One Tree Hill Stars Sophia Bush & Hilarie Burton Were FORCED To Do Maxim Cover!

Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton are getting real once again about their horrible experiences behind the scenes of One Tree Hill.

On Monday’s Drama Queens podcast, the girls did a recap of Season 4 Episode 4, in which Rachel poses for Maxim’s “Hometown Hotties” issue. The memories got less than rosy as Sophia and Hilarie recalled the time they were on the actual cover of Maxim, alongside Danneel Ackles, in November 2006. While some might have thought landing the cover of such a well-known mag would have been an exciting moment for them, it turns out it was anything but. Why? According to the podcast hosts, they were forced into it! Sophia explained:

“We got told we had to do it. Because Brooke had been so sexualized on the show and the whole idea of this Hometown Hottie was Rachel’s storyline, I was like, ‘Look, if the girls want to do it, that’s great. I don’t. I have gone into battle trying to make Brooke less of this thing that you guys tried to force me into. I don’t want to do it.’”

However, instead of understanding and accepting the John Tucker Must Die star’s choice, execs threatened her:

“And I literally got told if you do not go and shoot this cover with your co-stars, we will guarantee you that you will never be let out for a press day, a movie, an event, any of your charities. We will keep you here forever.”

Gross. And Sophia wasn’t the only person who was pressured behind the scenes. Hilarie recalled that she was coerced in a different way. She was sat down for a “soft pitch” about the cover and was pretty much told her co-workers’ jobs were in trouble if she didn’t do it:

“I remember getting pulled into the production office, and I sat on a floor while our boss was on a couch as we were given this very friendly soft pitch that was, ‘Look all the other shows have been on the cover of every single magazine and no one wants you guys. No one wants you and you finally have someone that wants you and you’re really going to turn your nose up at that?’”

She continued:

“It was very much a ‘No one else wants you. The studio wants to cancel your show. If you don’t start to generate some buzz and attract these male numbers, then we’re dead and all your friends are going to lose their jobs.’”

So manipulative! Sophia noted she believed their bosses were looking to bring in more male viewers by adding more sexual violence and risqué moments for the female characters:

“I know they weren’t trying to solicit basement bullies on the internet, but they saw that a lot of young men were drawn to a violent assault of women and they went, ‘We should do more of that.’”

Ick! As for why Bethany Joy Lenz, who portrayed Hailey in the series, wasn’t on the cover? The 41-year-old actress claimed she was “replaced” for the cover with Danneel because she was “too fat,” saying:

“They told me that they didn’t come to me because I was too fat. I wasn’t a hot girl on the show anymore.”

What the f**k!? For reference, this is Bethany in 2005…

This reveal came as a shock to Hilarie and Sophia as the pair said they were under the impression she had turned down being in the magazine. Sophia recalled:

“When I said I don’t want to do it, I was like, ‘But Joy’s not doing it! She said no. Why does she get to say no?’ They go, ‘Well she said no, so you have to say yes. She said no first.’ … They scapegoated you to tell the three of us we couldn’t say no.”

Ugh. What an incredibly gross situation all around. You can listen to their entire discussion (below):

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