Known for playing vixen-type roles,[2] McCord first gained prominence in 2007 as the scheming Eden Lord on the FX television series Nip/Tuck, and as the pampered Loren Wakefield on the MyNetworkTV telenovela American Heiress.

In addition to appearances on Close to Home and The O.C., she played rebellious Loren Wakefield on the MyNetworkTV limited-run serial American Heiress.

[10][11] Initially, the part of Clark was conceived as a supporting role; by the end of the first season, however, media outlets had begun referring to McCord as the series' lead.

[14][15][16] She accepted a role in the Off Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore for an April 27 through May 29, 2011, run with Conchata Ferrell, Minka Kelly, Anne Meara, and B.

[18][19][20][21][22] In 2014, McCord joined the cast of the TNT series Dallas for its third season, in the recurring role of Heather.

[24] McCord is a supporter of the St. Bernard Project,[25] a rebuilding organization dedicated to assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina.

[30] In 2014, McCord revealed that a male acquaintance sexually assaulted her when she was 18, and as a result broke down while filming a rape scene in 90210.

[31] In March 2015, while speaking at the United Nations in support of UN Women for Peace Association (UNWFPA), McCord announced her alignment with the anti-sexual-assault and domestic abuse project, the No More Campaign.