Rachel Bilson Reveals She Was Fired Because Of Sex
Rachel Bilson says she lost an acting gig because she opened up about sex on a podcast.
Rachel Bilson is most known for playing Millie in the 2008 action-adventure film Jumper and Summer Roberts in Fox’s The O.C., and, even though the actress has not been very active on film or TV for the past couple of years, she has found herself the subject of controversial media headlines due to a comment she made while speaking candidly on a podcast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bilson was a guest on the Women on Top podcast, and because she spoke openly about sex in the episode, she was fired from an endorsement job she had already booked.
During a recent episode of her own podcast, Broad Ideas, Bilson opened up about the rollercoaster week she’s had, revealing that this was the first time in her professional career that she has experienced the unfortunate blow of losing a job.
Talking about the fact that she lost a job due to candid comments about the human experience, Rachel Bilson expressed her astonishment at the unnamed company’s decision to let her go, particularly in this day and age when one would hope for more openness and acceptance. As a single mother and a woman, Bilson feels that she was unfairly penalized for being honest and forthright about a topic as natural as sex, leaving spectators to wonder if the same outcome would have happened had she been a man openly speaking about the same topic.
The comments in question were made during an interview on the Women On Top podcast, where Rachel Bilson engaged in a conversation about her preferences in the bedroom, including her fondness for being “manhandled.” However, she later clarified that her remark was meant to be playful and not intended to be taken so seriously. After her quote took over media headlines, Bilson said she was never offered the opportunity to defend herself or provide context to her statements before being fired from her job.
However, even though Rachel Bilson’s employer didn’t want to hear her side of the story, luckily, Bilson has her own podcast where she can openly shed light on the fact that her words were cherry-picked and distorted, leading to a misleading representation of her intentions. During the episode, she lamented about how she wished she had a chance to address the issue directly, explaining that the brand she was affiliated with expressed discomfort with the headlines surrounding her interview. Feeling both discriminated against and shamed by this unnamed company she was set to endorse, Bilson emphasized her frustration and disappointment around the entire situation.
Though she chose not to disclose the specific job she lost, a representative for Rachel Bilson confirmed that it was an endorsement deal and that losing the job was a significant letdown for someone like Bilson, who relies on these opportunities to support herself and her daughter.
Growing up in a household where open discussions were encouraged, including those about sex, Rachel Bilson reflected on the irony of now finding herself in this unexpected predicament. She discussed how difficult it was to come to terms with the fact that everything was set in motion, only for it to abruptly fall apart, and said how she felt completely “floored.”
Nonetheless, Rachel Bilson stands firm in her conviction, asserting that her comments were not inappropriate. While she acknowledges that, in hindsight, she might have chosen her words more carefully given the outcome, she firmly maintains that she wouldn’t erase her honesty from the conversation.
