Rachel Bilson has recently become aware of, and can now confirm, that the Kings of Leon song “My Party” is indeed inspired by her. On her “Broad Ideas” podcast episode aired on Monday, October 9, she humorously remarked, “Let’s not say the song is explicitly written about me, but there was a particular incident that served as the inspiration for the lyric ‘She was at my party.’ And well, it was me. I’m the ‘she’ that was at ‘my party.’ So yes, it’s me.”
The song, featured on the band’s 2007 album “Because of the Times,” explores lead singer Caleb Followill’s romantic interest in Bilson during a period when he was feeling “lonely” and taking a break from touring. Although the song doesn’t explicitly mention Bilson by name, the chorus vaguely repeats the lines, “Oh, she’s at my party, she’s at my party.” Followill shed light on the inspiration behind “My Party” during an interview with Entertainment Weekly in April 2007.
“I developed a fondness for Rachel Bilson from ‘The O.C.’ I celebrated my birthday in Los Angeles, and everyone kept asking me what I wanted. I jokingly kept saying, ‘I don’t really mind, as long as Rachel Bilson’s there,'” the musician recounted to the publication. “It was all in good humor. Anyway, we hosted the party at this large club. Numerous people were in attendance, not just for my party, but for various other events as well. When we walked in, and I swear on everything, the very first person I laid eyes on was Rachel Bilson.”
Followill clarified that Bilson “wasn’t there for me, of course,” but he did recall that she waved at him, which left him so star-struck that he momentarily froze. “I just completely blanked out. She was with her boyfriend at the time, Adam Brody, so I couldn’t just approach her and say, ‘Wow, you’re here!'” he quipped. “So, I incorporated that moment into the song. Hopefully, she’ll come across this,” he humorously mentioned at the time.
Although there was no connection between them at that point – Bilson had previously dated her former O.C. co-star Brody from 2003 to 2007 – the actress revealed during a recent podcast episode that she stumbled upon the article when producer Rob Holysz sent it to her.
Followill was just one of the many celebrities vying for Bilson’s attention in the early 2000s. During a recent episode of “Broad Ideas,” Bilson shared a charming anecdote from her past when she flirted with Justin Timberlake, whom she was utterly smitten with, during a party. She couldn’t help but gush about the singer, who is now 42 years old. However, their moment was abruptly interrupted when cohost Olivia Allen unknowingly placed herself between them.
Eventually, Bilson found lasting companionship with Hayden Christensen, whom she met on the set of their 2008 film, “Jumper.” The two, who are parents to an 8-year-old daughter named Briar Rose, enjoyed nearly a decade together before parting ways in 2017. Following her split from Christensen, Bilson embarked on a relationship with Bill Hader in 2020, but their romance ended after six months of dating in July 2021.
Bilson has gained a reputation for her candid discussions about dating and intimacy on her podcast in recent years. After her split from Hader at the age of 45, Bilson humorously remarked in a March 2022 episode that she would miss the comedian’s “impressive endowment.”
A year later, Bilson openly shared that she didn’t experience an orgasm through sexual activity until the age of 38. She later clarified that this wasn’t a reflection on any of her previous partners, stating on a March episode of “The Viall Files” podcast, “It’s not related to any specific partner; it’s about my understanding of my own body.” In June, Bilson also admitted that she had never pretended to have an orgasm with a partner, as it went against her natural inclination to prioritize mutual satisfaction rather than pleasing her partner.
Recently, Bilson attracted attention for her perspective on dating middle-aged men with limited sexual partners. She expressed her viewpoint on the matter during the October 3 episode of “Broad Ideas,” saying, “I don’t want to sound judgmental, but if a guy in his 40s has only been with a few women… but it really depends. Maybe he’s been in decade-long relationships, which is completely respectable.”
However, when Whoopi Goldberg criticized her thoughts on an episode of The View a few days later, Bilson responded by emphasizing the importance of listening to the entire conversation before forming one’s own judgment. She shared this perspective with Entertainment Weekly.
