The cast of Gossip Girl, over a decade on.

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 17 years since Gossip Girl (and all its glorious drama) first hit our screens. From the secret scandals to the entangled love triangles, it didn’t take long for our teenage minds to become seriously obsessed.

The hit 2000s show followed the lives of a group of New York high school students, most notably Serena (played by Blake Lively) and her best friend Blair (played by Leighton Meester). 

Oh, and there was a mysterious blogger who somehow knew everyone’s secrets and liked to expose them.

Remember that one time Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were on Gossip Girl? Post continues after video.

Even though the series wrapped up in 2012, Gossip Girl continues to have a cult-like fandom that persists today.

So much so, that the show inspired a reboot series with a new generation of Manhattan’s young elite. Sadly, the reboot was cancelled by HBO in January 2023.

Nevertheless, here's what our favourite Upper East Siders have been up to since the show first premiered in 2007.

Blake Lively (Serena van der Woodsen).

Blake Lively on Gossip Girl and in 2023. Image: The CW/Getty.

From the moment she walked onto the Gossip Girl screen (in ridiculously stylish high heels), Blake Lively has continued to build a stellar career for herself. 

The 36-year-old has starred in several films including The Age of Adaline, The Shallows, All I See Is You and most recently The Rhythm Section.

Her next big role is as Lily Bloom, in the movie adaptation of novel It Ends With Us, by Colleen Hoover, which is set to be released in June 2024.

While it's hard to imagine Serena ending up with anyone other than Dan Humphrey, she and Ryan Reynolds do make a pretty cute couple. The pair, who married in 2012, have four kids together including three daughters James, nine, Inez, seven, and Betty, four, and a baby they quietly welcomed in early 2023, whose name has not been publicly announced.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds)

Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf).

Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf and in 2023. Image: CW/Getty.

The Queen B of the Upper East Side has been pretty busy since her Gossip Girl days. 

While she may have ditched her signature headband, Leighton Meester is still a force to be reckoned with. After the show wrapped up, Meester made a name for herself in music, with her debut album Heartstrings peaking at No. 139 on the Billboard 200 chart. 

She later hit the Broadway stage when she appeared in Of Mice and Men.

Outside of music and theatre, the 37-year-old has starred in the films Like Sunday, Like Rain and That's My Boy with Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg, which led to her being nominated for a Teen Choice Award. Most recently, she starred in the rom-com Exmas.

While her iconic on-screen love affair with Chuck Bass will never be forgotten, Meester is now happily married to another teen drama star, The O.C.'s Adam Brody. The couple even appeared in the rom-com Life Partners together.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Leighton Meester (@itsmeleighton)

Together, they share two kids – daughter Arlo, born in 2015, and a son, whose name has not been revealed, born in 2020.

Brody confirmed the news of their baby boy on Twitch for Hold the Phone TV's The Fun Time Boys Game Night Spectacular, back in 2020.

"I have a new kid. Since last I played, I have a new kid," he shared. "I have a boy, and he's a dream. He's a dream boy."

Penn Badgley (Dan Humphrey).

Penn Badgley as Dan Humphrey and in 2024. Image: CW/Getty.

After revealing he was 'Gossip Girl' himself, Penn Badgley moved on to play another stalker in Netflix's hit psychological thriller, YOU. Before that, he appeared in several indie films like Adam Green’s Aladdin and dark revenge movie, The Paper Store. 

Outside of acting, the 37-year-old fronts the Brooklyn-based band 'MOTHXR', which formed in 2013. Three years later, they released their debut album, Centerfold. 

Oh, and it looks like 'Lonely Boy' isn't so lonely anymore. Badgley ended up tying the knot with singer, Domino Kirke (sister of actress Jemima Kirke) in 2017.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Domino Kirke-Badgley (@domino_kirke_badgley)

In September 2020, Kirke announced that the couple had previously welcomed their first child together, a little boy called James.

Penn is also the stepdad of Cassius, Domino's son from a previous relationship.

Chace Crawford (Nate Archibald).

Chace Crawford as Nate Archibald and in 2024. Image: CW/Getty.

Over a decade on, Chace Crawford is very much still a heartthrob. After playing Nate on Gossip Girl, Crawford started landing roles on the short-lived ABC series Blood & Oil in 2015 and the comedy film I Do…Until I Don’t in 2017. 

You also may have spotted him during his one-off guest appearance in Glee, where he played Quinn Fabray's boyfriend.

Crawford also had a bit of a run-in with the law and was arrested for possession of marijuana back in 2010.

More recently, the 38-year-old has been busy with his acting, having played cult follower Tex Watson in the Manson Family movie Charlie Says. He also executive produced and starred in the 2016 baseball film Undrafted.

Other film credits include roles in Eloise, Nighthawks, Inheritance, and All About Nina. 

And while his current relationship status remains a mystery, anyone who needs their Archibald fix can find him starring in the Amazon Prime series The Boys. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chace Crawford (@chacecrawford)

Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass).

Ed Westwick as Chuck Bass and in 2024. Image: The CW/Getty.

Much like his other cast members, Ed Westwick, who played resident bad boy Chuck Bass, has gone on to star in a number of thriller films. After Gossip Girl, he appeared in the comedy horror film Freaks of Nature and the supernatural thriller Last Flight. He also played a serial killer on ABC’s short-lived Wicked City.

The 36-year-old starred in 2021 movie Me, You, Madness – and yep, you guessed it, the film is another comedy thriller about a thief who discovers he robbed the home of a serial killer.

Westwick also played the role of Tybalt in the 2013 adaptation of Romeo & Juliet alongside Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld. His newest project is the Netflix horror thriller, DarkGame.

In 2017, Westwick was accused of rape by two women and sexual assault by a third. However, the charges were later dropped in 2018 after prosecutors said there was 'insufficient evidence'.

In January 2024, he proposed to fellow actor Amy Jackson while suspended thousands of feet in the Swiss Alps. The pair made their relationship Instagram official in June 2022 when Jackson shared a loving birthday tribute to him, describing Westwick as the love of her life and "home and an adventure of a lifetime all mixed into one".

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Amy Jackson (@iamamyjackson)

Taylor Momsen (Jenny Humphrey).

Taylor Momsen as Jenny Humphrey and in 2023. Image: CW/Getty.

Since leaving Gossip Girl, Dan’s little sister has kept herself away from the screen. 

Instead, Momsen turned to music and leads rock band The Pretty Reckless. Since forming in 2009, the band has released four studio albums, including one called Death by Rock and Roll.

In September 2023, Momsen sat down with her on-screen big brother Penn Badgley to talk all things Gossip Girl. 

On Podcrushed, the former child actor spoke about how her career was something she'd been forced to. Even Gossip Girl, in which she started acting when she was 12.

"It was a childhood thing that I got put into at two years old. I wasn’t making my own choices then," she said of acting.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Penn Badgley (@pennbadgley)

"Literally, as soon as I got to an age where I could make my own decisions, it was like a click... I woke up one morning and went, 'Wait a second. I don’t have to do this? I don’t have to do this other job? I can just play in my band and tour and write songs? I can just do that?'

"Granted, a little more complicated to get out of a television show than that, but the answer was yes."

With that, she said she "uprooted and changed my life overnight", with the help of the makers and writers behind Gossip Girl.

"They went, 'Well, we can’t let you out of your deal, but we can write you out of the show, so you can go on tour,'" Momsen recalled. "They really allowed me to follow my dream, and I’m forever grateful and thankful to them for that."

This post was originally published on September 23, 2020, and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Instagram.

Love watching TV and movies? Take our survey now to go in the running to win a $50 gift voucher.