Leighton Meester Adam Brody smiling© Amy Sussman/Getty

Leighton Meester’s romance with Adam Brody is one of our favorite love stories, but their relationship was something of a slow-burn. The celebrity couple met for the first time years before they took the next step and started dating. While speaking to fellow actor Anna Faris on her podcast “Anna Faris is Unqualified,” in 2021, Brody explained how it all went down. “The O.C.,” the hit show that launched his career, was ending just as “Gossip Girl,” which kicked off Meester’s, began. Brody first ran into her when the “Gossip Girl” crew was dining at the Los Angeles deli Canter’s, a place he frequented. Referring to producer Josh Schwartz, who notably worked on both shows, Brody recalled, “I was leaving and he introduced all of us and then I bumped into her, like, two or three times over the next couple years.”

A little while later, when the “Ready or Not” star was in another relationship, he and Meester co-starred in a film called “The Oranges.” As Brody detailed, “So we met kind of through mutual work friends off and on. And then we didn’t get together until about a year after that movie, when I was single.” He admitted to feeling immediately drawn to Meester, but the TV star understandably wondered if she would be like her snooty “Gossip Girl” character Blair.

Even though Brody felt like they totally hit it off while making “The Oranges,” the “O.C.” breakout wasn’t a free man and he was still pretty hesitant about what Meester was really like. However, as they dated and he got to know the stunning Meester, Brody realized his initial skepticism was way off. The actor raved to Farris about how wonderful of a person Meester is. And, in another podcast interview from 2023, Brody spoke more about his initial attraction to her.

Brody Was Uncertain Of Meester’s True Feelings For Him At First

Leighton Meester smiling at Adam Brody© Kevin Mazur/Getty

During an appearance on the “Podcrushed” podcast, which is hosted by “Gossip Girl” alum Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, and Sophie Ansari, Adam Brody sweetly called Leighton Meester his “best friend.” Later in the episode, the lovable actor discussed their Canter’s meet-cute once more. “That’s when I saw her, and, yeah, I was smitten instantly,” Brody gushed. “And I was, you know, smitten for a long time.” It took a little while for them to start seeing each other and even when they did, the “Nobody Wants This” star wasn’t sure how Meester really felt about him. “I couldn’t get a total read because even though she professes to be, to have been interested in me and all those things, you know, not only did she not pursue that, I mean, she was perfectly willing to let that never happen,” Brody pointed out. The power couple did get together and have stayed together ever since.

In February 2013, it was widely reported that Meester and Brody were dating. They made another movie together called “Life Partners” that April, and got engaged the following November. The happy couple tied the knot in 2014, and Meester talked about the good fortune in their marriage in a 2023 conversation with E! News. According to the “Single Parents” star, they have a very typical relationship. As Meester proclaimed, “We’re super, super lucky, and I think we recognize how lucky we are with one another. We give each other a lot of respect and time and attention and focus. Like, really put our time and energy into a relationship.” Meester and Brody’s relationship seems rock-solid — notably, unlike her “Gossip Girl” co-star and rumored frenemy Blake Lively’s similarly long-term relationship with Ryan Reynolds, which some people are concerned about.