Rachel Bilson: From 2000s Nostalgia To Her Mom Era
Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari
Dear Media
4.2 • 3.3K Ratings
🗓️ 20 January 2026
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, I’m sitting down with one of my favorites, Rachel Bilson, for a fun, honest, girl chat. From growing up in L.A. and sneaking into Hollywood clubs as a teenager to getting into trouble, Rachel shares how she somehow managed to stay grounded through it all. She talks about getting the partying out of her system early — long before the job that turned her into an early-2000s icon.
We dive into that whole era of fame, including the harder parts: the public relationships, the headlines, and how they’ve made her censor herself today. Rachel opens up about dating now and what she’s genuinely looking for — including whether marriage or more kids are still on the table.
We break down co-parenting, her relationship patterns, and the surprising peace that comes from being completely content on your own. Rachel also shares the mindset she wishes she’d had in her 20s (and what she hopes younger women hear today).
Plus, Rachel on Broadway, Dancing With the Stars, and the mom conversations we all have: wanting our kids to actually come to us in high school, and why she’s holding off on giving her daughter a phone for as long as possible.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The following podcast is a dear media production. |
| 0:04.4 | This is Let's Be Honest with Kristen Cavalery, a podcast all about getting real and open on |
| 0:09.7 | everything from sex, relationships, reality TV, wellness, family, and so much more. |
| 0:15.7 | And just a fair warning, there will probably be some oversharing. |
| 0:40.9 | Welcome in, guys. Today is a fun one. It is one of my good friends, someone who I absolutely adore and who I know you all know in love. And it is Rachel Bilsen. Enjoy this episode. I'm so excited to see you. I know you. You are my absolute favorite. I love you so much. It's been too long. You were born and raised in L.A. I was. And so I think L.A. is its own world. It's really hard to be here, |
| 0:48.5 | especially grow up here. And then also being in the entertainment industry, I mean, that adds a whole other layer to it. Yeah. You somehow have remained normal and sane and cool. And so I want to know how the hell you've done that. I'm really happy that's like the outer persona because I lose my shit all the time. No, you know what I think it is? It's really funny because like all of my best friends are my best friend since I was like 13 years old. |
| 1:11.6 | You know, junior high, whatever. |
| 1:13.4 | We all grew up in the valley. |
| 1:14.8 | Yep. |
| 1:15.2 | And they're still my best friend. |
| 1:17.0 | I love that. |
| 1:17.6 | And it just, I don't know what it is. |
| 1:19.4 | Also, like being around L.A. growing up, all the things weren't like these crazy things that were like Hollywood and the glam and the whatever. |
| 1:28.3 | Like we were sneaking into clubs underage very early. |
| 1:32.0 | Like all the clubs in West Hollywood? |
| 1:34.0 | Of course. |
| 1:34.7 | How old were you when you started going to the clubs? |
| 1:36.4 | I mean, I want to say the first time I tried, I was probably like 15, but I looked way |
| 1:41.8 | too young, so I don't think it was successful. |
| 1:43.8 | But I feel like around 18 or |
| 1:44.9 | 19, I would have to borrow IDs and like going to the clubs. And it's just having that |
| 1:50.0 | experience before, then you start working and people might recognize you or whatever, but you've |
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