Chad Michael Murray says being humbled likely saved him from 'destroying' himself

People reports that Chad Michael Murray said on Pat Spinosa's Like A Farmer podcast on Jan. 7 that being "humbled a bit" after his early 2000s fame likely prevented him from "destroying" himself.

On the episode, host Pat Spinosa called him "that guy," citing roles in Gossip Girl, Dawson's Creek, A Cinderella Story and One Tree Hill. Murray, 44, said he moved to Los Angeles in 1999, was signed with Warner Bros by January 2000 and was cast in Gilmore Girls months later. He added he would not change his past because he would not have his wife, Sarah Roemer, and their three children, and because he "probably wouldn't have refound the Lord" or be as grateful to go to work daily.

Murray said he "learned more from what I screwed up" than from nonstop success and that continued winning might have led to self-destruction; he also said he was glad "there were no camera phones around." After leaving One Tree Hill in 2009 his career slowed, he previously told Interview, and while he stepped back in the 2010s he has appeared recently in two Netflix films in 2024, Mother of the Bride and The Merry Gentlemen, reprised his Freaky Friday role in 2025's Freakier Friday and has been in Sullivan's Crossing since 2023.

Key Topics

Culture, Chad Michael Murray, Pat Spinosa, Like A Farmer, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls