Entertainment
Looking back at the series, the parents on The O.C. were pretty dysfunctional, to say the least. While Sandy Cohen could easily win a Father of the Year award, Kirsten and Julie Cooper weren’t always the most responsible moms. But Julie Cooper (played by Melinda Clarke) will always go down in TV history as one of the most notorious “bad moms,” with plenty of shocking moments that made fans want to keep watching, even during the show's less popular seasons.
For any true O.C. fan, it’s impossible to forget all of Julie’s wildest decisions, from having an affair with her daughter Marissa’s teenage ex-boyfriend Luke, to trying to frame Ryan for attempted murder so Marissa could return to her lavish lifestyle scot-free.
Julie does end up changing for the better by the end of the series, trying to create a more stable life for her youngest daughter, Kaitlin. But some of The O.C.’s most entertaining moments revolve around Julie’s rash decisions and mishaps, as they bring chaos into the lives of the Cohens-Nichols, as well as Marissa, and her first ex-husband Jimmy Cooper. Let's face it, though: their lives and the show would've probably been so mundane without her.
Here’s a look back at Julie’s most shocking moments from The O.C. that’ll make you want to re-watch the series immediately.
1
When She Had An Affair With Marissa's Ex-Boyfriend Luke
Julie Cooper did plenty of shocking things to merit her "bad mom" reputation, but one of her wildest was having an affair with Luke (who was a teen at the time!) while she was with Caleb.
2
When She Had A Catfight With Hailey At Her Own Bachelorette Party
Julie's tempted to sleep with a stripper, but decides to stay loyal to Caleb for the time being. But as soon as she finds out the stripper is friends with Hailey, all hell breaks loose.
3
When She Became CEO Of Newport Living With Zero Experience
Julie goes from being a housewife to becoming CEO of Caleb's magazine with absolutely no experience in publishing, showing how she was the ultimate expert at scamming her way to the top.
4
When Her Amateur Porn Star Past Was Revealed
When Julie was trying to work her way to the top, she starred in an explicit video that ends up being shown to the most powerful people in Newport once she's blackmailed by her ex.
5
When She Meddled Her Way Through Pushing Away Lindsay
After Caleb finds out he has a teenage daughter named Lindsay, Julie feels threatened and believes Caleb's inheritance will be passed on to Lindsay instead of her, doing everything she can to push Lindsay away.
6
When She Almost Killed Caleb Right Before He Died
Julie had plenty of dark moments, but one of the most messed up, shocking ones was when she almost killed Caleb by trying to get him to overdose.
7
When She Tried To Frame Ryan For Attempted Murder
Another of her darkest moments was when she offered Trey $20,000 to say that Ryan shot him, so Marissa could be deemed innocent. Luckily, though Trey accepts, it doesn't work out for Julie.
8
When She Tried To Get Ryan To Kill Volchok
Julie wasn't the best mom, but it's clear she deeply cared about Marissa. But unfortunately, she didn't quite know how to handle her grief in a healthy way, and tried to convince Ryan to risk everything and kill Volchok.
9
When She Turned New Match Into A Brothel
Julie and Kirsten joined forces to create a matchmaking company, but Julie decided to turn it into a nefarious business by actually using it to connect sex workers with clients, putting them at risk of losing their business.
If you want to revisit these wild Julie moments and more, it's time to marathon The O.C. again.
