Adam Brody ‘Turned Down a Lot of Money’ for The O.C. Reboot

Adam Brody is enjoying a career resurgence with his global smash hit Netflix series, Nobody Wants This and his drama-free, loving marriage to Leighton Meester is thriving too. Sources exclusively tell Life & Style that the California native hasn’t looked back since turning down The O.C. reboot. 

“At some point during the early part of the pandemic, the ball started rolling on the idea of bringing back The O.C. with the former teen stars returning as adults and introducing a new cast of SoCal high schoolers. I can’t speak to who exactly from the cast was enthusiastic about the idea, but Adam was firmly against it and essentially talked the creator of the show, Josh Schwartz, out of the idea,” a source close to the Gilmore Girls alum, 45, tells Life & Style. “You don’t see this happen a lot, especially these days, and everybody became aware of the fact that Adam and Josh turned down a lot of money because they are so focused on protecting the legacy of the original mid-2000s series.”

The source goes on to say that turning down the sequel “turned out to be a genius strategic move for Adam.”

“If he had taken the easy O.C. money, he wouldn’t have been cast in Nobody Wants This, which has become a true phenomenon this fall,” the insider notes. 

Adam previously dished on his decision to pass on returning to The O.C., telling former costars Melinda Clarke and Rachel Bilson on their “Welcome to The O.C., Bitches” podcast, “I kind of don’t think it can be done because I feel like, socially, I think we’re in a different place. I think we’re in a more conscious place.”

“I feel like The O.C., while it claims to be in a similar sense of Gossip Girl, while it would sort of say it’s a critique, it’s not. It’s a celebration of affluence, in my opinion,” he added.

After skyrocketing to instant superstardom after The O.C. premiered in August 2003, Adam took a major step back from the spotlight following the show’s finale in 2007. He landed smaller roles in films such as Jennifer’s Body and Sleeping with Other People. 

He began dating the Gossip Girl star, 38, after meeting through pal Josh Schwartz – the creator of both teen dramas. They kept their relationship super private but ultimately confirmed in February 2014 that they had tied the knot. 

“Despite the state of the world, I feel like I’m living my best life,” Adam said in a December 2024 interview with Stylist magazine. “I have a beautiful, dreamy family life. I have a good work-life balance and get to spend a lot of time with my kids. I’m in that really great period of middle age where I’m old enough to have seniority and work security but also still have enough of my body to be active and do all the things I want to. I’m a lucky guy.”

According to the source, “Adam and Leighton deserve this success because they’re very normal, nice people who are super-focused on their family, and Adam’s class and patience have paid off quite handsomely here.”