Josh Schwartz Bio
Joshua Ian Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer best known for creating and executive producing The O.C. and for developing Gossip Girl, as well as for co-creating NBC’s Chuck. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, to toy-inventor parents, he began writing in school and quickly moved into Hollywood after selling his first screenplays while still a student at the University of Southern California. At age 26 he became the youngest ever creator of a TV show when The O.C. premiered in 2003. Schwartz has since developed and produced a string of television projects across The WB, The CW, NBC, and Marvel, including Runaways, shaping modern teen and superhero programming.
Early Life and Background
Schwartz was born in 1976 in Providence, Rhode Island, to Steve and Honey Schwartz. His parents were both toy inventors who worked at Hasbro, contributing to the development of toys such as Transformers and My Little Pony. They later started their own company. Schwartz grew up on the east side of Providence with a younger brother Danny and a younger sister Katie.
Schwartz always had ambitions of being a writer since early childhood. When he was seven years old, he won an essay-writing contest at summer camp for a review of the movie Gremlins. His opening line was “Spielberg has done it again” and it stood out among the other submissions.
He attended Providence’s private Wheeler School, a coeducational independent day school, for 11 years and graduated with the class of 1994. In 2005, he returned to give a commencement speech at the school.
Path to Writer
In 1995, Schwartz attended film school to study screen and television writing at the University of Southern California. He became a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and served as president of the chapter. His fraternity connections helped him understand life behind the gated communities and big mansions of Southern California, which later provided material for his pilot The O.C.
While at USC, Schwartz tried stand-up comedy at a talent show in front of 500 people but was quickly discouraged from pursuing it further. In his sophomore year, he wrote an autobiographical screenplay about his senior year in high school called Providence as a homework assignment. He entered it into a contest for the Nicholson Award in Screenwriting, the highest honor awarded to undergraduates, and won. However, the prize was later revoked because he was only a sophomore and had to be a junior to be eligible. With help from connections through his fraternity, he generated interest in Hollywood, and in 1997, Sony’s TriStar Pictures bought his first screenplay in a bidding war for a deal guaranteeing $550,000 and worth up to $1 million while he was still a junior in college. The film was never made.
Josh Schwartz Career
Early Career (1997–2003)
After selling his first feature film script, Schwartz got an agent and wrote a TV pilot called Brookfield for ABC/Disney while still studying at USC. It was a boarding school drama about wealthy kids in New England and was his first TV pilot script. It sold only a few months after his first feature deal. Brookfield was produced starring Amy Smart and Eric Balfour but never aired. Schwartz then dropped out of USC to work full-time in Hollywood.
He subsequently wrote another pilot called Wall to Wall Records, a drama about working in a music store for Warner Bros. TV that was also produced but never aired. His writing influences include Cameron Crowe and Woody Allen.
Breakthrough (2003–2007)
In 2003, Schwartz wrote a pilot called The O.C. for Warner Bros. TV and Wonderland Sound and Vision, which was produced with him as creator and executive producer. At 26, he was the youngest ever creator of a TV show, which initially caused tension with Fox executives who sent seasoned professionals to steer the show. That changed when Bob DeLaurentis signed on as a nurturing presence.
The O.C. became an instant teen favorite when it debuted on the Fox Network in August 2003. The show popularized its setting, Orange County, and led to copycat shows like MTV’s Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. The show became well known for its music, chosen by Schwartz according to his own musical tastes and designed to reflect who the characters were, bringing public awareness to indie rock bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Bloc Party, and Rooney. Schwartz has said he partially based the character Seth Cohen on his own Jewish upbringing.
Notable Works and Milestones
The O.C. ran for four seasons and earned Schwartz a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for the pilot as well as a People’s Choice Award nomination. The show was named “Guilty Pleasure of the Year” by VH1. In 2005, Schwartz endowed USC with its first television writing scholarship called The Josh Schwartz Scholarship, intended for students concentrating on writing for television who have completed a TV pilot script and first-season synopsis. In 2007, after four seasons, The O.C. was canceled due to a significant ratings drop.
Continued Success (2007–Present)
In late August 2006, it was revealed that Schwartz would develop and executive produce a drama pilot for The CW based on the popular book series Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar. Similar to The O.C., Gossip Girl took a satirical approach to teenagers in wealthy upbringing and became a popular show for The CW.
In 2007, Schwartz signed a three-year, seven-figure overall deal with Warner Bros. TV to write and executive produce with Chris Fedak an hourlong action comedy called Chuck for NBC. The show was about a normal guy who downloads the entire CIA and NSA databases into his head. It ran for five seasons.
Schwartz also worked on several other projects including Hart of Dixie for The CW in 2011, starring former O.C. cast member Rachel Bilson. He developed The Carrie Diaries, a prequel to Sex and the City for The CW, set in the 1980s following character Carrie Bradshaw during her high school years. He developed Runaways for Marvel, as well as a reboot of Dynasty and Nancy Drew for The CW.
It was announced in 2025 that Schwartz would be one of three executive producers on an upcoming Peacock series based on Clueless.
Josh Schwartz Awards
Throughout his career, Josh Schwartz has received recognition for his work in television writing and production. His nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for the The O.C. pilot highlights his early recognition in the industry, while his continued work on multiple successful series has established him as a significant voice in modern television programming.
Josh Schwartz Family
Schwartz was introduced to his future wife Jill Stonerock by actress Rachel Bilson, who portrayed Summer Roberts on The O.C. Rachel Bilson served as the maid of honor at their wedding and is godmother to two of their daughters. The couple had three daughters together during their marriage.
Personal Life
On September 20, 2008, Schwartz married Jill Stonerock in Santa Barbara, California. On December 28, 2021, Schwartz filed for divorce due to irreconcilable differences. In February 2025, it was reported that he had welcomed a daughter with Dallas D’Lyn.