Rachel Bilson says Bill Hader breakup was ‘harder than childbirth’

The actor is finally opening up about her relationship with and July 2020 split from Hader

Two years after their breakup, Rachel Bilson is finally opening up about her “harder than childbirth” split from Bill Hader.

On 13 June, The OC alum made a rare comment about her past romance with the Saturday Night Live star during an episode of her podcast, Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson.

As she sat down with Aubrey Plaza to discuss their 2013 filmThe To Do List, Bilson revealed that she dated Hader “two years ago.” While the couple had gone public with their relationship in 2020, the news came as a surprise to Plaza, who had no clue the two were ever an item.

“You know Bill and I dated, right?” she told Plaza.

“What? Are you serious?” the Parks and Recreation alum asked. “I don’t know sh*t. I don’t know anything.”

“I went with him to the f**king Golden Globes,” Bilson replied.

Bilson and Hader first met on the set of The To Do List, which was written and directed by Hader’s now ex-wife Maggie Carey. In December 2019, the two were spotted getting coffee in Hader’s hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma before making their red carpet debut at the 2020 Golden Globes one month later. However, it wasn’t long before the two called it quits in July 2020.

Earlier this month, the Hart of Dixie actress spoke to Mandy Moore about going through a “really hard” breakup during the pandemic, but didn’t mention Hader by name.

“I went through a really hard breakup and it was during the pandemic and I could not leave my house,” she said during the Broad Ideas podcast. “I had nothing else to do but sit in it and deal with it and feel it. It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, harder than childbirth.”

Bilson – who shares seven-year-old daughter Briar Rose with ex Hayden Christiansen – went on to say that although the breakup “hurt like a motherf***er”, the experience left her feeling stronger.

“If you actually face it, you can come out of it and be like, ‘Okay, yeah. I did that and I’m ready for the next thing,” she added.

Bilson, 40, previously dated her The OC co-star Adam Brody before finding love with Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen. The pair met on the set of the 2007 film Jumper, and were engaged the following year. While the couple called off their engagement in 2010, they reconciled a few months later and welcomed their daughter in November 2014. In 2017, Bilson split from Christensen for a second time.

Hader, 44, shares daughters Hannah, 12, Harper, nine, and Hayley, seven, with ex-wife Maggie Carey. The Inside Out actor has reportedly been dating Pitch Perfect star Anna Kendrick for more than a year.