The O.C.'s Rich List: Who's Made it Big and Who's Still Scraping By?
Who do you think is the richest The O.C. star?
Josh Schwartz's hit series, The O.C., popularized the young adult drama genre and quickly became one of the highest-rated teen shows in television history. It premiered in 2003 to over 13 million viewers and continued to be a ratings juggernaut throughout its four-season run. It also garnered critical acclaim and won several awards, including a Teen Choice Award.
The O.C.'s success was due in large part to its ensemble cast, which featured both veteran actors and up-and-coming stars. The show catapulted the main cast to stardom, giving them a large, loyal fan base and amazing career prospects, which, of course, made them rich. In addition to accumulating enormous wealth during the show's run, the actors have gone on to other successful projects.
But whose careers have paid off the most? Here's a list of The O.C. cast members' estimated net worths, from lowest to highest, according to data from Celebrity Net Worth.
- Mischa Barton (Marissa Cooper) – $2.5 million
- Autumn Reeser (Taylor Townsend) – $3 million
- Alan Dale (Caleb Nichol) – $4 million
- Alan Dale (Caleb Nichol) – $4 million
- Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper) – $4 million
- Willa Holland (Kaitlin Cooper) – $5 million
- Tate Donovan (Jimmy Cooper) – $5 million
- Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen) – $12 million
- Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts) – $12 million
- Ben McKenzie (Ryan Atwood) – $13 million
- Adam Brody (Seth Cohen) – $16 million
- Kelly Rowan (Kirsten Cohen) – $25 million
For many fans, it will be heartwarming to see the entire Cohen-Atwood family in the top 5. And it may be surprising to see Kelly Rowan as The O.C.'s richest star, but in addition to her iconic role as Kirsten Cohen, the actress has an impressive filmography that includes both big and small screen projects. And when she is not on screen, Rowan is an active executive producer.
Adam Brody's impressive net worth is actually combined with his wife Leighton Meester, who is famous for her role as Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl. The two met on the set of The Oranges in 2011 and quickly became one of the fan-favorite couples. The Seth Cohen actor doubles as the lead drummer in the Los Angeles-based indie rock band Big Japan.
The main protagonist of The O.C. is the third on the list with an impressive net worth of $13 million, which is not surprising considering his starring roles in Southland and Gotham. Recently, Ben McKenzie also made a career criticizing cryptocurrency.