a delicious taste of nostalgia.
Adam Brody – Seth Cohen
The slightly nerdy comic-book-loving Seth, played by Adam Brody, was a fan favourite on the show and Adam himself wasn’t short of female attention.
After splitting from co-star Rachel Bilson in 2006, Adam, 43, started dating Gossip Girl actress Leighton Meester in 2011, who he met while filming indie film The Oranges.
The couple got married in 2014 and welcomed a daughter, Arlo Day and a son, who they’ve yet to reveal his name but describe as their ‘dream boy’.
Adam has appeared in several films as supporting roles, including Mr. & Mrs. Smith, alongside Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Jennifer’s Body with Megan Fox, Scream 4 and Baggage Claim.
Most recently, he once again reprised his role as the superhero version of Freddy in the sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Tate Donovan – Jimmy Cooper
Tate Donovan played Jimmy Cooper, who put on a happy-go-lucky front but was actually in mountains of debt from trying to live up The O.C.’s way of life.
The actor, 59, had many high-profile romances with Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock back in in the ’90s, before eventually getting hitched in 2005 to actress Corinne Kingsbury.
Sadly the couple didn’t work out and they got divorce in 2008.
Following the end of The O.C, Tate has appeared in a number of incredible titles including Oscar-winning films Argo, Manchester by the Sea and Rocketman.
The star has also starred in acclaimed shows Respect, the Aretha Franklin biopic, in 2021, Damages, 24: Live Another Day, The Man in the High Castle and MacGyver.
In addition to acting, Tate is also an award-winning director, with episodes of Gossip Girl, Glee, Madam Secretary, Bloodline and more all under his belt.
Peter Gallagher – Sandy Cohen
Playing everyone’s favourite dad Sandy Cohen, Peter Gallagher already had a hugely successful career – including Titanic, While You Were Sleeping and American Beauty – before he starred as the lawyer-come-surfer in show The O.C.
Married to Paula Harwood since 1983, the couple have two grown up children, James and Kathryn.
The actor has appeared on shows like Rescue Me, Californication and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and even joined Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Alan Hamilton for its 18th season in 2021.
Since The O.C. he’s also starred on the Netflix show Grace and Frankie and Apple TV’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.
This year it was announced he had joined Apple TV+ crime drama series Truth Be Told.
Kelly Rowan – Kirsten Cohen
As Seth Cohen’s workaholic and alcoholic mother, Kelly Rowan’s character Kristen went through a lot before the end of the show, which ended on a happy note with her giving birth to a baby girl.
In life imitating art, one year after the show ended Kelly, 57, also gave birth to a little girl with media mogul billionaire David Thomson.
However, the couple called it quits right before their daughter Braelin arrived.
Since the end of The O.C. Kelly landed roles in the film Perception and made an appearance on the hit show Castle.
Focused on private life and raising her daughter, Kelly’s last acting credit was in 2016 for Hallmark Channel made-for-TV movie Tulips in Spring.
Melinda Clarke – Julie Cooper
Melinda Clarke, 54, starred as Julie Cooper and she had plenty of drama in the show – including sleeping with her daughter’s boyfriend.
She is another character who was only supposed to bit part at the start but secured her place by nailing the role.
Julie was KiKi’s, aka Kirsten’s BFF, but was married to Jimmy who was also Kirsten’s ex-boyfriend, which made things really awkward.
And things got even more confusing later on when Julie married Kirsten’s dad.
Following the end of the show, Melinda starred on Nikita from 2010 to 2013, and also had minor roles in Entourage, Gotham and The Vampire Diaries.
Although she hasn’t appeared in anything since 2018, Melinda is enjoying success as co-host of podcast Welcome to the OC, B**ches, along with her The O.C. co-star Rachel Bilson.
