The world is finally entering their Adam Brody phase, while some of us have been swooning over him since he was Seth Cohen pining after Summer Roberts. But don’t be fooled by his antics in his latest hit, Nobody Wants This, as this man is OFF THE MARKET. I will tolerate zero disrespect for mommy and daddy, also known as Adam Brody and Leighton Meester. Yep, Seth Cohen managed to land Blair Waldorf — score. To understand how this epic crossover episode finally happened, and what it’s like at the Brody-Meester household, I have compiled a very, very detailed relationship timeline for y’all. Here is the complete history of Adam Brody and Leighton Meester’s relationship.
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester’s Relationship Timeline
2011
While the world is drawing mustaches on their finger, Adam and Leighton appear together in The Oranges. They don’t exactly play lovers in this indie comedy, instead Leighton plays Nina, a young woman who returns home after a failed engagement and starts a relationship with her parent’s married friend. Adam plays the man’s son, who everyone had initially hoped to set her up with. Not exactly the perfect breeding ground for an on-set romance. But at the time, a source told Us Weekly that “They were always close and friendly.”
September 2012
The non-lovers reunited in NYC for a screening of The Oranges. Leighton had famously split from her actor boyfriend Aaron Himelstein over the holidays. She had previously dated Sebastian Stan, who starred briefly on Gossip Girl. Adam was still linked to Hustlers director Lorene Scafaria and before that, dated his The O.C. co-star Rachel Bilson until 2006.
February 2013
FINALLY. THE STARS COLLIDE OR WHATEVER ASTROLOGY SHIT IT IS CALLED. The 6th February should be an annual bank holiday. Us Weekly announces the triumphant news that Adam and Leighton are dating. They’ve supposedly been “hanging out” for weeks and even taken a trip to Bangkok together.
A few days later, Leighton is spotted hiding from the paparazzi in Adam’s car, according to E! News. Later that month, they snap the pair walking to a Mexican restaurant in Venice, California. You bet my gurl likes her nachos.
June 2013
A few months later, it’s time for their first public appearance as a couple — screaming! The pair hold hands as they attend the premiere of Adam’s new film, Some Girl(s) and are photographed alongside his co-star, Mia Maestro.
September 2013
Seven months into the relationship, E! spotted the couple walking through NYC. That’s all. But like imagine it is Seth and Blair, and she’s showing him around New York heehee.
November 2013
On November 20th (my birthday, in case anyone cares), the world stops breathing when it is announced that the couple are engaged after less than a year of dating. It’s kinda crazy but WHY NOT?? The pair don’t offer any comments on the matter, but a month later they’re photographed kissing in South Africa. They are such ~tRaveLLerS~.
February 2014
Quick engagement, quick wedding for this duo! On February 18th, Us Weekly confirms that Adam and Leighton have secretly tied the knot. Once again, the pair don’t weigh in themselves, but multiple sources claim the wedding has occurred. “Leighton and Adam got married in Northern California by the ocean a couple of weeks ago,” a source told E! News. “It was a very small and intimate wedding with close family and friends. It was beautiful.” Rumor has it that the wedding occurred on a beach with only close family and friends.
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June 2014
Married couple on the red carpet alert!!! Leighton and Adam strut the red carpet together for the Tony Awards. Leighton had made her Broadway debut in March 2014, co-starring alongside James Franco and Chris O’Dowd in the play Of Mice and Men — omg high school flashback. They look rosy and glowing in their wedded bliss.
August 2014
Until now, the pair have been pretty tight lipped when it comes to their relationship, but Adam seems ready to let some things slip. During an Ask Me Anything with fans on Reddit, he’s asked how Leighton is. According to Us Weekly he responded, “She’s swell!” He also covered how many kids he’d like: “I say 12. And I decide,” he joked. Fans keep trying their luck and ask about life at the Brody-Meester household, to which he claims, “I do some stuff but she definitely does the heavy lifting (figuratively).”
November 2014
The married duo are teaming up for another film and once again they’re not playing a couple — screaming!!! Instead Leighton plays a queer woman whose bestie starts dating Adam, and ditches her in the process. It’s called Life Partners and I had genuinely never heard of it until right now.
May 2015
The world is shocked to discover that Leighton is hella pregnant when she steps out with a massive baby bump. She was hard launching a pregnancy before it was cool.
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September 2015
Our fav couple welcomes a child!!! Arlo Day is born without any real notice. TMZ reported that Arlo was born on August 4, per the birth certificate. As usual, the couple focuses on their privacy in this time.
August 2016
Little is seen or heard of the pair in the year following the birth of Arlo, likely they’re adjusting to those sleepless nights. But in August, 2016, they attend the premiere of StartUp in Los Angeles. Adam stars in this crime series and looks v happy to hav his gorgeous wife on his arm for the night.
March 2017
In an interview with Access Hollywood, Leighton admits that she had a crush on Adam when she was younger. “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 sixteen 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 seventeen. I saw it from afar. Her [screensaver] kind of changed every week, but I was like, who is that?” How fucking adorable. She even said that they were “meant to be.” (I’m so single guys)
June 2017
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Four years into their relationship, Adam and Leighton do their first joint interview! They speak to Entertainment Tonight while volunteering at Feeding America’s Summer Hunger Awareness event in Los Angeles. They’re like actually good people?
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They reveal that they’ve had the same conversations we have about their famous characters Blair and Seth, and how they ended up together. “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
Once again speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Leighton discusses her and hubby’s work-life balance. “I think we’re a pretty modern couple,” she 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,” she said.
September 2018
A year later, Leighton opens up about their relationship again. Thank goodness, as we have so many questions!!! In an interview with PorterEdit, she said, “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, but also, I feel really lucky career-wise, really in a place that I want to be.”
March 2019
The couple attends their first red carpet in over two years for the premiere of Adam’s new superhero film, Shazam! I think it’s different to the app that tells you what song is playing. They look adorbs of course.
That same month, Leighton speaks to Shape magazine about wifehood and motherhood. “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 Adam taught her how to surf.
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May 2019
FINALLY WE GET THEM PLAYING A COUPLE ON-SCREEN AND IDK WHY THIS MATTERS SO MUCH TO ME BUT IT DOES. Adam guest stars of the finale of Leighton’s ABC comedy, Single Parents. He plays her character Angie’s ex, Derek. The wigs are iconic. He’d go on to appear in four more episodes of the show.
When The Hollywood Reporter asked what it was like to work with her hubby for the third time, Leighton said, “He’s my best friend,” adding, “I wanna work with him on everything, and I think he’s the best in everything.”
August 2019
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After more than five years married, Leighton finally hard launches her husband on Instagram lol. She shares a shot of them at the premiere for Adam’s new film, Ready or Not, with the caption, “Me and my hero #readyornotmovie.”
That month, Adam opened up about his marriage in a profile with GQ, and said of his wife, “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.” He then continued, “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 s–tting 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 he and wife 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
Adam makes another appearance on Leighton’s show, Single Parents, and she posts a celebratory Instagram post. Alongside a photo of Adam leaning against a trailer on set, she writes, “My boyfriend’s back. Tonight on #SingleParents on @abcnetwork at 9:30/8:30c.” Screaming.
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April 2020
Leighton’s preggo again!! What a way to spend the pandemic. Us Weekly reported that the pair were expecting a second child, just a day after she was photographed on a walk in L.A. by the Daily Mail.
September 2020
No specific announcement of the birth, but Adam confirms the baby’s arrival while making an appearance on Twitch show The Fun Time Boys Game Night Spectacular. Adam says, “Since last I played I have a new kid,” and then goes on to reveal the baby’s gender. “I have a boy and he’s a dream, he’s a dream boy.”
October 2020
A month later, Adam opens up to People about his new baby boy. “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.” The baby’s name is still unknown by the public!!!
December 2020
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Adam discusses how Leighton helped him to stay off social media 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.”
He also discussed how the pair spent a lot of their quarantine surfing. “A big part of our quarantine life is that my wife and I have been surfing our brains out,” he said. “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.”
March 2021
Icon to icon, Adam spoke about his marriage on Anna Faris’ Unqualified podcast. He finally revealed how they first met, which was through Josh Schwartz, who produced Gossip Girl and The O.C. — SORRY SCREAMING. “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 for their first film together, Brody mentioned that he found Leighton attractive at the time, but he did have a girlfriend. “I thought she was gorgeous. And even when we did the movie, there was chemistry there, but I was seeing someone,” he said.
What did he think about Leighton once they’d gone on their first date? “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. Um, rude.
But don’t worry, Adam made up for it by praising his wife of seven years. “She’s literally like Joan of Arc,” he said. “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.”
March 2023
Umm a lot of time passed but don’t worry, mommy and daddy are still going strong. On the March 8, 2023, episode of SiriusXM Radio’s The Jess Cagle Show, Adam discussed the early days of their marriage. “I was never scared of the idea of marriage or kids,” Brody explained. “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 said. “That’s how sort of easy a decision it was for me and us.”
April 2023
Adam reconnects with another Gossip Girl alum on Penn Badgley’s podcast, Podcrushed. Obviously they talk about their mutual connection, Leighton, and Adam admitted he was “smitten for a long time.”
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“Yet, you know, and this is to her credit, she remained elusive to me for so long,” he further explained. “And aloof! I couldn’t get a total read because even though she professes to have been interested in me and all those things, not only did she not pursue that, but she was perfectly willing to let that never happen. There were many false starts and she was perfectly willing to let that message in the bottle return to sea.” Omg imagine if they’d never happened!!
November 2023
In an interview with E!, published on November 21, Leighton shared what makes her marriage to Adam work. She said they have a “normal relationship with all the good and the hard. We just make it work.”
“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.”
December 2023
Interview magazine releases an interview by the pair!! Adam asks Leighton questions about her new projects, holiday movies, acting and more.
Among the many cute things Leighton says, she discusses working with Adam on their recent film, River Wild. “You are the person I want to work with all the time. You’re my best friend, and the best acting partner that I could ever hope for. It was very familiar, so I felt very safe and comfortable to be doing all those pretty intense scenes.”
And they both end it by saying “Love you,” — I’m genuinely crying here, guys.
February 2024
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Leighton and Adam appeared at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which is a surprising outing for the pair. They stunned, obviously.
March 2024
A source close to the pair shed some light on their 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
A BIG MONTH FOR THE PAIR. The Adam and Leighton Renaissance commenced, with Adam starring in Nobody Wants This as a very sexy rabbi. And conveniently, it was announced that Leighton would appear in season two of The Buccaneers.
During an episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Adam discussed how the couple handles their work together. “Everything is run through each other,” he said, via People. “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 further complimented his wife — swoon. “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.’”
