Sophia Bush Reveals Change She’d Make to One Tree Hill Storyline

Sophia Bush—who portrayed Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill—revealed what she would have changed about the show's final season, even as she praised the teen drama for its “beautiful” 2012 series finale.

By Will Reid Nov 19, 2025 8:43 PM
| Updated 1 hour ago
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Watch: Sophia Bush Reveals Change She’d Make to ‘One Tree Hill’ Storyline
There’s one hill Sophia Bush is prepared to die on.
 
During the conclusion of her One Tree Hill rewatch podcast Drama Queens, the actress—who portrayed Brooke Davis—admitted an aspect of the WB/CW drama’s final season which she would have omitted.
 
“I would have liked to have not had another run-in with Xavier,” she said of the character, played by Devin McGee, on the Nov. 5 edition of the podcast. “For why? For what?”
 
After attacking Sophia’s character and killing Quentin Fields (played by Robbie Jones) during the show’s sixth season, Xavier was sent to prison for his crimes, only to be released in season nine and eventually attack her again.
 
However, Sophia did note that she was otherwise “so happy” with the show’s conclusion, describing the series finale as being “like a present.”
 
“You hear people say in a negative way about TV sometimes, ‘At the end of every episode, they wrap it up in a bow—that's not real life,’” she continued. “But I actually think our show deserved an episode where we wrapped it up in a bow and made it beautiful.”
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Behind the scenes, Sophia might have tweaked one other aspect of her experience on the series, which aired from 2003 to 2012. She recently revealed her salary for her work was lower than several of her costars, largely due to her relative inexperience in the industry at the time the show debuted.
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“Once I paid 10 percent to my managers, 10 percent to my agents, 5 percent to my lawyers, a publicist fee, my taxes and the $3,000-a-month that my two-bedroom apartment in Wilmington cost me,” Sophia said during a Tech Futures panel in October, “I was taking home about $3,000 per episode.”
 
And while many actors on long-running series earn high residuals from reruns later on, Sophia explained why that hasn’t been the case for her.
 
“When we signed to do that wonderful show that we all loved... there was no streaming,” she noted. “Our show is syndicated on streaming, which means the studio that owns the show makes all the residuals and we don't.”
 
E! News previously reached out to Warner Bros. for comment but did not hear back.
Keep reading to see what Sophia and her costars have been up to since One Tree Hill’s series finale…

James Lafferty as Nathan Scott

Since the OTH finale in 2012, Lafferty has continued to work in both TV and film, appearing in shows like Crisis and Underground, and even directing episodes of E!'s The Royals, where he met star Alexandra Park. The two announced their engagement in September 2020 and tied the knot in May 2022.

Lafferty and fellow One Tree Hill costar Stephen Colletti later reunited to create and star in the comedy series Everyone Is Doing Great, which debuted on Hulu in 2021.

Hilarie Burton as Peyton Sawyer

Burton left One Tree Hill after the sixth season and went on to star in several TV movies and guest star in episodes of Castle, Grey's Anatomy, Hostages, Forever, and Lethal Weapon. She also had a recurring role on USA's White Collar. In 2009, Burton started dating The Walking Dead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who also guest starred on Grey's Anatomy). They were married in 2014 and have a son and a daughter. She is playing his character Negan's wife on The Walking Dead season 10.

Burton also appeared in quasi-One Tree Hill reunion TV movie The Christmas Contract in 2018. She remains friends with a few other OTH co-stars, and in 2018, they launched the Cape Fearless Challenge to support Wilmington, North Carolina, where the show was filmed, after it was affected by Hurricane Florence. 

Sophia Bush as Brooke Davis

After a turn on the short-lived comedy Partners, Bush joined NBC's One Chicago world as Erin Lindsay. She starred on Chicago P.D., but also made appearances on Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice, and Law & Order: SVU. She left Chicago P.D. in 2017. Bush also voiced a character in The Incredibles 2, and joined Grey's Anatomy in a recurring role in 2024.

In her personal life, Bush is happily in love with with girlfriened and soccer star Ashlyn Harris.

Chad Michael Murray as Lucas Scott

Murray has had a varied career since he left One Tree Hill after season six. He appeared in both A Madea Christmas and the acclaimed Fruitvale Station, and had roles in TV shows like Chosen, Texas Rising, and Sun Records. He played Chad Radwell's brother on Scream Queens, and starred in the beloved but short-lived Agent Carter on ABC. In 2018, he starred in the Hallmark movie Road to Christmas and appeared on Riverdale in 2019.

After a short marriage and divorce from costar Sophia Bush and a seven-year engagement to Kenzie Dalton, Murray married his Chosen costar Sarah Roemer in 2015. They have a son, born that year, and two daughters; one born in 2017, and another born in August 2023.

Bethany Joy Lenz as Haley James Scott

Since One Tree Hill ended in 2012, the actress and musician has appeared in several TV movies and episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Colony, American Gothic, CSI and Dexter

Lenz got a divorce from husband Michael Galeoti, with whom she shares one daughter, in 2012. She has also signed on to the Cape Fearless Challenge in support of Wilmington, North Carolina. 

Paul Johansson as Dan Scott

RIP-ish Dan Scott. Johanssson has continued working in the years since the show ended, appearing on Bones, Mad Men, Once Upon a Time, CSI and Beauty and the Beast as well as several movies and TV movies.

Lee Norris as Marvin "Mouth" McFadden

After leaving the role of Mouth behind in 2012, Norris went on to reprise his other iconic role: Minkus from Boy Meets World. He appeared several times in Girl Meets World with his own rather similar teenage son. Norris also made an appearance in Gone Girl and was in two episodes of The Walking Dead in 2017.

Antwon Tanner as Antwon "Skills" Taylor

Tanner's post-OTH roles include Get Shorty, Black Jesus, Rizzoli & Isles, The Carmichael Show, and Rosewood. He can also regularly be seen supporting and interacting with his former costars on social media. 

Craig Sheffer as Keith Scott

After his character was unceremoniously murdered by Dan in season three, Sheffer did appear in a few more episodes, but also went on to appear on Psych, Criminal MindsCSI and Major Crimes

Austin Nichols as Julian Baker

After his last appearance on One Tree Hill in the series finalen Nichols played Spencer on The Walking Dead, and then played Sam on Bates Motel. He also had roles on Ray Donovan and The Mob Doctor, but we'll never forget his 2001 turn in the Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen classic, Holiday in the Sun.

Danneel Ackles as Rachel Gatina

Formerly Danneel Harris before marrying Supernatural star Jensen Ackles, Ackles has appeared in a couple episodes of the fantasy drama, including the season 14 premiere. She also appeared in the OTH reunion movie, The Christmas Contract

Danneel left One Tree Hill in 2009 and was engaged to Jensen that same year. They were married in 2010 and have three children.

Barbara Alyn Woods as Deb Scott

Woods hasn't acted much since the end of One Tree Hill, though she did appear in two episodes of The Goldbergs, playing the mother of her real-life daughter, Natalie Alyn Lind. In fact, all three of Woods' daughters are actresses; Emily Alyn Lind played young Emily on Revenge, while Alyvia Alyn Lind had a long-running role on The Young and the Restless from 2011 to 2021.

Moira Kelly as Karen Roe

Since One Tree Hill, Lucas' mom has appeared in several TV movies and in episodes of shows like Numb3rs and Drop Dead Diva. She could also be seen in Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces as Donna Hayward, since she replaced Lara Flynn Boyle for the prequel, Fire Walk With Me.

Barry Corbin as Brian "Whitey" Durham

Corbin's long list of post-OTH acting credits includes Better Call Saul, Yellowstone and Tulsa King, as well as a turn on the big screen in Killers of the Flower Moon. He also appeared on Modern Family as a relative of Cam's, and he's in the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Stephen Colletti as Chase Adams

Colletti joined the show in season four, a couple years after his last appearance on Laguna Beach. He later appeared in a few episodes of Hit the Floor. In 2018, he appeared in the Lifetime movie Hometown Christmas. In 2021, he and former OTH co-star James Lafferty starred together in their own Hulu comedy series, Everyone Is Doing Great.

Jackson Brundage as Jamie Scott

Lil Jamie hasn't acted much since the end of One Tree Hill. He has done fan conventions with his castmates, but his most recent acting credit was a voice role in the animated series Harvey Beaks.

Shantel VanSanten as Quinn James

VanSanten joined the show in season seven and ended the show with her character happily married. In the years since, she starred in the short-lived The Messengers and had a memorable stint on The Flash.

Torrey DeVitto as Carrie

After appearing in the fifth and sixth seasons of One Tree Hill, DeVitto has had significant roles on The Vampire Diaries, Army Wives, Pretty Little Liars, Chicago PD and Chicago Med

Robert Buckley as Clay Evans

Buckley, who had a major role in The Christmas Contract, joined the show in season seven and stayed until the end. He then starred in the short-lived 666 Park Avenue before moving on to star in The CW's iZombie as Major Lilywhite. Buckley married actress Jenny Wade in May 2018, and the couple have two children.

Tyler Hilton as Chris Keller

The singer had a recurring role on the show from seasons two through four, then returned as a regular in season nine. He went on to star in CBS' Extant and appeared for a musical performance in The Christmas Contract

Jana Kramer as Alex Dupre

Kramer joined the show in 2009, but by the end, she cut back on her acting to focus on her country music career. She placed fourth on Dancing with the Stars in 2016. She shares two kids with ex-husband Mike Caussin and welcomed a baby boy with husband Allan Russell in November 2023.

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