Sophia Bush Says Hilarie Burton Warned Her About Chad Michael Murray
Bush confirmed on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that her "One Tree Hill" co-star advised her against dating Murray, to whom Bush was briefly married.
Sophia Bush has confirmed that her "One Tree Hill" co-star Hilarie Burton cautioned her against dating Chad Michael Murray, who later became Bush's husband. Bush, 44, shared the anecdote on a recent episode of Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast, explaining that Burton had "explicitly" told her, "do not date [Murray]."
Bush acknowledged that Burton's advice was sound, but stated she "didn't have the wherewithal or the experience" to follow it at the time. Burton and Murray had reportedly "worked together on another show" prior to "One Tree Hill," and Bush indicated it "wasn't a great experience" for Burton.
Bush and Murray, who were both 23 when they began dating, married in April 2005 in Santa Monica, California. Their separation came just five months later, with their divorce finalized in December 2006. Bush's upcoming memoir, "And I Will Tell You Mine: Notes from a Life in Progress," reportedly addresses speculation of infidelity surrounding their brief marriage.
She admitted to Cooper that she felt "so much shame" for not heeding Burton's warning, which she now recognizes as accurate regarding Murray's behavior at the time. Bush suggested that the distance that grew between her and Burton was a consequence of her not listening to her friend's counsel. "She was right," Bush stated, adding that things are "all good" now.
During the podcast, Bush also revealed that she had formed friendships with women whom Murray allegedly cheated on her with during their relationship. She described these new friendships as valuable, noting that they and herself are "completely different people from who we were [then]."
Reps for Murray and Burton did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bush previously stated in a 2021 interview that she harbors no "no ill will" toward her ex-husband and would refrain from discussing him, as her attempts to joke about her past experiences were often misinterpreted as criticism.
Murray married Sarah Roemer in 2015, and they have three children. Bush married soccer player Ashlyn Harris in 2023, following her divorce from Grant Hughes.