⁠Rachel Bilson's TMI on the Women On Top Podcast reportedly got her fired from a job in 2023

Rachel Bilson has opened up about her comments in a podcast interview that cost her a job.

The O.C. alum recalled how, in 2023, she lost out on an acting gig after she got candid about her intimate life during an appearance on the Women On Top podcast. In retrospect, however, she said her comments weren't so outrageous.

During her recent appearance on Nicole Byer’s Why Won’t Date Me podcast, the actress said of her past comments:

“You’re talking like, basically with girlfriends and you’re joking around, and I said something like, ‘I like to be manhandled.’”

According to the 44-year-old, several people were able to relate to her, including the mother of her Bright Ideas podcast cohost, Olivia Allen.

"Olivia [Allen], who cohosts Bright Ideas with me, her mom's like 83. She was like, 'I like to be manhandled!' You know? Like everyone could relate," she said.

Rachel Bilson stands by her 2023 comments, says she didn't say anything "inappropriate": Read more

During the segment, Rachel Bilson surmised that it was her use of the phrase "manhandled" that could have landed her in hot water:

"But because I used that word in whatever context, they just took that out of the conversation. It didn't sound great. But I think it was a very conservative company so they weren't comfortable talking about s*x at all, in general," she said. "We were joking around!"

She also said that she initially wanted to challenge the decision, but she understood the other side as well:

"Did I want to fight it? Absolutely," Rachel Bilson said. "Look, I can see both sides. When you take something out of context and you read something as a standalone comment, it can come off a certain way, sure."

Since then, she has learned to think before she speaks, she said:

“Maybe don’t get so comfortable like you are with your girlfriends — or maybe do and talk about that itself. But I definitely felt myself filtering a little bit after that,” Bilson continued. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, if I say this am I gonna lose this job? Am I gonna be judged? Shamed?’ Whatever it may be.”

Following her 2023 podcast commentary, Bilson opened up on her Broad Ideas podcast about getting sacked, as reported by Entertainment Weekly:

"This is the first time it's ever happened to me in my professional life … I lost a job this week because of things that were said and then spun in the press," she said at the time. "A job got taken away from me because I was speaking candidly and openly about s*x in a humorous way."

Rachel Bilson, who shares daughter Briar Rose, 10, with her ex, Hayden Christensen, reiterated that while she had no regrets about her comments, losing out on the gig did affect her:

"I cried," she shared. "I'm a single mom like I need these jobs ... everything counts. You know, I provide a lot for my family — my daughter — and regardless of anything else, it all matters."

She also admitted that while the outcome "sucks" and she could have delivered her words differently, she didn't think she said anything wrong:

"I haven't said anything inappropriate," Rachel Bilson said. "Choice of language, if I could go back, now knowing I lost a job, maybe I would say it differently. But I still wouldn't not say it."

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