Leighton Meester and Adam Brody's Relationship Timeline (2024)

February 2013: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody start dating

Brody and Meester first worked together in 2011 on the set of The Oranges and delighted fans of both The O.C. and Gossip Girl when it was revealed in February 2013 they were dating. On Feb. 21, the couple was spotted heading out on a dinner date in Venice, California.

However, representatives for both actors did not comment on the news, setting a very private precedent for the couple's relationship.

During an episode of Anna Faris' Unqualified podcast on March 29, 2021, Brody finally revealed how the couple first met.

"I was on The O.C., and that was coming to an end, and Gossip Girl was starting. Josh Schwartz produced both shows," said Brody. "The first time we met, that whole cast was eating at Canter's [in Los Angeles], and I lived at Canter's for, like, my entire 20s. I was leaving, and he introduced all of us and then [I] bumped into her, like, two or three times over the next couple of years."

"Then we did this movie together, The Oranges. I was seeing someone at the time," he continued. "So we met kind of through mutual work friends off and on. We didn't get together until about a year after that movie, when I was single."

April 2013: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody film 'Life Partners' together

In April 2013, Meester and Brody filmed another movie, Life Partners, where they shared a few scenes.

The film debuted the following year at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival and was released in theaters in December 2014 — after the couple married.

June 26, 2013: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody make their first public appearance together

Their first public outing as a couple was in June 26, 2013, at the premiere of Some Girl(s) in North Hollywood. Brody starred in the film as The Man. The pair also posed with actress Mia Maestro at the event, who costarred in the comedy with Brody.

November 2013: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody get engaged

PEOPLE confirmed in November 2013 that the notoriously private couple was engaged. The news came just a few months after Meester and Brody went public with their relationship. The following month, Meester hid her ring finger when she was photographed while out on a walk with Brody.

February 2014: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody get married

Meester and Brody reportedly married in February 2014 in a hush-hush wedding in Northern California.

"She's very happy. She has a lovely ring. She likes [it] a lot," a source told PEOPLE about the new bride, adding that the "under-wraps wedding" was "super intimate" and "super recently — a couple weeks ago."

June 8, 2014: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody make their red carpet debut

Just a few months after getting married, Meester and Brody finally made their red carpet debut at the 2014 Tony Awards.

At the time, Meester was starring on Broadway in Of Mice and Men.

August 4, 2015: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody welcome their first child together

The pair welcomed their first child, Arlo Day, into the world on Aug. 4, 2015. The two have kept Arlo out of the public eye.

Leighton explained to Refinery29 that while she doesn't often talk about Arlo, "I am very proud of that area of my life. But I'm also really proud of ... the work I do," adding, "I think the perception is: You're an ingenue, or you're an icon, or you're a mom. There's no in between."

July 2017: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody volunteer for Feeding America

The couple volunteered at Feeding America's Summer Hunger Awareness event in July 2017. Brody was spotted arm wrestling with a group of children.

May 8, 2019: Adam Brody first appears on Leighton Meester's sitcom

The acting duo knows how to mix work and play!

Brody made his first appearance on Meester's ABC sitcom Single Parents in May 2019, playing her character's deadbeat boyfriend, Derek. From 2019 to 2020, Brody appeared in seven episodes of the series.

"It's wonderful. It's just fun to be on set with him," Leighton told PEOPLE of working with her hubby. "I love being at work, and then having my best friend come and work with me is just like the best thing ever. It's so awesome."

June 27, 2019: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody talk about their TV characters getting married

The pair admitted to Entertainment Tonight in their first joint interview in 2017 that they laugh thinking about how Meester's Gossip Girl character, Blair Waldorf, married Brody's The O.C. character, Seth Cohen. Brody joked that they have a "Seth and Blair day" because "it's good for a laugh," while Meester said, "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."

In 2019, Brody told GQ it wasn't bizarre to see the world lose it over two teen TV stars dating, but "to be perfectly honest, it was a little embarrassing. I guess love knows no bounds?"

August 2019: Adam Brody talks about his private relationship with Leighton Meester

In an interview with GQ in August 2019, Brody spoke about why he and Meester were so private about their relationship.

"She's more inherently private than I am," he explained. "I don't seek publicity, but if I'm sitting next to you on the subway, I'll tell you everything about me. 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------- 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."

August 19, 2019: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody make a rare red carpet appearance

While the spouses rarely make event appearances together, they both attended the premiere of Brody's film Ready or Not in Aug. 19, 2019, at the ArcLight in Culver City, California.

Two days later, Meester posted a photo on Instagram of the pair on the red carpet and captioned it, "Me and my hero."

March 31, 2020: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody are expecting their second child

On March 31, 2020, Meester was spotted out dressed in overalls and sporting a baby bump.

Unfortunately, on April 15, an internet troll made some mean comments about the photos during Meester's Instagram Live session with her Single Parents costar Kimrie Lewis.

"Somebody just told me I got fat. That's really nice," Meester said, according to E! News. Lewis responded, "That is not nice, you guys."

September 2020: Adam Brody confirms he and Leighton Meester have welcomed their second child

In September 2020, Brody confirmed the couple welcomed a baby boy during Hold the Phone TV's The Fun Time Boys Game Night Spectacular on Twitch.

Since last I played, I have a new kid," said the former O.C. actor. "I have a boy, and he's a dream. He's a dream boy."

The following month, Brody told PEOPLE he appreciated spending time with his family, including his new son, in quarantine.

"It's been pretty magical," said Brody. "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."

"To be more or less quarantined during [this] time — the last trimester of pregnancy and the fourth trimester, if you will — has its benefits," he added. "You've gotten to be in a cocoon. The world outside is scary for the moment and also thrilling and hopeful."

"For us, luckily in this time in our lives, this moment in our lives, this family growing by one has definitely had its magical moments, and it's had its benefits, for sure," Brody said.

December 15, 2020: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody go surfing

On Sept. 15, 2020, Meester and Brody were photographed surfing in Malibu, California.

In her 2019 cover interview for Shape, Meester revealed that Brody introduced her to surfing.

"My husband also taught me how to surf, and in the last year, I got really into it," she said. "For the last six months, surfing has pretty much been my main form of exercise."

Meester added, "I have found that when I don't have a physical result in mind when I'm exercising — it's not just about getting sore or getting abs or burning fat — I feel much more confident. I'm working on a skill, and that is so fulfilling to me. Plus, being in the ocean is such a spiritual experience that you forget you're getting a real workout."

March 4, 2022: Leighton Meester say it's "really amazing" to see Adam Brody as a father

During an interview with Access Hollywoodto promote her Netflix film The Weekend Away, Meester spoke candidly about the "joy" of watching Brody as a father.

"I get the joy and the pleasure of watching him become a father," said Meester. "He's everything that I imagined he would be as a father when we [first] decided to have kids. It is really amazing he has become that and [is] becoming every day more so."

November 7, 2022: Adam Brody and Leighton Meester step out for the 'Fleishman Is in Trouble' premiere

Meester accompanied Brody at the red carpet premiere of his new FX series, Fleishman Is in Trouble, at Carnegie Hall.

The two posed together at the event, with Meester looking elegant in a dark brown velvet dress with floral designs and gold heels. Brody complemented his wife's look by wearing an emerald green suit, a black tie and splattered button-up shirt.

March 8, 2023: Adam Brody says marrying Leighton Meester was an "easy decision"

During an interview on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show, Brody opened up about the early days of his relationship with Meester.

"My wife and I actually got married very fast after we started dating," he said. "That's how sort of easy a decision it was for me and us. I was never scared of the idea of marriage or kids. It always seemed, you know, like a route I would go eventually."

The O.C. alum continued: "I was excited ... when it came together, when I met the right person."

April 12, 2023: Adam Brody says he was "smitten instantly" with Leighton Meester

During an interview on Podcrushed, Brody recalled the moment he met Meester.

"I think the first time I saw her is when I met her at Canter's, the deli in Los Angeles," he said. "That's when I saw her, and, yeah, I was smitten instantly. And I was, you know, smitten for a long time. I didn't get to know her for many years after."

The O.C. alum went on to call his wife "so lovely" and "so sweet" before talking about the success of their marriage.

"So much of who I am is her, and who she is is me. We're fortunate to love each other like we do," he said.

August 1, 2023: Adam Brody and Leighton Meester's film River Wild premieres on Netflix

Meester and Brody star in the pulse-pounding thriller River Wild about a whitewater rafting trip gone wrong. Ahead of the film's premiere on Netflix, the couple spoke with Entertainment Weekly.

"We were outside in the elements — the heat of summer, on the ground or in the cold water, the racing rapids, or on the raft," Meester said. "The emotional process was challenging as well, but having my partner [in] the cast made every moment enjoyable and put me at ease."

Brody, who plays the movie's antagonist, jokingly added: "My absolute favorite part of filming was chasing Leighton through the woods at full speed."

August 25, 2023: Leighton Meester talks about giving her kids what she "never had" growing up

Meester opened up to PEOPLE about raising kids with Brody. "It's such an emotional journey to have children, and it certainly has made me reflect on my own upbringing and childhood," she said.

"Having children, I want to give them all that we never had when we were growing up," she added, noting that she "dealt with food insecurity" when she was young.

November 21, 2023: Leighton Meester says she and Adam Brody feel "lucky" to have each other

Meester and Brody don't take their relationship for granted.

"We're super, super lucky, and I think we recognize how lucky we are with one another," the actress told E! News. "We give each other a lot of respect and time and attention and focus. Like, really put our time and energy into [our] relationship."

February 24, 2024: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody attend the SAG Awards

The couple walked the red carpet at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. Leighton looked ultra-chic in a brown, floor-length dress, while Brody, one of the evening's nominees, complemented his wife in a black suit.