‘Gossip Girl’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

You know you love them! Blake Lively, Leighton Meester and Penn Badgley went on to big things after Gossip Girl gave them their big breaks.

The CW teen drama ran for six seasons from September 2007 to December 2012. Fans became instantly obsessed with the lives of the elite youth of New York City, played by Lively (Serena van der Woodsen), Meester (Blair Waldorf), Badgley (Dan Humphrey), Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass), Chace Crawford (Nate Archibald) and Taylor Momsen (Jenny Humphrey).

After the series wrapped, the cast built thriving personal lives with fellow A-listers and starred in some of the most popular television shows and films in the entertainment industry. Despite their individual successes, talks of a revival never died down.

HBO Max ordered 10 episodes of a reboot in July 2019. The upcoming show is set to take place eight years after the events of the series finale and follow a new generation of New York City-dwelling private school students. However, diehard fans should not count on seeing the original cast in the series.

[jwplayer 4D9F5OaT-l3ahXupL]

“We’ve reached out to all of them to let them know it was happening, and we would love for them to be involved if they want to be involved,” executive producer Josh Schwartz told reporters in July 2019. “But [we] certainly didn’t want to make it contingent upon their [participation]. They played those characters for six years, and if they felt like they were good with that, we wanted to respect that. But obviously, it would be great to see them again.”

Crawford, for one, seemed open to diving back into the world of the Upper East Side. “I would love to do the voice [of Gossip Girl],” he exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2019. “I wish they would ask me to do the voice of Gossip Girl this time around! That’s a great job. It’s a great gig. They didn’t ask me!”

While the main cast may not have plans to reprise their roles in the reboot, scroll down to see what they have been up to since the original series ended in 2012.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Blake Lively (Serena van der Woodsen)

The actress turned her focus to the big screen, starring in The Age of Adaline, A Simple Favor, The Shallows and The Rhythm Section. In between gigs, she married her Green Lantern costar Ryan Reynolds in September 2012 (two years after her split from Badgley). The couple welcomed daughter James in December 2014, daughter Inez in September 2016 and a third daughter in summer 2019. They are currently expecting their fourth child.

Close friend Taylor Swift named her 2020 song “Betty” after the pair’s youngest child.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf)

Meester’s career has been wide-ranging since the end of the CW series. She appeared in sitcoms Single Parents and Making History, made her Broadway debut in Of Mice and Men in 2014 and released her first album, Heartstrings, in 2014.

The actress wed her frequent costar Adam Brody in February 2014. They share daughter Arlo, born in August 2015, and welcomed a baby boy in 2020 whose name has yet to be revealed.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Penn Badgley (Dan Humphrey)

The actor once again drew in obsessed fans starring on You. He tied the knot with Domino Kirke in February 2017. The duo announced in February 2020 that they are expecting their first child together, seven months before the little one’s arrival.

Badgley is also a stepfather to the singer’s son, Cassius, from her previous relationship with musician Morgan O’Kane.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass)

Westwick starred in 2013’s Romeo & Juliet before heading back to TV for Wicked City, Snatch and White Gold between 2015 and 2019.

In November 2017, amid the #MeToo movement, three women accused the actor of sexual assault, while a fourth woman came forward in March 2018. He denied the allegations at the time but later deleted his statements from social media. Us reported in July 2018 that he would not face rape charges due to insufficient evidence.

Westwick later went public with girlfriend Tamara Francesconi, who he was first linked to in October 2019.

Credit: Shutterstock; Courtesy of Taylor Momsen/Instagram

Taylor Momsen (Jenny Humphrey)

Momsen left acting behind after departing Gossip Girl in 2010. She instead focused on her music career as the frontwoman for The Pretty Reckless.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Jessica Szohr (Vanessa Abrams)

Szohr starred in Ted 2, Complications, Kingdom, Twin Peaks, Shameless and The Orville. She split from Westwick in 2010. Us confirmed in March 2019 that she began dating hockey player Brad Richardson and the pair welcomed their first child together two years later. In May 2022, Szohr announced that she and the NHL star are engaged. 

In January 2022, the actress started “XOXO With Jessica Szohr,” a Gossip Girl rewatch podcast. 

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Kelly Rutherford (Lily van der Woodsen)

Rutherford appeared on Reckless, Being Mary Jane, Quantico, Jane the Virgin, Gone, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists and Dynasty following the series finale of Gossip Girl.

She shares son Hermés and daughter Helena with ex-husband Daniel Giersch. Following a lengthy custody battle, Giersch, who lives in Monaco after having his visa revoked, was granted sole custody of their children in 2015; the actress, in turn, received visitation rights.

Us exclusively revealed in September 2018 that Rutherford moved on with dating screenwriter Chiswell “Chum” Langhorne.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Matthew Settle (Rufus Humphrey)

Settle has since starred in Ouija, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and Valentine. He announced the arrival of daughter Nalu with girlfriend Maria Alfonsin in August 2015. He is also the father of daughter Aven with ex-wife Naama Nativ.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Connor Paolo (Eric van der Woodsen)

Paolo left Gossip Girl in 2011 to star on ABC’s Revenge, which ended in May 2015. He has also appeared on The Resident, Rush Hour and Swedish Dicks.