Scott Eastwood reflects on girlfriend Jewel Brangman's tragic 2014 death caused by a defective airbag and how the loss changed his life forever.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleMore than a decade after losing his love to a tragic accident that shouldn't have been fatal, Clint Eastwood's son Scott Eastwood is revisiting the dark chapter that changed his approach to life. The 40-year-old actor has opened up about the devastating loss of his late girlfriend, Jewel Brangman, revealing he couldn't properly grieve after learning of her death while filming.
Here's everything to know about Brangman, the tragic accident that claimed her life, and why the actor says the heartbreak changed him forever.
During the August 3, 2026 episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, Eastwood reflected on the tragic death of Jewel Brangman, who was killed in a 2014 car crash caused by a defective Takata airbag. The actor had been dating the late model for almost four years when he received the heartbreaking news while filming a movie.
Adding to the tragedy, the actor was forced to keep working instead of taking out some time to grieve. He recalled in the podcast, "We were together for three or four years. They had a recall on the airbag and what would've been a fender bender that probably most people would've survived...she was essentially shot by the airbag."
Eastwood revealed that he was on a movie set, in the middle of filming, when he received the devastating phone call. Because production couldn't stop, the actor said he was unable to return home immediately or grieve with Brangman's family and friends. An emotional Eastwood shared:
"I was on another film set at the time, and being on a film set when someone passes, or something happens, it's really tough... When you're on a film set, you don't have time to grieve because the show must go on. I got the call actually during a filming day, and I think I did a classic defense mechanism of, 'Just punt that to later. Compartmentalize that 'til later. [It was] brutal having to deal with that and then not being able to go through that."
Eastwood also compared the experience to losing his close friend Paul Walker while filming Fury in 2013, explaining that movie sets often leave little room to process personal tragedy. "This had happened before; I had lost Paul Walker on Fury, and he was one of my close friends."
Jewel Brangman was only 26 when a freak accident took her life. She was a model and gymnastics coach from California. Her family says she graduated from college before pursuing modeling while also teaching gymnastics in San Diego. Friends and loved ones remembered her as ambitious, compassionate, and full of life. On her still-active Instagram account, she captured moments from her modeling photoshoots and times spent with family and friends.
Brangman had been in a relationship with Scott Eastwood for around three to four years before her death. Although the couple largely kept their romance private, Eastwood later described her as one of the first people he had been truly in love with.
It was an ordinary day on September 7, 2014, and Scott was busy with a packed filming schedule. His girlfriend, Jewel Brangman, was driving a rented 2001 Honda Civic from San Diego to Los Angeles. While driving, she rear-ended another vehicle in what was later described as a relatively minor collision.
However, the crash turned fatal because of a defective Takata airbag. Investigators later determined that the inflator exploded with excessive force, sending metal shrapnel into the vehicle. The fragments caused catastrophic injuries that ultimately claimed Brangman's life.
Hours before her devastating accident, Brangman had posted a fun-filled photo with two of her friends, with their bodies covered in different patterns of body paint.
Following the accident, her father, Alexander Brangman, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Honda, Takata and the rental company, alleging the recalled vehicle should never have been rented out. Eastwood explained in his 2016 interview that Brangman died because "her airbag exploded" and "shot a projectile through her body" that "split her spine."
Jewel Brangman's death had a profound impact on Scott Eastwood's outlook on love and relationships. In a 2016 interview with GQ Australia, the actor said the tragedy had "really affected" him and "made it harder for me to date."
Over the years, Eastwood has been linked to a handful of women, including actor Jana Kramer, model Brittany Brousseau, and actress Nina Dobrev, though none of the relationships were publicly confirmed as long-term. He has largely kept his personal life out of the spotlight and has not publicly introduced a serious partner since Brangman's passing.
Eastwood now says that the tragedy made him realize the importance of grieving alongside loved ones.
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