If you spent any part of the mid-2000s in front of a TV, you probably have a strong opinion about who Lucas Scott should have ended up with. Team Peyton? Team Brooke? It was the debate of a generation. But while the brooding basketball player’s love life kept One Tree Hill fans in a chokehold for years, the reality for the man behind the leather jacket, Chad Michael Murray, looks a whole lot different.
The short answer? He’s happily married to actress Sarah Roemer, and they’ve been together for over a decade.
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But because this is Hollywood, the path to "happily ever after" wasn’t exactly a straight line. It involved a high-profile marriage to a co-star that lasted less time than a single season of television, a seven-year engagement that never saw an altar, and a secret wedding that caught everyone off guard.
The One Tree Hill Wedding That Actually Happened
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. For a brief, chaotic window in 2005, the line between Tree Hill and reality completely vanished.
Chad Michael Murray married Sophia Bush (who played the iconic Brooke Davis) on April 16, 2005. They met on the set of One Tree Hill in 2003, and their chemistry was so undeniable that they didn't just date; they became the ultimate "it" couple. They tied the knot in a romantic ceremony at the Hotel Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica.
It felt like a fairytale for fans. Until it wasn't.
Five months. That’s how long the marriage lasted before they announced their separation in September 2005. Sophia Bush later filed for an annulment citing "fraud," though they eventually settled for a standard divorce which was finalized in December 2006.
Honestly, the messiest part wasn't even the breakup—it was the fact that they had to keep working together as love interests on a hit TV show for years afterward. Imagine having to film a "grand romantic gesture" scene with your ex-husband while the tabloids are speculating about cheating rumors involving Paris Hilton on the set of House of Wax. Talk about an awkward day at the office.
The Long Engagement With Kenzie Dalton
After the whirlwind with Sophia, Chad seemed to take a different approach. He didn't rush back into marriage. Instead, he got engaged to Kenzie Dalton, who was actually an extra on One Tree Hill (she played a cheerleader).
They stayed engaged for seven years. Seven.
People kept waiting for the wedding announcement, but it just never came. In 2013, they quietly went their separate ways. It was a long chapter that ultimately didn't end in a "who did Lucas Scott marry in real life" answer, but it definitely showed Chad was moving away from the high-drama public romances that defined his early twenties.
Who is Chad Michael Murray's Wife Today?
Enter Sarah Roemer. If she looks familiar, it’s probably because you remember her starring opposite Shia LaBeouf in the 2007 thriller Disturbia.
Chad and Sarah met in 2013 on the set of the action series Chosen. This time, things were different. They kept the relationship incredibly low-key, avoiding the paparazzi-heavy spots in LA and focusing on their shared interests.
The Secret Wedding and Growing Family
In early 2015, the world found out two things at once:
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- Chad Michael Murray and Sarah Roemer had secretly married in September 2014.
- They were expecting their first child.
Unlike his first marriage, which was a massive public spectacle, Chad kept this one for himself. He told E! News at the time, "I’m a romantic. I’m a family guy. I want that core... That’s the part I keep for myself."
As of 2026, the couple is still going strong. They celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in September 2024, with Chad posting a tribute on Instagram calling it the "best decade" of his life.
They now have three children:
- A son, born in May 2015.
- A daughter, born in March 2017.
- Another daughter, who arrived in August 2023.
They are notoriously private about their kids, often blurring their faces in photos or showing them from the back. It’s a stark contrast to the "living in a fishbowl" vibe of the One Tree Hill era.
Why the Confusion Persists
A lot of people still search for "who did Lucas Scott marry in real life" because the show’s legacy is so strong. There’s a weird psychological phenomenon where we want the actors to be their characters.
Because Lucas married Peyton Sawyer (played by Hilarie Burton) on the show, fans often wonder if they were a thing off-camera. They weren't. Hilarie Burton has been with actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan (the guy from The Walking Dead and Grey's Anatomy) since 2009. They are basically the "cool parents" of the indie-acting world, living on a farm in upstate New York.
So, while Lucas and Peyton are off in their fictional TV universe raising their daughter Sawyer, Chad and Sarah are busy being a real-life power couple in the 2020s.
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The Bottom Line for Fans
If you’re looking for the TL;DR on Chad Michael Murray’s marital history, here’s the breakdown:
- Sophia Bush: Married 2005, Divorced 2006. (The "Too Young" Marriage)
- Kenzie Dalton: Engaged for 7 years, never married. (The "Long Transition")
- Sarah Roemer: Married 2014–Present. (The "Real Deal")
It’s actually kinda sweet to see the guy who played the world's most "tortured soulful teen" grow up into a self-described "family man" who stays out of the drama. He’s traded the basketball courts of Tree Hill for a minivan and three kids, and honestly, it seems to suit him way better.
If you're revisiting the show and want to keep the nostalgia alive, you can follow Chad and Sarah on social media, where they occasionally share glimpses of their travels and their "wolf pack" (his nickname for the family). Just don't expect any Brooke or Peyton drama—those days are long gone.
To get the most out of your One Tree Hill nostalgia, you can check out the Drama Queens podcast hosted by Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, and Bethany Joy Lenz. While Chad hasn't been a permanent fixture there, the behind-the-scenes stories they share about the filming years offer a lot of context on why those real-life relationships were so complicated at the time.