The OC stands out as one of the iconic teen dramas of the early 2000s.

Spanning four seasons from 2003 to 2007, the series delved into the opulent lives of Orange County’s affluent teenagers and the intriguing escapades of their parents.

A standout character was Julie Cooper, portrayed by Melinda Clarke. Julie was the scheming, ambitious mother of Mischa Barton’s Marissa Cooper, who famously climbed from humble beginnings in a trailer park to the heights of high society, all while married to Jimmy Cooper.

While many fans reminisce fondly about the show, a recent revelation left millennials in disbelief. It turns out Melinda Clarke was only 34 when she first appeared on the show, a fact that surprised many who assumed she was in her late 40s or 50s.

Instagram comedian Helen McPherson shared this tidbit online, igniting a wave of shocked reactions from fans. One comment humorously noted, “I need to schedule a botox appointment… I thought they were super hot in their late 40s or early 50s.”

Millennials have gone into meltdown after discovering The OC’s Julie Cooper’s true age (pictured in series one episode The Shower)

Melinda is pictured with Kelly Rowan, who played Kirsten Cohen, who also shocked fans when  they learned she was only 36 

Instgram comedian Helen McPherson took to the site to reveal the shocking news, sparking a slew of comments from fans including: ‘ I need to go book a botox appointment… I thought they were like super hot later 40s early 50s’

Julie Cooper was one of the leading characters on the show, having moved herself from a sketchy upbringing in Riverside to moving to Newport when she fell pregnant with Marissa aged 18 and then having Kaitlin four years later. 

Further shock came in regard to Kirsten Cohen, played by Kelly Rowen, who was just 36 when series one was aired. 

Helen said: ‘I was thinking how old looking back did I think Julie Cooper was. I mean beautiful, stunning. I thought she was like a really glam late 40s, early 50s with work…

‘But you are now older than Julie Cooper and Kirsten Cohen. So, like Googled it. Julie Cooper was 35 [sic] and Kirsten Cohen was 36 in season one. 

Followers soon flooded the comments section to write: ‘I just turned 35 on Sunday and I cannot belive I am Julie cooper!!! I also thought they were like super hot later 40s early 50s… I beg your pardon… refuse to believe this… 

‘Refuse to believe this… na no way. this is worse than being older than marv in home alone… Homer Simpson was 34 in Season 1… Whaaaaat! I literally thought they were like 50!… Nah that’s so wrong, they would have been actual teenage mums!…

‘I’m a year younger than you and I’ve just started watching the OC with my 11 year old. Rewatching it I still thought they were mid fourties…

Running from 2003 to 2007 over four seasons, the show followed the glamorous lives of the privileged teens of Orange County as well as their parents’ antics (L-R Adam Brody as Seth Cohen, Rachel Bilson as Summer Roberts, Benjamin McKenzie as Ryan Atwood, Mischa Barton as Marissa Cooper, Peter Gallagher as Sandy Cohen, Kelly Rowan as Kirsten Cohen, Alan Dale as Caleb Nichol, Tate Donovan as Jimmy Cooper and Melinda as Julie)

Fans were left aghast over the news of her age in the series 

‘I need to go book a botox appointment… their styling made them look so old though. especially in hindsight, but even then!… ‘That would be highly inappropriate for my age’ is how I feel about most of adulthood so far (I’m a reluctant 35)… 

‘This needs to come with a trigger warning… I actually feel depressed now as a newly turned 38 year old.’

While the visuals shocked some, true fans pointed out that the storyline followed that Julie was in fact a teen mom, so her age made sense in line with the series. 

Pedantic commenters wrote: ‘Julie was 17 when she had Marissa so yeah she was 34 in season one… If you watched it religiously, how did you miss the multiple references to Julie getting pregnant at 18 and Kirsten right out of college… 

‘Also didn’t Julie have Marissa when she was 18 which is either a plot point mistake (bc isn’t she the same age as jimmy and Kirsten too??) or they all had kids young?’

Melinda is pictured (left) in series one of the show aged 34 and (right) aged 46

In 2021, Melinda reflected on her iconic character, saying: ‘Julie started as this very superficial woman, but ultimately, we find that she’s not one-dimensional…

‘She’s a human being on a journey of discovery, which takes her through so many different aspects of what’s important in life. When she loses a child, we really do end up seeing the humanity in her. The character was super rewarding.’

When asked if people see her like Julie, she said: ‘Maybe! Hopefully, the reaction that we’re getting from the show is that I’m nothing like her. But I do have to say that the wonderful gift about this show, more than anything I’ve done in the past.

‘I’ve played a dominatrix, and a lot of sci-fi type characters — [is that] Julie’s sense of humor is a lot of Mindy. I’m not motivated by that kind of world, I like simple things in life. I’m much too lazy to be Julie Cooper. She gets up at 5 in the morning.’