Rachel Bilson Finally Revealed Why Her Relationship With Hayden Christensen Ended During An Intervie

August 27, 2024

Highlights

Rachel Bilson revealed details about her 11-year relationship with Hayden Christensen on Bill Maher's podcast.
Bilson and Christensen met on the set of "Jumper" and got engaged shortly after.
Bilson and Christensen broke up in 2017 after having a daughter together.

Despite being in the spotlight since the early 2000s (thanks to The O.C.), Rachel Bilson has been surprisingly secretive about her relationship history. But with her podcast, "Broad Ideas With Rachel Bilson & Olivia Allen", the Hart of Dixie star has been far more open in recent years. This includes details about her brutal breakup with Bill Hader.

But so little is known about the lengthiest and, arguably, most important relationship in her life. This would be her thing with Star Wars actor, Hayden Christensen. Not only was she with Christensen for 11 years, but the two had a daughter together. Yet, fans are still curious about why their relationships deteriorated. But during a December 2023 interview with Bill Maher, Bilson revealed more than she ever has about why she and Christensen split up...

Rachel Bilson Shed Light On Why She And Hayden Christensen Broke Up While On Bill Maher's Podcast

Bill Maher seems to have an uncanny ability to get his podcast guests to reveal extremely personal details about their lives. Part of it is clearly due to the format of his podcast, "Club Random". Unlike his HBO show, Real Time With Bill Maher, "Club Random" doesn't have to move from segment to segment or deal with multiple guests. Additionally, it doesn't have to stick to politics. The entire concept of Bill Maher's "Club Random" is that it's just a free-flowing hangout... One with weed and alcohol that helps to loosen lips.

But it was Maher's honest conversation about relationships and marriage that may have caused Rachel Bilson to reveal details about her mysterious breakup with Star Wars' Hayden Christensen.

"So, why did your marriage not work?" Bill Maher asked Bilson during their interview on his podcast on December 17th, 2023.

"I was never married," Bilson corrected. "[You mean my] longterm?"

"I mean, it must have been long if you had a kid," Maher said.

"It was 11 years."

"11 years! Oh, well," Maher said shocked. This was right after he spilled his relationship secrets to Bilson, including how he hadn't been in a relationship for more than 5 years. "That's probably the average of what a marriage lasts."

Later in the interview, Bill Maher attempted to get Rachel Bilson to reveal more about why her 11-year romance with the Star Wars actor came to an end. While she tried to explain the reasoning for her breakup with Hayden Christensen, it was clear she was trying to avoid the gruesome details.

"Time... you know... things happen. Things change. It was difficult... There were many difficult things..."

"But why the secret?" Maher pressed.

Bilson then admitted that she and Christensen separated for a brief period before their breakup. According to her, this occurred early on in their relationship. While continuing to evade the details, Bilson continued to shed more light on the reason for why she and Christensen ended things:

"There was a like a little separation a little earlier on, and then back together, and then having a kid. And then, you know, just different... [Hayden] was from a different place and like, wanted to spend more time there. And just like sometimes things just don't jell... That's all I will say. Things change."

Hayden Christensen was born in Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Hayden Christensen moved to Toronto, Ontario when he was a teenager

Despite Rachel Bilson still being cagey on what really went down between her and Hayden Christensen, it's clear that distance and diverging desires contributed to their break up.

Inside Rachel Bilson's Relationship With Hayden Christensen

Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen met on the set of 2007's Jumper. Their on-screen romantic chemistry quickly turned to one off-screen. Their relationship moved so swiftly that the pair actually got engaged less than a year later. Their romance followed Bilson's three-year thing with her O.C. co-star, Adam Brody. But Christensen and Bilson didn't rush to have a wedding. Instead, they stayed engaged until 2010, when they ended up calling it off.

Rachel Bilson's Relationship History	According To Us Weekly
Adam Brody	2003 - 2006
Hayden Christensen	2007 - 2017
Bill Hader	2019 - 2020
Zac LaRoc	2021 -

According to In Style, Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen actually broke up in 2010. They claimed the reason for this was distance. Bilson was in Los Angeles while Christensen spent most of his time in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. But the separation didn't last long. A few short months later, Bilson and Christensen were reported back together and even attended the 2010 Met Gala arm-in-arm.

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For almost four years, Bilson and Christensen managed to keep their relationship out of the spotlight. That is until they had a daughter together in 2014. Briar Rose Christensen became the focal point of their relationship until calling it quits once again in 2017. But this time, it was for good.

Neither star ever publicly commented on the reason for the breakup, according to In Style. This left fans guessing at what really went on behind the scenes. The only thing they had to go on was what unconfirmed sources were telling the tabloids. This includes the physical separation they endured as well as the rumor that Christensen was far more introverted and antisocial than Bilson was, thus driving a wedge between them.

Another source stated that Bilson and Christensen bickered about basically everything, mostly small, daily things that couples should be in sync about.

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In 2021, Rachel Bilson shed a bit more light on her relationship with Hayden Christensen. However, it wasn't about their breakup. It was about how they were co-parenting their daughter, Briar Rose, during the pandemic. During her 2021 podcast, "Betches Moms", Bilon claimed that she and Christensen were eon the same page about keeping their daughter safe from COVID-19.

"Luckily [my daughter's] dad is pretty hardcore with [the COVID restrictions]."

According to People, Bilson went on to say:

"But you have to trust each other, and you are bubbled up. It's also nice because she's had the opportunity to have another house to go and not be stuck in our house the entire time, so I'm grateful for that, and we've just handled it. Survival mode."

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Aside from that, Bilson has seemingly respected her daughter and has not spoken ill of Christensen. But during her interview with Bill Maher in 2023, Bilson did seem to confirm that distance and changes in values and desires were a major contributing factor in why she and Hayden Christensen ended things.

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