‘The O.C.’ alum Mischa Barton reunites with TV parents Melinda Clarke, Tate Donovan: 'Cooper family reunion'
'The O.C.' aired from 2003 through 2007
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The original Cooper family sans Shailene Woodley's character of Kaitlin Cooper have publicly reunited and have transported fans back to the early 2000s.
Tate Donovan (Jimmy Cooper), Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper) and Mischa Barton (Marissa Cooper) all caught up in Charleston, South Carolina, with Clarke posting, "SO THIS HAPPENED! Cooper family reunion!" to her Instagram.
A far cry from where the show took place, Orange County, California — more specifically Newport Beach — the three stars have not been publicly spotted together since the show wrapped in 2007. Barton's character also did not make it into the fourth and final season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The precursor to shows like "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills," "The O.C." was a success on FOX, and had a whopping 27 episode-first season.
Barton, who was the youngest cast member at the time the show premiered at 17, has been critical of the show in the past.
Just last year, she claimed she had been bullied on the set of the show, which ultimately led to her decision to leave the hit-show.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Melinda Clarke, pictured with her TV-husband, Tate Donovan and TV-frenemy Kelly Rowan of "The OC" pose backstage at VH1's Big In 2003 Awards. (Frank Micelotta)
'THE OC' ALUM RACHEL BILSON MARKS 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHOW WITH EPIC THROWBACK PICTURE
However, following the reunion, Barton shared a photo of her alongside Clarke and Donovan, saying, "It was truly great to catch up with mom & dad." Also in the picture were "Gossip Girl" stars Jessica Szohr and Chace Crawford. "Gossip Girl" was produced by the same duo that did "The O.C."
Mischa Barton wrote on her Instagram story, which also featured "Gossip Girl" actors Jessica Szohr and Chace Crawford, that "it was truly great to catch up with mom & dad," referencing Melinda Clarke and Tate Donovan. (Instagram)
Donovan for his part has also been critical, but more so of the youngsters that led the production. In addition to Barton, "The O.C." starred Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody and Benjamin McKenzie, as the "core four," or lead characters.
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Melinda Clarke and Mischa Barton played mother and daughter on "The O.C." (Gregg DeGuire)
In March of 2021, Clarke and Bilson teamed up to start a new podcast titled "Welcome to The OC Bitches," which has the two women revisit each episode of the show that made them both household names.
In an episode of their podcast that featured Donovan, Bilson apologized to him for her behavior on set.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Donovan clarified on the podcast that Bilson was a "total sweetheart."
While Donovan has appeared on Clarke and Bilson's podcast, Barton has yet to make an appearance. It would certainly generate a lot of buzz, similar to Clarke's shared Instagram photo of the trio.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One fan wrote, "THIS SAVED MY ENTIRE YEAR!!!!!"
Another commented, "Going to break the internet with this one."