The Tragedy Of Marshals Star Arielle Kebbel Is So Sad

Arielle Kebbel will forever be a 2000s screen queen in our eyes, and she's gone on to work very consistently in the time since her days in "John Tucker Must Die," and "Gilmore Girls." Unfortunately, she's also weathered some serious tragedy over the years — but rather than keep it to herself, she's opened up about it from time to time.

We'll start with some sad career details, because even though it's incredibly impressive that Arielle has been in so many productions throughout her career, she's also admitted that a lot of that is directly linked to her financial anxieties. As she explained in a 2026 interview with "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe," "That is a deep-rooted fear in me that I have. It's even reflected in some of my work choices ... I can definitely tell you pivotal moments in my career where, like, my agent or manager would say to me, 'You don't need to do this job. Hold out for the next.' And I was like, 'You don't understand, I have to.'" Arielle went on to explain, "It was exhausting ... It didn't matter that I was on 'Gilmore Girls.' It didn't matter that I was about to do a movie. It didn't matter ... it was like, I have to fill every moment of my time with some sort of work, whether it's acting or not, to know that I am safe and taken care of."

As for where her fears over money came from, Arielle recalled having seen her parents experience financial ups and downs as a kid. All of that culminated in her unwillingness to give up her side hustles such as nannying or cocktail waitressing even as an established actor, and she recalled breaking down once when her manager asked her if she even wanted to commit to her craft. 

Arielle Kebbel shared on "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" that with time, she eventually learned to slow down and not take every gig that came her way, and pointed out that she'd also stopped being as much of a people pleaser with age. However, that wasn't the only positive that came with time. 

In an interview on "I've Never Said This Before with Tommy Didario," Arielle admitted that for most of her life, she wouldn't allow herself to feel all her feelings. Much of that, she explained, stemmed from years of competing in horse shows even before she'd gone into acting. "I wanted to win and, you know, I was incredibly competitive, and there's a lot of discipline that comes with that, and so ... I learned to compartmentalize," she explained. That wasn't always a bad thing, Arielle added, noting that being able to keep her emotions at bay had helped her build a successful acting career. That said, she shared that that wasn't exclusive to her professional life, and that even in her real day-to-day, "For a very long time, I was like ... 'Don't feel certain things.' Tough, tough, tough." 

One particularly heartbreaking admission Arielle made was that the emotions she was avoiding weren't always the sad ones, either. Speaking again to her anxieties, she recalled, "There was a time, too, where it was really scary for me to be excited because I felt I was very attached to, like, if something good is happening, does that mean something bad's going to happen ... next." As such, she shared, "For a long time ... it felt safer cruising." Thankfully, she shared that that had changed, and Arielle told Didario, "The biggest thing I'm leaning into is just, what's the point if you don't feel it all?"

Sticking with what Arielle Kebbel told Tommy Didario about suppressing her emotions for so many years, the 90210 cast member has also spoken a lot about taking a long time to get really honest with herself. 

On "I've Never Said This Before," she admitted that much of her newfound self-honesty came from reaching a point where, "You just go, I can't afford not to be anymore." Likewise, on "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe," Arielle said of her previously untold self-truths, "I don't think I was ever really able to be that honest with myself until now." As for what exactly had prompted the change, she alluded to a difficult breakup having something to do with it, and admitted that she had been single for a while. However, she also shared that turning 40 had brought about a ton of new feelings and she felt as though she was finally able to be the most authentic version of herself. "All of a sudden I turned 40 and was like, I don't know what's happening in me, but there is a deep pull to truth that I can't deny, and I also can't, like, play pretend with anymore," she said. 

All that said, Arielle also told Bristowe her newfound radical self-honesty wasn't always sunshine and roses, and she admitted, "I'm in a place of like, really leaning into my own life choices. I feel like, probably, for the first time in my life ... in this raw way. Like, raw ... yes, the feel-good moments, but, like, 'Woah, wasn't really ready.'" A tough journey, no doubt, but it's great to hear Arielle is finally ready to embrace all the ups and downs of life. 

Switching gears from Arielle Kebbel's internal journey to a traumatic moment she experienced as a child, fans of "9-1-1" may know that the star actually had a very personal connection to the show. As she shared in an interview with TV Insider in early 2025, "Taking on the show, I had a big fear of fire. Half my house burned down when I was a child, and I remember I was screaming for 9-1-1."

Speaking to New York Post about the horrific experience, Arielle recounted, "I watched my mom carry my brother out of the house; my sister and I grabbed the animals. I have vivid memories of the smells of it, and the sound of the ambulance." Understandably, the fire left a very big impact on the young actor, and she shared that her family was initially concerned when she told them she'd been cast for "9-1-1." "My family's response was, 'How do you feel about that?' Because everyone knows that fire is hard for me," she said. However, she shared that in some ways, it was cathartic. "I felt like it was time to literally walk into the fire and face it," she said. Arielle wasn't exaggerating when she said "Literally," though. She went on to tell New York Post that she had to do stunts with actual fire, and  and called the first of those, "A big moment for me, emotionally and physically."

There was also another thing that made working on "9-1-1" so impactful for Arielle. As she'd told TV Insider, "I've always had such a respect — firefighters for me have been heroes since I was 5-years-old, and so to be able to play one was so important to me." From tragedy to tribute, talk about a full-circle moment. 

Another incredibly tragic moment in Arielle Kebbel's life came in 2018, when the actor's sister went missing. Arielle used her platform to ask for help a few days after she was last seen. "ALERT. My SiSTER JULIA KEBBEL is MISSING," she wrote in the caption of a since-deleted Instagram post (via 5NBC DFW). The actor also appealed for anyone who knew anything or who might come across Julia or her dog, Cindy, to DM her. 

Thankfully, Julia was found less than two weeks later, and Arielle shared the happy news in another since-taken down Instagram post. "It is with great joy and relief that I share the wonderful news that my sister, Julia, and her dog, Cindy, have been found safe," Arielle wrote. "While we do ask for privacy at this time, my family and I want to thank everyone for all of your love and support over the past two weeks," the star, who was promoting her film "Fifty Shades Freed" at the time, shared (via E! News). 

A month after she was found, Julia opened up about the circumstances of her disappearance in an Instagram post shared by her famous sister. "I have bipolar disorder and suffered a severe episode at the end of January, 2018. It led to me experiencing a psychotic break from reality, during which time, I went missing with my dog, Cindy," she wrote (via E! News). Julia added that she had been extremely touched by the kind strangers who had helped find her, as well as her friends and family, and that she was receiving treatment. 

Several months after her sister was found and entered treatment for her bipolar disorder, Arielle Kebbel was asked about the situation at the 2018 Women Making History Awards. Being asked to open up about such a difficult situation had to have been tough in itself, though the actor didn't shy away from the questions. 

Asked how she and the rest of her family were feeling, Arielle admitted, "We're still healing. I think it'll take a while." That said, she added, "We're all doing our best to be vocal about it and to support one another, and I think that's the most important thing" (via Us Weekly). Arielle also shouted out Julia Kebbel's efforts to break stigmas about mental health on Instagram. "This month, September, is Suicide Prevention Month. She's really speaking out about that. As her sister, I'm just so proud of the fact that she's turning something that was so scary into something so positive," Arielle gushed. 

Julia's commitment to highlighting mental health certainly is impressive, and it bears mentioning that she and Arielle are incredibly close. In fact, Julia regularly shares snapshots of them together to Instagram, shouting Arielle out for being a great sister and sharing glimpses into their hangouts. It seems fairly safe to say, then, that even though Arielle has been through a lot, she also has a ton of joy in her life. We can't wait to see what's next for the star, in "Marshals" and beyond.