How many siblings does Dylan O’Brien have? Family life explored as the actor gets called out over lack of support
American actor Dylan O’Brien was recently called out by his elder brother, Julz, in an Instagram comment. Julz is a trans man and uses he/ they pronouns. He is Dylan’s only sibling, and claimed that his brother hasn’t spoken to him in over a year.
“He also hasn’t spoken to me in over a year. He didn’t check in when I had top surgery. He didn’t even wish me a happy bday last week! But glad I could deepen his experience in this world and make the world love him that much more,” Julz wrote alongside a smirking face emoji.
He was referring to Dylan’s remarks during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where he told Vulture during an interview that he was “grateful” to have a “trans, non-binary sibling.” His comments came during the promotion of his queer thriller movie, Ponyboi.
“I have a trans, non-binary sibling and I know people in my personal life as well who are queer. I am so grateful for how much it deepens my experience in this world,” the ‘Maze Runner’ actor stated at the time.
The comment was recently shared by Gay Times in a May 3 post celebrating the relationship of the O’Brien siblings. However, Julz, 35, appeared in the comments and claimed that Dylan hasn’t reportedly been supportive of his transition.
Dylan O’Brien hasn't publicly responded to his brother's claims yet.
In brief, exploring Dylan O’Brien’s family life
Dylan O’Brien was born in New York City on August 26, 1991. His middle name is Rhodes. Dylan’s parents are Lisa Rhodes, a former actress and owner of an acting school, and Patrick O’Brien, a camera operator.
O’Brien is of Irish descent from his father’s side and an English, Spanish, and Italian ethnicity from his mother’s side.
Dylan grew up alongside his elder sibling, Julz, in Springfield Township, New Jersey, and later their family moved to Hermosa Beach, California. Julz is 16 months older than Dylan. Until February 2023, the Caddo Lake actor frequently appeared on his brother’s Instagram posts.
For instance, in an August 2020 post, Julz (@julzbob417) called Dylan his “very first best friend” in a birthday post for the Hollywood star. The year before and in 2022, Julz shared similar birthday posts, sharing his love for his sibling.
Dylan O’Brien is also close to his cousin, Declan, and is often seen with him in public. The Teen Wolf actor attended Mira Costa High School, following which he studied acting at Syracuse University.
More about Julz’s latest remarks against Dylan
Earlier this month, Gay Times shared a post on Instagram praising Dylan O’Brien for speaking positively about his trans sibling, Julz, in a January 2024 interview with Vulture. The post contained a picture of the siblings.
“Dylan O’Brien has spoken about his deep appreciation for the LGBTQIA+ people in his life, especially his trans non-binary sibling. In an interview with Vulture, O’Brien explained the importance of being involved in the upcoming queer drama ‘Ponyboi’ as an ally,” the post was captioned.
It continued by sharing Dylan’s past comment before adding:
“O’Brien’s sibling, Julz O’Brien, is non-binary and uses they/ them pronouns. On Instagram, Julz frequently shares family photos, including with O’Brien, whom they’ve described as their ‘very first best friend,’ and often expresses pride in being part of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
However, in the wake of the post, Julz shared his side of the story. At first, he corrected the Gay Times’s description and wrote:
“I’m actually trans masc and go by he/ they pronouns.”
Later, when a user commented under the post accusing Dylan O’Brien’s girlfriend and model Rachael Lange of being an alleged homoph*bic and racist, Julz further claimed that his brother didn’t offer his support to him either, during his gender transition.
“Kinda funny that this article didn’t ask me for a single thing about myself? It’s about me and uses my photo. I’m not even tagged,” Julz wrote in a follow-up comment slamming the LGBTQ+ outlet.
Last year, Dylan O’Brien played the role of Vinnie, a p*mp and secret lover to a young prostitute and protagonist, Ponyboi, played by River Gallo, in the film Ponyboi. It is slated to hit the theaters on June 27, 2025.
This year, he plays the lead role of Roman/ Rocky in the queer dark comedy Twinless, written and directed by James Sweeney. It premiered at the 2025 Sundance Festival and is scheduled for a September 5, 2025, release.
