A soapy, super-dark Netflix series.
A flourishing movie career paired with a high-profile marriage.
A total pivot to a big music career.
Here's what the cast of the original Gossip Girl has been doing since the show ended.
Actor Blake Lively portrayed protagonist Serena van der Woodsen in the original Gossip Girl
series.
Lively gained recognition for her role as the tall, blonde, and beautiful van der Woodsen,
who would marry "Brooklyn Boy" Dan Humphrey in the end.
For her role, she took home Teen Choice awards for choice TV actress in a drama, and when
she was starting out, for female choice TV breakout star.
Gossip Girl concluded in its 6th season in 2012, and Lively has kept busy since, starring
in movies including The Age of Adaline, Café Society, The Shallows, A Simple Favor, and
The Rhythm Section.
Lively has also worked behind the camera and made her directorial debut for Taylor Swift's
music video for I Bet You Think About Me.
Lively has not made a cameo in Season 1 of the Gossip Girl reboot, and fans might not
see her reprise her role in future seasons.
She once told Allure magazine about her role, saying,
"People loved it, but it always felt a little personally compromising — you want to be
putting a better message out there."
The actor might have a new perspective since having three daughters with actor-husband
Ryan Reynolds.
She spoke with E! News about considering roles that take her away from her children, stating,
"I guess I really have to really, really, really, really love it, because I'm just obsessed
with my kids."
"I'm not a stop along the way, I'm a destination."
Blair Waldorf would rather be hated for who she is than admired for who she isn't.
Portrayed by actor Leighton Meester, Waldorf was frenemies with Lively's Serena van der
Woodsen, and despite her tough exterior, did not give up on her friends or the ones she
loved, especially Chuck Bass.
Since starring as the overachiever Waldorf, Meester found continued success in movies
and television shows.
Her many film credits include Country Strong, The Roommate, and Monte Carlo.
She has also starred in the Fox comedy series Making History, the ABC sitcom Single Parents
and How I Met Your Father.
Her Netflix thriller The Weekend Away premiered in 2022.
Meester is also a singer, having released her debut album Heartstrings in 2014.
She told Cosmopolitan UK that fans can "hopefully" expect new music from her soon.
Besides showcasing her acting range in multiple projects since Gossip Girl, Meester is also
a mom of two with her husband, actor Adam Brody, whom she wed in 2014.
Talking to Shape in 2019, Meester gave insight on how they rely on one another, stating,
"I just don't believe in balance.
I think that's not possible if you're a working mother — and with single mothers, I cannot
even imagine that.
[...] Some days my husband makes dinner, and some days I do.
Other days, I'm too tired, and I eat a bowl of cereal for dinner.
It's just the thing we do to make it work."
Penn Badgley starred as Dan "Lonely Boy" Humphrey in the Gossip Girl series, and fans are still
reeling over the fact that the sensitive writer was in fact, the Gossip Girl.
Badgley has since left Humphrey behind and has made a name for himself in Hollywood,
especially with his popular Netflix series You.
You debuted in 2018 and starred Badgley as the dangerous and obsessive Joe Goldberg.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the stalker series is set for a fourth season, with executive
producer Sera Gamble sharing,
"It's been thrilling to watch Penn bring Joe to creepy yet compelling life.
We're deeply grateful that Netflix has shown You such monumental support, and that people
around the world have enjoyed watching Joe really get it all very wrong over the past
three seasons.
The whole You team is excited to explore new, dark facets of love in season four."
Badgley has expressed his distaste for playing Goldberg, especially when fans have viewed
his murderous character as a heartthrob.
"I struggled greatly with the conflict of playing such a guy and him being partly so
likable and people having such a, as we say, thirsty response to him."
While Badgley does not share quite the same traits as his character on the show, they
both experienced becoming fathers.
Badgley welcomed his first child, a son with his wife Domino Kirke, in 2020.
Who didn't crush on Nate Archibald while watching the original Gossip Girl?
Portrayed by actor Chace Crawford, not only was his character known for his extremely
good looks, but he was also known for his good heart.
In fact, Nate never actually sent a tip in to Gossip Girl until the very end of the series,
with executive producer Joshua Safran telling BuzzFeed that he was likely to become the
Gossip Girl because of it.
However, plans changed, and fans all know of the true identity of the blogger.
Leaving Nate Archibald behind, Crawford has starred in the television series Blood & Oil
on ABC and stars as Kevin Moskowitz-slash-The Deep in Amazon Prime's The Boys.
Speaking to Esquire about taking on a more serious role in The Boys, he shared,
"I was really wanting to work on something different.
Something to sort of stretch what I can do and show."
Crawford added that he almost lost a role in the 2019 film Charlie Says because of his
looks and wanted people to acknowledge his acting abilities.
He said,
"I just want more swings at the bat.
Whether that's comedy, or doing darker stuff.
Hopefully, it opens up some different doors and avenues into other things.
That's all you can hope for."
It appears that Crawford has landed more roles, with films in the works including Reunion,
starring Nina Dobrev and Jamie Chung.
Taylor Momsen starred as Jenny Humphrey, Dan Humphrey's little sister who idolized Blair
Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen.
However, Jenny broke away from worshipping and pleasing the "It girls of Manhattan,"
especially Blair, and tried to make it on her own.
Momsen was a main character until the end of Season 3 and barely made appearances in
Season 4.
Deadline reported that her character would begin an "indefinite hiatus," which was done,
as they said, "for strictly creative reasons."
Momsen wasn't seen again until the Season 6 finale episode where she attended Dan and
Serena's wedding.
Momsen told Elle that she was more focused on her music and her band The Pretty Reckless,
thus sidelining her acting career.
She shared,
"Acting was my day job; music has always been in me."
When The Pretty Reckless were releasing their debut album Light Me Up in 2010, she told
Entertainment Weekly,
"I've been acting since I was 2.
I don't dislike it by any means, but it's a job to me.
It can never be as personal as music because you're playing a character and saying someone
else's words.
Music is who I am."
The Pretty Reckless have released four albums, including Death by Rock and Roll, which came
out in February 2021.
In an interview with Tuonela Magazine, Momsen spoke again about pausing her acting career
for her music, sharing,
"I don't think I was an actress, it was just something I always did…
it wasn't something that I ever chose for myself."
"Anyone who trades their trust fund for a fanny pack flies in the face of all that is
holy to Chuck Bass."
Ed Westwick starred as bad boy of the Upper East Side, Chuck Bass, and since the show's
ending in 2012, he's worked on several films and television series, including Romeo & Juliet,
Billionaire Ransom, Me You Madness, and the TV series Wicked City, where he starred as
Kent Galloway.
Although Westwick has had a fruitful career, in 2017 and 2018, actor Kristina Cohen and
three other women accused the star of sexual assault.
In her Facebook post, Cohen revealed that she and her boyfriend visited Westwick's home,
and she woke up to find the actor assaulting her.
According to NBC News, Westwick did not face any charges connected to the assaults, with
the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office stating that the women lacked enough
evidence to prove the actor had assaulted them.
Gossip Girl star and former girlfriend of Westwick's, Jessica Szohr, told Cosmopolitan
at the time,
"You know, he's like, 'The truth will come out and hopefully people see that and hopefully
that's it.'"
Besides having dated Szohr, Westwick was also known for his relationship with model Tamara
Francesconi, which lasted from fall 2019 to 2021, per Us Weekly.
Westwick is set to star in the war film Wolves of War and in a movie called Deep Fear, which
is under wraps as of this video.
Kelly Rutherford came to Gossip Girl with an impressive acting resume, after starring
in the soap opera Melrose Place and making an appearance in Scream 3.
She portrayed Lily van der Woodsen in The CW's popular teen drama and went on to star
in numerous television shows, including Gone, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionist, and
Dynasty.
Although she has a busy career, her private life has not been as kind after going through
a nasty divorce from her ex-husband, which resulted in a long custody battle over their
two children.
According to People, Rutherford lost custody of their son and daughter in 2015.
They have been living in Monaco with their father, who is unable to enter the U.S. after
confiscation of his work visa.
Rutherford must constantly travel across the ocean to see her children, but she shared
with People that they have a close relationship, saying,
"They're just growing up so fast.
[...] They're really open with me.
We're just really bonding, which is nice."
Despite the challenges the actor faces, she seems to always be in good spirits.
Talking to Forbes in 2020, Rutherford was focusing on the positives, sharing,
"We have to find what makes us happy.
Spend more time focused on what you do enjoy.
[...] You keep knocking on the door that's locked when there is one right here that's
open.
They both go to the same place!"
"Gossip Girl here.
Your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite."
Kristen Bell was the infamous voice of Gossip Girl and returned to voice the narrator in
the HBO Max reboot.
The series' showrunner, Joshua Safran, told ET that it was important to have Bell return,
saying,
"There's no Gossip Girl without Kristen.
I mean, it's not just the voice, it's her whole being.
Her soul comes through her voice and you just feel like you're in the show.
Without her, [...] it doesn't feel like the show, and then when you hear her voice, then
you're like, 'There it is.'"
"Hey Upper Eastsidders, Gossip Girl here and I have the biggest news ever."
Bell's career in acting has been quite successful, as she's starred in Veronica Mars, House of
Lies, and The Good Place, among other TV shows.
The actor is also known for her films When in Rome, You Again, Bad Moms, and of course,
for voicing Anna in Disney's hit films Frozen and Frozen II.
In 2022, she starred in the crime drama miniseries The Woman in the House Across the Street from
the Girl in the Window on Netflix.
Bell is also keeping busy with her family.
She is married to actor Dax Shepard, and despite having dated since 2007, the couple did not
tie the knot until 2013.
They decided to wait until gay marriage was legal in their home state of California.
She told People at the time,
"We would feel weird taking advantage of a right that's not available to certain citizens
of the state we live in."
The couple are also parents to two daughters named Lincoln and Delta.
In the original Gossip Girl series, actor Matthew Settle's character Rufus Humphrey,
the father of Dan and Jenny Humphrey, rekindled a romance with Lily van der Woodsen.
Although their characters decided to go their separate ways in the show's final season,
rumors were swirling that the stars were a real-life couple.
People interviewed the pair in 2010, and Rutherford shared,
"He's been really supportive.
He's a great friend and I really appreciate that."
Settle chimed in, adding,
"We're good friends.
Kelly and I have a lot in common because we are supporting each other at this time of
our lives."
The actors have remained super close and have shared adorable photos of one another on Instagram.
In 2014, Settle shared a photo of the two stars looking at one another with a single
heart emoji, and in 2015, he dedicated a post of the two hugging for Valentine's Day.
In 2017, Rutherford shared a photo of the pair and gave her co-star a sweet birthday
shout-out that read,
"Happy Birthday to my handsome soulful friend @matthew_settle.
I love you and think the world of you.
As an actor father and friend.
Sending you so much love today and everyday.
(as you can see I have a really tough time showing my affection for this human)."
Besides working on Gossip Girl, Settle has worked on the films Paper Angels, Ouija and
Love Sick Love.
He hasn't been in any projects since 2017 and has gone quiet on social media.
Jessica Szohr came on to the series as Vanessa Abrams, and 10 years since the show ended,
has given Gossip Girl fans the ultimate gift by releasing a podcast spilling secrets about
the show with former co-stars and the show's creators.
On XOXO with Jessica Szohr, the actor has interviewed fan favorites including Taylor
Momsen and Chace Crawford.
Talking to Teen Vogue about her new podcast, she shared,
"It's bringing back all these like warm, fuzzy feelings.
We're taking a walk down memory lane.
Now I can totally see why this show hit the way it did and why it was a fan favorite and
why people thought it was so epic.
Not that I didn't see that before, it's just I'm a little bit more removed and older, and
a mom."
Since starring on the show, Szohr has continued to act and has been seen in the film The Internship,
and the television shows The Orville and Shameless.
In 2021, she became a first-time mom when she welcomed a baby girl named Bowie with
her boyfriend, hockey player Brad Richardson.
Since starring as Eric Van Der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, actor Connor Paolo has continued
acting in television, most notably starring as Declan Porter in Revenge.
He's also appeared in several films, including Friend Request and Floc of Four, and has many
projects in the works, including horror movie Fire Island and a thriller titled Viral.
Like his Gossip Girl castmate Taylor Momsen, who starred as Jenny Humphrey, he was also
last seen in Season 4, until the show's finale.
Paolo has kept a close bond with Momsen and shows immense support for her band The Pretty
Reckless, even having appeared in the music video for the band's song My Medicine.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said,
"It's been a relatively long friendship as far as my life goes, and honestly, I think
I'd go to her shows if I didn't know who she was.
I love her band."
Paolo even admitted that he'd want to see Momsen return to acting, stating,
"I'm always yelling at Taylor to act because I think she's great and I'd love to do something
with her."
Besides his successful acting career, Paolo has also been showing off his impressive guitar
and singing skills.
The star shared a video on Instagram covering Alkaline Trio's song Blue in the Face.
We're sure fans would love to see Momsen and Paolo team up and make music together one
day.
Zuzanna Szadkowski starred as the beloved housekeeper Dorota for the Waldorf family.
She was a mother figure to Blair Waldorf and the only person Blair could trust with her
deep dark secrets.
"Bibbity bobbity boo, I will never leave you.
Poof!"
Having known just about everything that went down on the Upper East Side, many fans believed
that it was Dorota who had to be Gossip Girl.
Szadkowski told Cosmopolitan that she even believed she would become the secret blogger,
saying she was a little disappointed that it wasn't.
After the show ended, Szadkowski went on to star in several projects and made appearances
on the television shows Elementary, The Knick, The Good Wife, and The Gilded Age.
She was also one of the Gossip Girl actors to return for the series' reboot.
Szadkowski made her return in Season 1, Episode 10 as Dorota while the character's husband
Vanya and their daughter Ana, who was born in the original series, also made an appearance.
Talking to E! about her return as the faithful housekeeper, Szadkowski shared,
"I was so excited to work on the show with this extraordinary cast.
When Josh Safran asked me to come back, I jumped at it.
I've missed Dorota a lot.
It was very Gossip Girl to try to keep it a secret!"
Margaret Colin starred as the mother of Blair Waldorf, Eleanor Waldorf-Rose, in the original
series, and just like her co-star Zuzanna Szadkowski, made a brief return to the Gossip
Girl reboot in a fitting Hanukkah episode.
Colin appeared in Season 1, Episode 10, titled Final Cancellation, where fans also got to
see the star reunite with castmate Wallace Shawn, who starred as her husband Cyrus Rose
in the series.
Speaking to TVLine of bringing back a few of the original castmates, showrunner Joshua
Safran said,
"Just being with them is a joy, because they themselves are icons as humans, and as their
characters.
[After reaching out to Szadkowski] it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to the rest of
them.
Being there to watch them was a joy, writing for them was a joy, and making Margaret speak
Yiddish was a joy."
Back when she did star in the original, Colin admired her role as Eleanor Waldorf, sharing
with Hollywood The Write Way, she said,
"My favorite quality about her is that she sees the world from her own unique perspective.
She's self-centered so I can't wait to fully grasp the opportunities that are left for
her.
She is the star of her own world and that's my favorite quality about her."
Besides making her grand return on the show, Colin has made television series appearances
in Younger, The Good Wife, and Gotham.
She has also been in the shows Veep and Chicago Med.
If there was one person that was most loathed on the original Gossip Girl, it was most certainly
Georgina Sparks, who was played by actor Michelle Trachtenberg.
The star spoke with ET about playing the role of the rebellious character and said,
"Georgina is actually my favorite character that I've played because she's such an evil
B-I-T-C-H that it was fun."
When asked if the star would make a return to the series reboot, Trachtenberg gave the
perfect response saying, "I'll never tell."
Way before she was Georgina Sparks, Trachtenberg was known for her roles in Harriet the Spy,
Ice Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
She went on to have cameos in television shows including Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles,
and House.
In 2021, she told ET she was excited about the Tubi series Meet, Marry, Murder.
She shared,
"Meet, Marry, Murder is something I am really proud of because yes, I am an executive producer.
I host, I narrated it.
We filmed it during the COVID.
And basically, what I want people to know is that we are honoring the memories and lives
of the people lost.
And I would absolutely love people to be watching it on Tubi.
Because, I myself, am an extreme true crime fan."
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