Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey became close friends before playing love interests — JJ and Kiara — on Outer Banks.
The Netflix series, which debuted in 2020, follows the conflict between two groups of teenagers in a coastal North Carolina town. The social divide is introduced through the Kooks a.k.a the wealthy residents and the working class, who are also known as the Pogues. The search for a lost treasure causes the groups to be even more at odds while a found family forms between the Pogues at the center of the show.
Outer Banks has primarily filmed in South Carolina, which gave the cast an opportunity to develop a bond. Bailey and Pankow, along with Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Jonathan Daviss, Carlacia Grant, Drew Starkey and Austin North have often discussed how working on the show brought them all closer together.
“We spent so much time working together. It was really great because the entire cast all lived in the same apartment complex,” Stokes told Nylon in 2020. “On the weekends everybody would come over, play games, blast music, eat food. We had a lot of time collectively as a cast to really sink our teeth into. It was kind of this natural organic thing for everybody.”
Pankow and Bailey, however, caught everyone’s eye not only because of the scenes between their characters. The pair often posted photos and videos together while spending time on — and off — set.
“We both have this rambunctious energy to do random things and say random things all the time and not take anything too seriously,” Bailey shared with Pop Sugar in 2020. “Based off that, we vibed immediately because we were just joking around and having a good time.”
As Outer Banks found more success, the demand for their fictional characters to get together became very strong. Fans got what they wished for in season 3 when JJ and Kiara finally got together after two seasons of build-up. That didn’t last long though thanks to a time jump and the shocking decision to kill JJ off at the end of season 4.
Pankow and Bailey’s dynamic was called into question after his departure from the show. Some fans pointed to social media activity that hinted at a divide between the cast’s significant others (Pankow is dating Elaine Siemek, while Bailey has been in a long term relationship with Mariah Linney since 2020.) Others have noticed that Bailey and Pankow didn’t do any joint press to promote their characters getting together, which was a departure from how Stokes and Cline (and Daviss and Grant) approached their respective romantic arcs on screen.
Several romantic JJ and Kiara scenes that went viral after fans pointed out that stunt doubles were seemingly used instead of Bailey and Pankow during pivotal moments. Neither Bailey nor Pankow have previously addressed their friendship status. They have been photographed together at promotional events for the show alongside their fellow costars.
Keep scrolling to see the sweetest moments from Pankow and Bailey’s friendship before his exit from Outer Banks:
2020
The first season of Outer Banks introduced Kiara and JJ as best friends. While it was obvious that JJ had a crush on Kiara, the timing wasn’t right — yet.
“I can always count on @rudeth to make post pro just as fun as filming 😂🤍,” Bailey wrote alongside a video of her sitting on Pankow’s shoulders.
During an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Bailey revealed she knew of Pankow through a mutual friend but they didn’t meet in person until a run-in on a plane to South Carolina. Pankow was on his way to start filming while Bailey was going for an Outer Banks callback. Pankow reached out to Bailey on the plane after they briefly greeted each other.
“I had a DM from him,” she recalled. “He was like, ‘I knew you were Kiara the second I saw you.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, did this guy three seats up really just DM me?’ He went and found our mutuals, found my page, and messaged me.”
The costars enjoyed goofing off while filming season 1 of the hit Netflix series.
Pankow shared his thoughts about JJ and Kiara’s future after the show debuted, exclusively telling Us Weekly, “I think it’s cute. I don’t think it should happen immediately in season 2. And I know some people would be a little mad at me for saying that, but I think just to have Kiara go from John B to Pope to then JJ within two seasons would be a little like she wants all three of them. So I think it’d be a little much.”
He continued: “But I think the end game, the end game of the Outer Banks, I can see JJ and Kiara being like, ‘All right there’s something here.’ Because it starts out with JJ saying that he had tried getting with Kiara. So, who knows?”
2021
Pankow and Bailey reunited with the rest of the Outer Banks cast for season 2. The actress later spoke with Us about getting to work with Pankow on Kiara and JJ’s onscreen journey.
“I’m on the edge of my seat with where the writers are going to take this. I’m honestly so passionate about Outer Banks,” she shared. “I feel like they can’t go wrong with the story line anywhere, and if me and Rudy teamed up as actors, I think [it] will be really sick.”
Pankow and Bailey filmed season 2 of Outer Banks where JJ’s feelings for Kiara were solidified.
2023
During the third season, Pankow and Bailey played up Kiara and JJ’s undeniable chemistry. They even won the coveted Best Kiss category at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards for their performance.
2024
The fourth season wrapped up Pankow and Bailey sharing the screen with JJ and Kiara briefly getting their happy ending before he was killed off.
Bailey got emotional while reflecting on Pankow’s journey on — and exit from — Outer Banks, saying, “We all read the character on the page and we know what you brought to it. And you turned it out and really made something of it and paid respect to the depth of the character while bringing a lightheartedness that the show desperately needed.”
