Chad Michael Murray Says He 'Was a Baby' When He Married “One Tree Hill” Costar Sophia Bush

The costars starting dating in 2003, wed in 2005 and separated five months later

Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush fell in love both onscreen and off during the early days of One Tree Hill, but they look back at their marriage as the fleeting relationship that it was.

Murray, 42, and Bush, 41, met on the set of the teen drama and began dating in 2003. Two years later, they got married, before separating just five months later. Looking back on the marriage, Murray said, "I was a baby."

"I didn’t know up, down, left, right,” the actor told The Cut of his life at the time of the marriage, when the One Tree Hill cast's fame was reaching new heights. “You move out there and you go, ‘Well, what am I supposed to do now? Get married? That’s exciting!'"

The costars' divorce was finalized in December 2006, with Bush calling it "a difficult and unfortunate situation" in a statement to PEOPLE at the time.

Related: James Lafferty Goes Shirtless for New Campaign — and His Former One Tree Hill Castmates Hilariously React

In the nearly two decades since their separation, Murray and Bush have remained largely private about their past relationship, though Bush broke that silence in 2021 to discuss why she chooses to leave their relationship in the past.

On an episode of Michael Rosenbaum's podcast, Bush said it's "not a place where I harbor ill will or anything," but, rather, "it's not worth my time."

"Oh, I'm not going to talk about him. I'm not allowed to because I've tried to poke fun at being a dumb kid and whenever I've done that, it gets twisted into I'm talking s--- about somebody who I don't even know anymore, who's clearly a grown-up," she said, seemingly referring to when she told Andy Cohen in 2018 that the marriage was "not a thing I actually really wanted to do."

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In response, Murray said in a statement to PEOPLE that Bush's claims were "ludicrous," as he "would never marry for any reason but love."

"He has completely moved on and doesn't feel the need to engage in this type of behavior," the statement added.

Since their brief marriage, both Bush and Murray have gone on to wed other people. Murray has been with his wife, Sarah Roemer, since 2013, and the couple share a 9-year-old son, a 7-year-old daughter and a 9-month-old daughter.

Bush married Grant Hughes in June 2022 but filed for divorce from him just 13 months later, and has since begun a relationship with former soccer player Ashlyn Harris.

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One Tree Hill can be streamed in full on Hulu.

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