COUPLESAdam Brody Says He 'Won't Always Be Right' in His Marriage to Leighton Meester
Adam Brody revealed that his marriage to Leighton Meester taught him that he cannot 'always be right.'
Oct. 9 2026, Published 3:10 p.m. ET
Adam Brody opened up about the biggest lesson he has learned from his marriage to Leighton Meester.
“There’s a duality in all of us. Oftentimes, I feel mature and responsible, and other times, I feel like a little boy still, and I can’t believe I’m the age I am," he said in a new interview.
"You have to be willing to adjust. Not change the core of who you are, but really factor someone else’s wants and desires and needs into the equation. You’re not always going to be right, and you have to accept that. It’s a lot easier to always be right when you’re single,” he added of making his romance work.
How Adam Brody First Met Leighton Meester
Adam Brody revealed he met his wife through a mutual friend but they didn't date long after.
During a 2021 appearance on the "Unqualified" podcast, Brody recalled meeting Meester through their mutual friend, producer Josh Schwartz, who worked on both Gossip Girl and The O.C.
"Josh Schwartz produced both shows and literally the first time we met, that whole cast was eating at Canter’s [Deli in Los Angeles] and I lived at Canter’s for like my entire 20s. And I was leaving, and he introduced all of us. I was seeing someone at the time [when we did the movie]. So, we met kind of through mutual work friends off and on. And then we didn’t get together about a year after that movie when I was single," he said.
Why Leighton Meester Almost Didn't Date Adam Brody
Leighton Meester thought Adam Brody liked her roommate before they got married.
Meester reflected on her relationship with the Jennifer's Body actor, revealing that she initially hesitated to commit on a February 18 episode of "Podcrushed" with Penn Badgley.
The Roommate star said, “A lot of the time there’s false starts. Like, ‘Oh I thought he liked my roommate.’ And it turns out that was my husband the whole time. But I think I just had to see about a couple of other people first. Now, I go like, ‘Why did I do that?’ That was the wrong move, obviously. But was it?”
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'Gossip Girl' Star's 'Answer' to a Happy Marriage
Leighton Meester's answer to a happy marriage is 'just liking each other.'
The Monte Carlo star reflected on her 12-year marriage, sharing insights into maintaining a lasting and loving relationship.
She said, "It's so funny, because the other night somebody asked me that, and I was like, 'I wish I had the answer,' [but] I think just liking each other, and getting along is a big part of it. It is sort of at a base level what it's about. Just being like, 'I really like this person."
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester's Relationship Timeline
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester share two children, a daughter named Arlo and a son whose name they have not publicly disclosed.
Brody and Meester, 40, began dating in 2013 and married the following year. The couple has since welcomed two children, daughter Arlo in 2015 and a son in 2020, whose name they have not publicly revealed.
During an interview, the actor revealed that his 11-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son have not seen any episodes of the early 2000s TV shows.
He said, "No O.C., no Gossip Girl yet."
Brody explained that he'd rather let the kids discover the shows naturally than push them.
