Rachel Bilson didn't intend to be 'mean' when denying Chace Crawford romance rumors

Christi Carras
·2 min read
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A split image of a woman with brown hair posing in a patterned dress and a man with brown hair posing in a suit and bowtie
Actors Rachel Bilson and Chace Crawford were rumored to be romantically involved in the early 2000s. (Jordan Strauss / Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)
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Rachel Bilson isn't proud of how romance rumors linking her to Chace Crawford got quashed more than a decade ago.

On Monday's episode of Bilson's "Broad Ideas" podcast, the pair of early 2000s TV stars reminisced about hanging out together in New York City, which led to media speculation back then about the nature of their relationship.

The "O.C." alum remembered the almost-scandal clearly: She was on a break from her serious boyfriend at the time when she and the "Gossip Girl" star were spotted chatting in public, sending the tabloids into a frenzy.

"The press went with, 'Oh, did Rachel and Chace hook up?'" Bilson recalled. "My publicist came to me with it, and ... I was like, 'Dude, you have to kill this rumor. Like ... oh my God, this can't be out there.' And I freaked out."

Per her request, the "Hart of Dixie" star's rep swiftly denied "everything," insisting the romance rumors were "completely fabricated" and "absolutely not true." Though she got what she wanted, Bilson felt guilty about how the damage-control effort played out.

"[I was] like, 'Wait, that's so mean. I would never want to do that to Chace,'" said Bilson, who was relieved to finally "clear the air."

"You're so nice," Crawford said. "I didn't even realize all this went down. ... I would have been thrilled if they thought we were dating."

Though the teen-drama stars never officially got together, Bilson did admit to having a crush on the "Boys" actor in the past and silently "battling" a friend for his attention at a cheeseburger joint in the Big Apple.

"We were ... not saying anything, but we were, like, fighting each other, and I'm trying to ... block her and she's trying to ... block me," Bilson recalled. "She's probably gonna kill me for saying this."

"That's hilarious. I did not pick up on any of that," Crawford replied before adding, "New York was so much fun back [then]. ... That was a great night."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.