A Look At Sophia Bush's Dating History
Sophia Bush has been a regular on our screens for two decades, and fans have always gravitated toward the actor's warm personality. As a result, there has always been much interest in Bush's personal life, from the early days of her romance with "One Tree Hill" co-star Chad Michael Murray to her romances with other actors and her marriage to businessman Grant Hughes.
In a 2007 interview with Cinema.com, Bush was quizzed about her relationship, and she diplomatically replied, "I've just learned to be very protective of my private life at this point." Having been in the spotlight since her days playing Brooke Davis on "One Tree Hill," Bush learned early on just how easily the press can get in the way of romance. No one can blame her for wanting some privacy in certain aspects of her life.
Here, we explore Sophia Bush's complete relationship history, from her marriage to Chad Michael Murray to her romances with other co-stars throughout the years.
Chad Michael Murray
Sophia Bush met Chad Michael Murray when the pair started filming "One Tree Hill" in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 2003. Murray proposed to his co-star in May 2004, and they wed less than a year later on April 16, 2005, in Santa Monica, California. However, the union wasn't meant to be, and just months later, the newlyweds split.
According to Us Weekly, Bush initially filed for an annulment of the marriage, citing fraud as the reason, with rumors circulating that Murray had allegedly cheated on his wife with "House of Wax" co-star Paris Hilton. While the annulment was denied, the couple's divorce would subsequently be finalized in December 2006.
Following their divorce, they continued to work together on their hit show "One Tree Hill," and Bush has often spoken about her marriage to Murray. While appearing on "Watch What Happens Live" in January 2014, the actor said (as shared by Us Weekly), "We were two stupid kids who had no business being in a relationship in the first place." In June 2018, Bush appeared on Andy Cohen's SiriusXM show and suggested that she should never have married Murray, saying, "It was not a thing I actually really wanted to do, but you know, it's cool." She continued, "Ladies have to learn how to take up space in the way that men are taught they are entitled to."
Jon Foster
Following her split from Chad Michael Murray, Sophia Bush was romantically linked to another co-star. In 2006, it was reported that Bush had moved on with Jon Foster, with whom she starred in the 2006 horror movie "Stay Alive."
However, the pair reportedly split sometime in 2007, with Bush telling Us Weekly in 2008 that they'd split the previous year but had managed to stay friends. "We are really good friends," she told Us Weekly. "We keep in touch, and we love each other to death." Unfortunately, the romance simply wasn't meant to be, it would seem.
Bush also got philosophical about her former relationship, telling Us Weekly, "You can love somebody, and not be in love with them, and I think that was a really valuable lesson." She continued, "We weren't ready to get married, but it definitely doesn't mean we don't care about each other."
James Lafferty
After dating Jon Foster, Bush reportedly found love on the set of "One Tree Hill" once again when she started dating her co-star James Lafferty. Although the pair didn't confirm their romance at the time, Bush's ex Chad Michael Murray seemingly revealed the couple's relationship without their permission.
According to Us Weekly, Murray gave an interview to a local CW news affiliate in 2008 in which he said, "We're just friends. And she's got James, and James and I are friends. It's just a little tight group in Wilmington."
While it's unclear how Lafferty and Bush felt about Murray seemingly revealing their secret relationship on television, the pair didn't date for all that long. Their romance lasted from sometime in 2008 until they reportedly split the following year. Still, it's clear that there was a lot of love on the "One Tree Hill" set back in the day.
Austin Nichols
Sophia Bush kept it in the "One Tree Hill" family when she dated actor Austin Nichols, who ended up playing her onscreen beau on the show. In fact, Nichols was apparently adamant that his character had a relationship with Bush's Brooke Davis. "When Mark [Schwahn, the show's creator] asked me to come back as a series regular I told him I only would if we could make a really powerful love story for Brooke and Julian," Nichols told examiner.com in 2009, as recounted by MTV News. He continued, "When Brooke and Julian, and Sophia and I, get together there's just a great chemistry that happens ... There's just this really great energy there when we work together." Clearly, Nichols was all-in on the relationship, both onscreen and off.
The pair reportedly dated on and off for about six years, before calling it quits in 2012. When they split, a source alleged to Us Weekly that Bush was the one to end the relationship because she apparently didn't see a future with Nichols. Notably, their split coincided with the final season of "One Tree Hill," meaning that they'd no longer be working together.
Dan Fredinburg
In April 2013, it was reported that Sophia Bush had been dating Google program manager Dan Fredinburg for several months. At the time, a source suggested to Us Weekly that Bush was ready to wed Fredinburg and that she loved his intelligence. However, Bush's romance with Fredinburg seemingly wasn't meant to be, and in August 2014 it was reported that the pair had split six months earlier. An Us Weekly source confirmed that the couple struggled to make their relationship work due to their hectic work schedules.
Sadly, tragedy struck in April 2015 when Fredinburg was killed during an avalanche on Mount Everest, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Bush paid tribute to her ex on Instagram, writing, "Today I find myself attempting to pick up the pieces of my heart that have broken into such tiny shards, I'll likely never find them all. Today I, and so many of my loved ones, lost an incredible friend. Dan Fredinburg was one-of-a-kind."
Jesse Lee Soffer
Sophia Bush reportedly met Jesse Lee Soffer while filming "Chicago P.D." in 2014, and the pair started dating that year. Sadly, by June 2015, it was reported that the romance was over for Bush and Soffer, with a source telling JustJared that they'd simply grown apart. However, in September of the same year, the two actors were photographed holding hands, leading fans to rejoice that they'd reunited.
Unfortunately, the reconciliation was short-lived, and little was heard about the pair after that. In 2018, it was reported that Soffer had moved on with another Chicago Universe actor, "Chicago Med" star Torrey DeVitto.
In 2012, Bush opened up about her love life to E! News and suggested that she falls in love easily. "I'm such a sucker for love and I believe in it and I always want it to win," she explained. "I don't think you can really, truly be the partner you want to be until you know on an absolute level that you are a complete person on your own."
Grant Hughes
News of Sophia Bush's relationship with Grant Hughes first broke in May 2020. A little more than a year later, Hughes proposed to Bush at Lake Como, Italy, in August 2021 and she said yes. Announcing the happy news on Instagram (which Us Weekly shared), Bush wrote, "So it turns out that being your favorite person's favorite person is the actual best feeling on planet Earth."
The pair wed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June 2022, and the nuptials apparently attracted a whole host of celebrities, including "The Bachelor" star Colton Underwood, actor Aaron Paul, and "One Tree Hill" alum Daneel Ackles and her husband Jensen Ackles.
Sadly, the marriage only lasted for one year. In August 2023, it was reported that Bush and Hughes had decided to divorce, and official documents listed their split as having occurred on June 27, 2023. At the time, a source told People that Bush and Hughes had been friends for a decade and that they would remain close following the split.
Ashlyn Harris
In October 2023, People reported that Sophia Bush was dating professional soccer star Ashlyn Harris. While Bush's split from husband Grant Hughes was announced in August 2023, Harris filed for divorce from her wife, fellow soccer player Ali Krieger, on September 19, 2023. Although Harris' divorce may seem particularly fresh, sources told People that she'd been living apart from her wife, with whom she shares two children, since the summer.
People's sources also revealed that Bush and Harris had been friends for a number of years before pursuing a romantic relationship, stating that their first date had reportedly occurred a few weeks before the news broke. The publication's sources also suggested that nothing scandalous had occurred between the pair prior to their respective marriage splits.
However, it's also worth noting that Bush and Harris did spend some time together over the summer, with the soccer player sharing a selfie with the actor in June while attending an event in Cannes. While speaking on a panel about women in sports together, Bush said of Harris, via a video shared by the Daily Mail, "We realized we had such a vibe and we became friends." She continued, "I was a fan and then this women told me she was a fan. I was, like, 'Oh, really?!'" Clearly, Bush and Harris have a strong connection, but only time will tell if their relationship is meant to be.