Highlights
- Nick Viall and Rachel Bilson's rumored relationship in 2019 was all for publicity, as revealed by them on Viall's podcast in 2023.
- Nick Viall had a history of unsuccessful relationships within the Bachelor Nation before briefly "dating" Bilson.
- Rachel Bilson, known for her roles in The O.C. and Hart of Dixie , had high-profile relationships with Adam Brody and Hayden Christensen and is now in a happy relationship with Zac LaRoc.
Nick Viall and Rachel Bilson made headlines when they were rumored to be seeing each other back in 2019, but it turns out the entire relationship was just for publicity. Viall's claim to fame came from Bachelor Nation. He first appeared in the 10th season of The Bachelorette, but was runner-up. The following year he appeared in the 11th season of the show, again being runner-up. Viall tried Bachelor in Paradise before he was the bachelor on the 21st season of The Bachelor.
Rachel Bilson also comes from the world of television, but not reality shows. She is an actress best known for her roles in The O.C. and Hart of Dixie. Though from two different realms, Bilson and Viall were briefly linked in 2019 after they were spotted hanging out. On Viall's podcast in 2023, the two revealed that they never dated and only saw each other for publicity.
Who Has Nick Viall Dated?
Nick Viall has appeared in more Bachelor Nation installations than most contestants. He was first season in the 10th season of The Bachelorette, but he was unable to find love. Viall tried again in the following season of the show, but once again left empty-handed. Bachelor in Paradise was a bust as well, and he finally got engaged as the 21st bachelor on The Bachelor.
His engagement to Vanessa Grimaldi did not last, however, and the two ended up parting ways before they even walked down the aisle.
Grimaldi and Viall spoke for the first time post-split on his YouTube channel in 2020 and addressed both their relationship and breakup.
Following his days in Bachelor Nation, Viall decided that dating someone connected to the franchise was not for him. He wanted to experience something else, especially considering he spent several years dating women on the various television shows.
Viall briefly dated actress January Jones, known for her role in Mad Men.
Before Viall finally met the one, he was linked to actress Rachel Bilson as well, but that relationship was not what it seemed.
Rachel Bilson's Dating History
Rachel Bilson is an actress best known for her starring roles in the television shows The O.C. and Hart of Dixie. She also starred in the series Take Two, but the show was canceled after one season. Bilson has also guest starred in numerous productions, including How I Met Your Mother and Nashville.
Considering Bilson has been in the entertainment industry for quite some time, it is no surprise that she has a fairly substantial list of celebrity ex-boyfriends.
Bilson's first public relationship was with her The O.C. co-star Adam Brody. The two played love interests on the show and dated for almost the entirety of filming the four seasons. They were very close, but they parted ways after three years right before the premiere of the show's final season. The relationship had simply run its course.
Following her time with Brody, Bilson went on to date Star Wars star Hayden Christensen. They had met in 2008 while filming the movie Jumper, and by the end of the year the two were engaged. They split before getting married, but reconciled in 2010.
"I'm a really good girlfriend--I always put all that first in my life," BIlson told Cosmopolitan about her relationship with Christensen in 2013. "I'm definitely the person who would make him his favorite dinner to come home to."
Bilson and Christensen welcomed a daughter in 2014.
Despite being together on and off for almost a decade, the two star officially called it quits in 2017. Bilson and Christensen are dedicated to maintaining a healthy relationship in order to co-parent their daughter.
Bilson was also linked to actor Bill Hader for a short period in time. They had known each other for years before giving a romantic relationship a shot in late 2019. The couple did not last very long and were already separated by the middle of 2020.
Bilson revealed on her podcast Broad Ideas that the breakup with Hader was one of the hardest things she had gone through since it happened during the global pandemic. She was unable to lean on friends and family during the tough time.
Did Nick Viall And Rachel Bilson Actually Date?
In 2019, Nick Viall and Rachel Bilson shocked fans when they began exchanging flirty comments on Instagram.
Bilson went on Nick Viall's podcast, and following the meeting, the two were very friendly on social media. The rumor that was circulating at the time was that they were secretly seeing each other romantically, and it seemed everyone was talking about the bubbling romance.
Viall and Bilson were also spotted getting dinner together, which Viall later confirmed was true.
Gossip about their relationship eventually fizzled out, and Bilson was linked to actor Bill Hader shortly after.
In March 2023, Bilson and Viall spoke on his podcast The Viall FIles, during which they came clean about the drama they stirred up back in 2019.
"No, Nick and I never dated," Bilson confirmed.
In 2019, Bilson and Viall had planned to make a podcast together. Though the podcast never happened, the fake relationship between them certainly got people talking about the two celebrities.
"It was literally to get attention for the podcast," she continued. "It was like, 'Okay, it's a tease-up to what we're doing.' Even though it didn't come to fruition, that was the intention."
Viall added that in 2019 they were both "epically single" and "wanted attention."
"We did troll the internet."
Who Are Nick Viall And Rachel Bilson Dating Now?
Considering there was nothing for either of them to move on from, finding love separately was not a difficult task for Nick Viall and Rachel Bilson.
Viall is now engaged to Natalie Joy, who is 18-years younger than Viall. The Bachelor alum actually asked to check Joy's I.D. before agreeing to go out with her.
Bilson is also in a relationship. She has been seeing Zac LaRoc since early 2022, and the couple seems very happy.
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