Adam Brody and Leighton Meester's 2 Kids: Everything They've Said About Their Daughter and Son

Mar. 15, 2025

Adam Brody and Leighton Meester arrive at Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema’s world premiere of “SHAZAM!” on March 28, 2019 in Hollywood, California.Photo:Morgan Lieberman/FilmMagic

Morgan Lieberman/FilmMagic

Adam BrodyandLeighton Meesterprefer to keep their kids out of the spotlight.

TheGossip Girlalum andNobody Wants Thisactor married in 2014. They share a daughter, Arlo, born in 2015, and a son, whose name has not been revealed, born in 2020.

In August 2018, before the birth of their son, Meester opened up about how she and Brody juggle work and parenthood.“I also think the nice thing about being an actor [is] you can work a lot, and when work is work, it’s, like, super intense and long hours and you might not see your family for a long period,” she toldEntertainment Tonight. “But then I’ll have, like, months off at a time, so I can really be home and spend time [with Arlo]. I prefer it that way.”

When it comes to maintaining that balance, Brody said that all potential projects are “run through each other.”

“We are each other’s managers, and we also have the same two agents… We are in each other’s s— in that way, and we even did a movie together a couple of years ago," he said during a September 2024 appearance on Dax Shepard’sArmchair Expertpodcast.

Though Meester and Brody have shared a few anecdotes about their daughter and son publicly, they tend to hide their kids from the spotlight for the most part. TheEXmasactress explained her decision to keep her family life separate from her career while speaking withRefinery29in March 2017.

“I am very proud of that area of my life,” she said of being a parent. “But I’m also really proud of the show, and the work I do. I think the perception is: You’re an ingenue, or you’re an icon, or you’re a mom. There’s no in between.”

From secretly welcoming their daughter to becoming a family of four with the arrival of their son, here’s everything to know about Leighton Meester and Adam Brody’s two children.

Adam Brody and Leighton Meester at the premiere of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” on March 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty

Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty

TheCountry Strongactress did, however, seemingly hint at her and Brody’s future as parents while speaking withNylonin late 2014.

“Most people I know are starting to get married. It’ll be kids next,” the formerGossip Girlstartold the magazine. “I like the grown-up stuff. I like having a house. I’ve got dogs.”

Meester says being a mom is the “hardest job in the world”

While the couple keeps their family private and haven’t shared photos of their daughter, Meester has opened up about becoming a mom.

“I feel that I am really lucky, and yet, still, I stepped into the hardest job in the world: being a mom,” the actress toldShapein March 2019.

She later added, “One thing I have come to learn as a parent is that you have to step back and let your child struggle a little-let them fall down at the playground. It’s the way they’re going to learn.”

Arlo isn’t afraid to share her thoughts on her parent’s work

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody on ‘Single Parents’.Scott Everett White/Getty

Scott Everett White/Getty

In May 2020, Meester shared her daughter’s strong opinions on her and Brody working together on the ABC seriesSingle Parents. “Our daughter was like, ‘You’ve been at work for so long.’ It’s like, I’ve been here for one day,” she toldET. “She’s like, ‘Both of you guys can’t work at the same time.’ "

Meester’s own difficult childhood has influenced her parenting

Leighton Meester attends the Bosideng show during Milan Fashion Week on September 24, 2023.Dave Benett/Getty

Dave Benett/Getty

Meester has also opened up about how struggling with poverty in her own childhood has impacted the way she raises her daughter.

​"We live in such a bubble,” she toldE! Newsin August 2023. “And we obviously are really happy and grateful to give her everything that we never had growing up. But we also want her to understand that not everyone grows up like that.”

TheSingle Parentsactress shared that she would be bringing Arlo along for her upcoming volunteer work with hunger relief nonprofit Feeding America. “I think it’s just all about setting an example,” she said. “When we sit around the table, we always talk about what we’re grateful for and what the best part of our day was and just give thanks to our food.”

She continued, “And so she knows sort of in a child-friendly way, that there are different ways that people are growing up. So I hope that she can take that in, but mostly just to be grateful for everything that she has.”

Adam Brody and Leighton Meester attend the after party for the premiere pf Crackle’s “Startup” on August 23, 2016.Todd Williamson/Getty

Todd Williamson/Getty

The actor also said that being quarantined during Meester’s pregnancy had some “benefits” for the couple. “You’ve gotten to be in a cocoon. The world outside is scary for the moment and also thrilling and hopeful,” he explained.

Arlo loves being a big sister

Adam Brody and Leighton Meester attend FX’s “Fleishman is in Trouble” New York premiere on November 07, 2022.Noam Galai/Getty

Noam Galai/Getty

While speaking with PEOPLE,The O.C.alum shared that Arlo is “very excited” and “very happy” to be an older sibling. Their son’s arrival also had the added bonus of giving Brody and Arlo extra time to bond.

“With my wife certainly preoccupied more than usual these last six months, I’ve evengotten to spend extra time with [Arlo],” he told PEOPLE. “It’s been magical, and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

During an interview withWSJ. Magazinea few months later, the actor elaborated on how he and his daughter spent their quality time during the pandemic.

“Go Fish was big for a while. We’ve stepped it up to Monopoly Junior. A little piano, a little karaoke,” he explained. “[Our daughter] has flirted with wanting to learn to ride a bike without training wheels and then kind of backs away when it gets real. And then a lot of walks through the neighborhood.”

Meester struggles with being away from her kids while working

Leighton Meester attends Calzedomania - A Legs Celebration Event on September 19, 2023 in Milan, Italy.Daniele Venturelli/Getty

Daniele Venturelli/Getty

Being a mom has helped Meester relate to her characters

Meester has also been able to apply herexperience as a motherto her acting roles. In 2022, she toldCosmopolitan UKthat she related to her character Beth in the Netflix thrillerA Weekend Away.

“But she’s not with her kid,” Meester said of her character. “That would drive me mad. I would be devastated to be in a situation like that and be thousands of miles away from my kid.”

Meester describes motherhood as an “emotional journey”

Adam Brody and Leighton Meester attend the LA Screening Of Fox Searchlight’s “Ready Or Not” on August 19, 2019 in Culver City, California.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Meester has also shared thather parenting journeyhas “made me reflect on my own upbringing and childhood.”

“It’s all just so intimate and private,” she told PEOPLE in August 2023. “It’s something that I could never put into words, really. It’s such an emotional journey to have children, and it certainly has made me reflect on my own upbringing and childhood.”

She continued, “Having children, I want to give them all that we never had when we were growing up, but also to be candid and open about how grateful we should be for everything that we have.”

source: people.com