TV Couples Who Dated in Real Life: Stars From ‘Outer Banks,’ ‘Riverdale,’ ‘One Tree Hill’ and More

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TV Couples Who Dated in Real Life: Stars From 'Outer Banks,' 'Riverdale,' 'One Tree Hill' and More

Life imitating art! While some may frown at the idea of dating coworkers, when actors spend hours on set with someone — especially if they’re acting as a couple — relationships naturally form. "I had my first love, and it was something so incredible and indescribable. I feel so fortunate because he's now one of my best friends,” Katie Holmes said in 1998 about her real-life relationship with her Dawson’s Creek costar Joshua Jackson; the two briefly dated while filming the WB teen drama, but later split. “He's been in the business so long, and he's really helped me. I respect him as a friend and as a professional." It’s been 11 years since then, but TV couples are still falling in love off screen. Riverdale costars Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse play onscreen couple Betty and Jughead. In real life, they dated for nearly two years before briefly splitting in July 2019. Reinhart confirmed that they were back together two months later. Reinhart confirmed that they were back together two months later, but Us Weekly confirmed they called it quits for good in May 2020. [sendtonews type="float" key="uWRchjFFwL-2836812-14453"] "Lili was a tough egg to crack. She’s very shy at first and reserved. I think it was about halfway into the first season she started letting people in, truly,” Sprouse told Glamour in 2018. “She's one of those people that consistently pushes me to be better at the arts that I'm pursuing. That's just the kind of person she is.” However, it’s not always an amicable separation. One Tree Hill stars Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray’s characters Brooke and Lucas had an on-off relationship during the CW drama. Shortly after they began dating, they married in 2005; five months later, they went through a messy split. In 2018, Bush revealed that it was tough to go back to working together after. “There was no space to self-reflect. There was like, ‘This is my integrity, this is my job, I will not falter for one second or one minute ever on this set,” she said, adding that producers were “deeply inappropriate” to the pair post-split. “It was opportunistic and ugly and when you run a show, you're like a parent. You're supposed to protect your flock and it was the opposite of that. I imagine that was hard for him as well. It was a very ugly situation on their part. I think they kind of lived for the drama.” Scroll through the gallery below for more TV couples who were romantically involved in real life! [podcast_block]

Credit: Bettina Strauss /The CW

Kara & Mon-El

Even though the fictional Supergirl couple wasn't able to make things work, off screen, Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood started a relationship after meeting on set. The couple tied the knot in 2019 and welcomed their first child, a son, in September 2020.

Credit: Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Netflix

Harvey & Roz

While playing a couple on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Jaz Sinclair and Ross Lynch sparked romance rumors in real life as well. The pair is still going strong even after the show wrapped in 2020.

Credit: Netflix

John B. and Sarah

The characters were on and off through season one 1 of Outer Banks, but in real life, Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline confirmed that they were dating in June 2020, two months after the series debuted. Us confirmed in November 2021 that the duo called it quits after more than one year together.

Credit: James Devaney/WireImage

Dan & Serena

While their characters ended up together in Gossip Girl, Blake Lively and Penn Badgley’s romance was short-lived. The costars dated from 2007 to 2010.

Credit: The CW

Lily & Rufus

Fans of Gossip Girl rooted for Lily and Rufus from the start. While they never confirmed it, Kelly Rutherford and Matthew Settle stayed extremely close during the show and photos on social media point to signs that the couple dated on and off for years.

Credit: HBO

Jon Snow & Ygritte

Kit Harington and Rose Leslie starred together in Game of Thrones from 2012 until her character’s untimely death in 2014; the two formed a relationship while filming and tied the knot in 2018. They welcomed their first child, a baby boy, in February 2021.

Credit: FOX

Seth & Summer

Seth and Summer were a fan-favorite couple on The O.C., both on and off screen. Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody dated in real life from 2003 to 2006, before amicably calling it quits. 

Credit: The CW

Betty & Jughead

Shortly after Riverdale began in 2017, Reinhart and Sprouse began dating off screen, as their characters dated on screen. Us exclusively revealed that the twosome split in July 2019 ahead of the season 4 premiere. Reinhart confirmed that they were back together two months later. Us confirmed in May 2020 that the twosome called it quits for good.

Credit: HBO

Sookie & Bill

Talk about true love! True Blood costars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer met while filming the series in 2008 and quietly began dating. They went public the following year and married in 2010. They share twins Poppy and Charlie.

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Joey & Pacey

Joey and Pacey had a rollercoaster of a relationship during Dawson’s Creek, as Holmes and Jackson dating off screen. The costars casually began seeing each other in 1997, but did not last long-term.

Credit: The CW

Brooke & Lucas

After meeting on the set of One Tree Hill, Bush and Murray began dating in 2003. Two years later, they tied the knot. However, only five months later, they had their marriage annulled, but continued working alongside each other on the CW hit.

Credit: CBS

Penny & Leonard

Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki appeared side-by-side on The Bang Bang Theory since its 2007 debut; the pair quietly began dating in 2008 and had a very private relationship for nearly two years. After their split, they’ve remained close friends; he attended her wedding to Karl Cook in 2018.

Credit: The CW

Damon & Elena

Shortly after Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder met on The Vampire Diaries, they began dating in 2010. However, after three years together, the pair called it quits but their characters stayed together on the series. Somerhalder and Dobrev remain friends.

Credit: FOX

Finn & Rachel

Throughout the six-year span of Glee, costars Lea Michele and Cory Monteith had an on-off relationship up until his death in 2013. 

Credit: ABC FAMILY

Rory & Jess

While fans hoped Jess and Rory were endgame on Gilmore Girls, Milo Ventimiglia and Alexis Bledel has a real relationship off screen. The costars dated from 2002 to 2006 before calling it quits; they are still cordial as they reunited for the series’ revival in 2016.

Credit: NBC

Lindsay & Halstead

Partners on Chicago P.D. and in real life! Bush and Jesse Lee Soffer dated for about a year, as did their characters, before amicably going their separate ways in 2015. (In 2018, Us broke the news he is dating Chicago Med star — and Bush’s former One Tree Hill costar — Torrey DeVitto. They split eight months later.)

Credit: FOX

Chase & Cameron

On House, Cameron and Chase tied the knot, while in real life, Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer began dating and were set to marry in 2007. However, they split just weeks before their wedding was set.

Credit: ABC

Amanda & Daniel

On Revenge, Emily VanCamp’s Amanda and Josh Bowman’s Daniel tied the knot. The actors began dating in 2012 after meeting on the series the year before. While the show ended in 2015, they stayed together and in 2018, they married. The duo announced the arrival of their first child, daughter Iris, in August 2021.

Credit: ABC

Prince Charming & Snow White

In 2011, Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas met on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, in which they played Snow White and Prince Charming. While they began as friends, their relationship blossomed. They married in 2014 and have two children.

Credit: FX

Elizabeth & Philip

While Elizabeth and Phillip had quite the intense story line during The Americans, which ran from 2013 to 2018, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys went public as a couple in 2014 and welcomed a son in 2016.

Credit: AMC

Pete & Beth

In Mad Men, Beth had an affair with Peter while she’s married. However, in real life, Vincent Kartheiser and Alexis Bledel began quietly dating while filming the show. The actors married in 2014, one year before the series; they welcomed a child in 2016.

In August 2022, Kartheiser filed for divorce and the split was finalized later that month.

Credit: FOX

Jackie & Kelso

Although Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis didn’t date during That 70s Show, on which they were costars from 1998 to 2006, the two began dated six years after the show wrapped. They married in 2015 and share two children. 

Credit: FOX

Gordon & Leslie

On Gotham, Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin – who both also appeared on The O.C. – portrayed husband and wife. In real life, the actors welcomed daughter Frances in 2016 and tied the knot in 2017. They announced the arrival of their son, Arthur, in March 2021.

Credit: Netflix

Nancy & Jonathan

Stranger Things fans rooted for Nancy and Jonathan to be together and got their wish during season 2. Then, one year after the series’ debut, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton came out as a couple in 2017.