Rachel Bilson, 42, revealed that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen once “rescued” her when she was “swarmed by a mass mob” of Adam Brody fans, in Alan Sepinwall’s new book, Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History, according to Us Weekly. The actress explained that she was making an appearance on MTV’s TRL when the incident involving her former O.C. co-star and boyfriend’s supporters happened.
“The Olsen twins rescued me and threw me in their car,” she confirmed in the book. “I left Brody behind because I was so nervous and didn’t know what to do. And they were like, ‘Don’t you need to get your boyfriend?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, we’ve got to go get him.’ He was being mobbed.”
Adam was also interviewed for the book and admitted he doesn’t remember having “many Beatles moments” during the height of his O.C. fame. “I don’t want to say he’s lying because he may not remember,” Rachel said about his response to the incident. “He stands corrected.”
Although Adam didn’t recall the “mob” during the TRL appearance, he did admit he realized the intensity of his fame when a woman grabbed him and “[hooked] up” with him before saying, “Welcome to Hollywood.” He said it was an “acknowledgment of a stature change,” and remembers the incident as “innocent and joyful” even if some people might see it as “gross.”
After Rachel and Adam were cast on The O.C. and stepped into a bigger spotlight, they dated from 2003 until 2006. Although their romance ended before the show did, Rachel previously admitted that it helped her adjust to fame.
“Because of what the show was and how young we all were, going through it with someone experiencing the same thing and having that kind of support was really awesome,” she told Nylon in April 2021. “I’m actually grateful that I did have it. It was definitely a unique experience and I don’t think anyone else could have really understood it had they not been in it.”
