Sophia Bush Reveals Hilarie Burton Warned Her Against Dating Chad Michael Murray

Sophia Bush has confirmed that her "One Tree Hill" co-star Hilarie Burton had advised her against dating Chad Michael Murray, whom Bush later married for less than a year.

Bush, 44, made the revelation during an appearance on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast. She explained that Burton, also 44, and Murray, 45, had previously "worked together on another show" and that it "wasn't a great experience."

Burton, who was described by Bush as one of her "closest friends on set" and remains a friend to this day, had "explicitly" told her "do not date [Murray]."

"You know, it was good advice," Bush said, adding that she "just didn't have the wherewithal or experience" at the time to heed her friend's warning.

Bush and Murray married in April 2005, but announced their separation just five months later. Their divorce was finalized in December 2006. Bush had initially sought an annulment citing fraud, but this request was denied.

In January 2017, Bush wrote an open letter to Cosmopolitan discussing the relationship's end, though she did not name Murray. At the time, she reflected on her 20s, stating, "when the person you're with asks you to marry him, you think: 'This must be happening because it's supposed to.'"

She added, "I refuse to let that one relationship define me, which is why I've done my best to avoid discussing it for 10 years. The reality is that, yes, it was a massive event in my life. And the trauma of it was amplified by how public it became, which was incredibly foreign and bizarre to a girl who'd been just another college kid 24 months before her life blew up."

Bush also advocated for people to stop searching for "The One," suggesting that every relationship serves a purpose, whether to heal, teach self-reliance, or foster intuition. "Not every love can last forever. When you take the pressure of The One off, you'll open yourself up to endless possibilities," she wrote. "You'll learn to have a truly deep, knowing relationship with yourself first. Then the rest will fall into place. Reasons, seasons, and lifetimes. They’re all valid."

In 2014, Bush commented on the marriage, telling E! News, "We were two stupid kids who had no business being in a relationship in the first place. To all the other co-stars who've worked it out, more power to you."

Bush married soccer star Ashlyn Harris in a private ceremony in upstate New York in 2025. Murray married Sarah Roemer in 2015 and they have three children together.

"One Tree Hill" aired for nine seasons on The CW from 2003 to 2012.