Here’s What the Original “Gossip Girl” Cast Are Up to Now

Where else to begin than with ‘It’ girl herself, Serena van der Woodsen? Blake Lively played the beautiful, wealthy, golden-haired Serena, and she hasn’t done too badly since the show wrapped.

Blake Lively has acted in many movies since her time on TV, including The Age of Adaline and A Simple Favor. She’s married to actor Ryan Reynolds and together they have three daughters — James, Inez, and Betty. Close friend Taylor Swift wrote song “Betty” for their youngest daughter.

Actress Margaret Colin wasn’t actually cast for the series until after the pilot. In the opening episode, she’s played by Florencia Lozano. The actress played the mother of uptight Queen Bee Blair Waldorf. Eleanor was a fashion designer with a pretty fabulous New York home.

Since her time on the series, Margaret Colin has starred in Veep, and took home a Screen Actors Guild Award along with the rest of the cast. She’s married to actor Justin Deas and they have two sons together.

In a world of Upper East Siders, Matthew Settle played Brooklynite Rufus Humphrey. Rufus was the father of lonely boy Dan and fashion fan Jenny, and was a rock star turned gallery owner. How very New York of him.

While he was still on Gossip Girl, Settle made his Broadway debut as Billy Flynn in Chicago. After the series wrapped, he starred in horror movies Ouija and The Faith of Anna Waters. The actor has two children, daughters Nalu and Aven.

Over the years, Gossip Girl has had plenty of big-name guest stars. One of those was English actress Elizabeth Hurley, who starred as Diana Payne towards the end of the show’s run. Hurley’s character was the intimidating editor-in-chief of the New York Spectator, and Nate’s love interest. O la, la!

Of course, Elizabeth Hurley was a major star before appearing on Gossip Girl. Since the show wrapped, she has acted in several movies and played Queen Helena on The Royals.

On Gossip Girl, Jenny Humphrey tries and fails to fit in with the rich girls at Constance Billard School for Girls. Over the course of the show, she struggles to fit in and eventually jets off to London to study fashion.

In real life, actress Taylor Momsen had a similar experience. She said, “The thing that made me the happiest is when I finally quit.” The star wanted to focus on her band, The Pretty Reckless, and hasn’t acted since leaving the iconic series.

Here’s another guest star that brightened up Gossip Girl when he appeared — it’s iconic actor Wallace Shawn! The star played Cyrus Rose, Eleanor Waldorf’s divorce attorney and entertainment lawyer. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t exactly what Blair Waldorf had in mind as a potential stepfather.

Wallace Shawn has been acting since the ’70s, and he hasn’t slowed down. After the show wrapped, he has appeared in several movies each year! He has also starred in The Good Wife and Young Sheldon.

Gossip Girl is full of some pretty wild storylines. One of those is Lily van der Woodsen and Rufus Humphrey’s long-lost biological son, Scott Rosson. The pair go through all sorts of hijinks before they finally reunite with their love child.

Scott was played by American actor Chris Riggi who continued to work after his time on the hit series. Riggi appeared in comedy-drama Adult World, adventure movie Police State, and had a small role in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Hey, we’re not just catching up with the show’s big names — we also want to know what happened to smaller characters, like Damien Dalgaard. On the show, Damien was a bad influence on young Jenny, and created dangerous situations for many of the main characters.

In real life, Canadian actor and model Kevil Zegers has had many roles since. He starred in TV series Gracepoint, Notorious, Dirty John, and Fear the Walking Dead. He’s married to Jaime Feld and has twin daughters.

Here she is! Another big hitter from the original Gossip Girl series is Leighton Meester, who played the well-dressed but hateable Blair Waldorf. Much like her co-star Blake Lively, Leighton Meester has continued to act since her time on the show.

As well as appearing in movies and TV shows, Meester has released her own music. She made her Broadway debut in 2014 in Of Mice and Men. Adorably, the star is married to fellow teen idol Adam Brody, and they have two children.

Some may have forgotten that Marvel star Sebastian Stan also appeared on Gossip Girl. The Romanian-American actor played Carter Baizen, a rival of Nate and Chuck. During his time on the show, Carter runs off with Serena and hooks up with Blair.

Stan has become a huge star since his time on The CW. Now known as Bucky Barnes, or the Winter Soldier, Stan has appeared in a list of hit movies. He’s playing Tommy Lee in the upcoming miniseries, Pam & Tommy.

Next up is Desmond Harrington, who played Chuck’s scheming uncle Jack Bass. The actor appeared on the show from seasons two to six, and attempts to take Bass Industries for his own. Around the same time that he starred on the show, Harrington also played Detective Joseph Quinn on Dexter.

Since Gossip Girl, Desmond Harrington has continued to act on television. He starred in Sneaky Pete, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Elementary. On the big screen, he acted in the horror movie, The Neon Demon.

Many people forget that actress Kristen Bell was also part of the Gossip Girl cast. The actress played the iconic voice of the show’s secret blogger, signing off with a mysterious “xoxo” each time she spilled some tea. Indeed, Bell is back in the new reboot, providing the all-important voice-over.

Kristen Bell has done well since the show wrapped. She starred in hit series The Good Place, played a Disney princess in Frozen, and joined the Veronica Mars revival.

Before joining Gossip Girl, actress Michelle Trachtenberg had already appeared in iconic show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On the Upper East Side, her character Georgina Sparks was ruthless and manipulative, a perfect teen villain.

Since her time on the show, Michelle Trachtenberg has spoken up about her treatment on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Indeed, she joined others in making accusations against its creator, Joss Whedon. Interestingly, Georgina Sparks’ son from the original series appears on the rebooted version of the show.

We adore Kelly Rutherford and her turn as Serena’s mom, Lily van der Woodsen, on the series. The fictional socialite and philanthropist is a main cast member for the entire show, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

After the series wrapped, Kelly Rutherford popped up on Jane the Virgin, Dynasty, and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. The actress has two children, Hermés and Helena, with ex-husband Daniel Giersch. They were embroiled in a public custody disagreement for several years.

Gossip Girl has some wonderful villains, including the mysterious Ivy Dickens, also known as Charlie Rhodes. The character appears in season four as the supposed estranged cousin of Serena. As it turns out, she’s a con artist hired to get access to a trust fund. Of course!

Ivy was played by actress Kaylee Anne DeFer. She acted a little after the show wrapped and then announced her retirement. Now, the mom of three describes herself as “a former actress.”

Bizarrely, in web-series Chasing Dorota, it’s revealed that the Waldorf’s maid is actually a Polish countess with a secret husband. In the main series, Dorota is often on the receiving end of Blair’s bad moods. However, she also acts as a mother figure for the troubled teen.

Since the series wrapped, Polish-American actress Zuzanna Szadkowski has starred in TV series The Knick, Elementary, and Girls. She opened an acting school with director Sam Weisman in 2010, and lives in Brooklyn.

On Gossip Girl, Jessica Szohr starred as the low-key hipster Vanessa Abrams. The character first appeared in season one as Dan’s former love interest, but stayed around when fans responded well to the character. Ultimately, Vanessa leaves the main cast after season four.

In real life, Jessica Szohr is married to ice hockey played Brad Richardson. The couple welcomed their daughter in 2021. She has continued to act, with roles in TV series Twin Peaks, Shameless, and The Orville.

It’s time for the much-adored Nate Archibald, played by Chace Crawford. Nate was the ultimate crush for Gossip Girl fans, what with his piercing eyes and Hollywood good looks. During the show, both Blair and Serena fight over the wealthy heir.

Much like his co-stars, Chace Crawford kept acting after the series wrapped. He had a lead role on soap Blood & Oil and appeared in the comedy, Casual. Most recently he played Kevin Moskowitz/The Deep in Amazon superhero series The Boys.

It’s time for another guest star! Remember Jenny’s terrible friend, Agnes? Well, she was played by American actress and model Willa Holland. On the show, Agnes is a model friend of Jenny’s but later becomes a full-on enemy.

Asides from her small role on Gossip Girl, Willa Holland was known for her role on The O.C. She has since starred in DC TV series Arrow and The Flash as Thea Queen/Speedy. She also voices Aqua from the Kingdom Hearts video game franchise.

It wouldn’t be the glossy world of Gossip Girl if there wasn’t some royalty in the mix, right? Well, character Louis Grimaldi was the nephew of Albert II, the sovereign Prince of Monaco, and heir to the throne. Naturally, Louis pretends to be a chauffeur when he first meets Blair.

After his turn as Louis Grimaldi, French actor and director Hugo Becker kept working. He has acted in many movies and starred in various TV shows including the Netflix sci-fi series, Osmosis.

We’ll never not be excited to see Lizzie McGuire herself on our screens. Actress Hilary Duff was a guest star on Gossip Girl, playing movie star Olivia Burke. In her six-episode arc, she hooked up with Dan and Vanessa.

There was almost a reboot of Lizzie McGuire in 2020 but it was tragically scrapped. Regardless, Hilary had a lead role in Younger and is starring in How I Met Your Father. She’s married to musician Matthew Koma and has three kids.

Juliet Sharp was one of Gossip Girl’s mysterious characters who eventually revealed a past entangled with the van der Woodsens. The intriguing character first appeared in season four, played by American actress Katie Cassidy.

Katie had her big break after leaving the series when she was cast as Laurel Lance/Black Canary in superhero series Arrow and The Flash. Interestingly, both Hilary Duff and Katie Cassidy portrayed late model and actress Sharon Tate in separate movies about her death. Both were flops.

Up next is another of Gossip Girl’s central cast — bad boy Chuck Bass, played by Ed Westwick. Over the course of the series, the always dapper Chuck goes from manipulative womanizer to ambitious leading man.

In real life, English actor and musician Ed Westwick had ongoing movie roles after the show and played Vincent in the English sitcom, White Gold. The actor was accused of inappropriate behavior by three women in 2017, which caused his BBC projects to be paused.

It’s time for another season-four character — Juliet Sharp’s brother, Ben Donovan. In retrospect, there are a whole lot of issues with Ben’s storyline. For one, he was Serena’s teacher and later developed a romantic relationship with her. We’re pretty sure that’s not OK.

Ben was played by American actor David Call. After portraying the dodgy character, Call starred in musical drama Smash, fantasy series The Magicians, and police procedural The Sinner. He has also appeared in various movies since the show wrapped.

Actor Michael Boatman portrayed businessman Russell Thorpe, a long-time rival of Bart Bass. Russell’s daughter, Raina, gets together with Chuck — much to Russel’s dismay.

Michael Boatman has made several movie appearances, including in Second Act alongside Jennifer Lopez. On TV, he played Michael in Anger Management, Charlie in sitcom Instant Mom, and Julius in The Good Fight. The actor has four kids with his wife, Myrna Forney.

In the fictional world of Gossip Girl, every Queen Bee needs a group of minions. Penelope Shafai was a clique member for both Blair and Jenny, constantly shifting between the leader with the most power. Naturally, she competed to be one of Blair’s bridesmaids.

Penelope was played by actress Amanda Setton, who has gone on to have a successful career in soaps. She stars in General Hospital, and acted in One Life to Live. Amanda Setton is also a mom of three.

Remember Ivy Dickens? The con artist who pretended to be Serena’s cousin, Charlotte “Charlie” Rhodes? Well, Charlotte “Lola” Rhodes is that actual character! Make sense? Yeah, we thought so. Lola finally showed up in season five and runs into Ivy herself. What are the chances?!

Actress Ella Rae Peck played Lola in the show, and has continued to act. She starred in soap Deception, and in police procedural The Sinner, among other TV shows. The actress has also acted in major movies, including drama Tuscaloosa.

Over the years, Serena van der Woodsen had plenty of romantic interests. One of those was Steven Spence, the CEO of a vitamin company. Naturally, Steven is the father of Sage Spence, who’s dating Nate Archibald. What a mess!

The businessman was played by actor Barry Watson who has gone on to star in Hart of Dixie, Date My Dad, and upcoming superhero series Naomi. Watson is married to actress Natasha Gregson Wagner and has three children.

And here he is! The lonely boy himself, Dan Humphrey. The whole series kicks off with Dan attending St Jude’s School for boys on a scholarship, putting him alongside Manhattan’s elite. As the series progresses, we learn lots more about what’s really going on with Dan.

Actor Penn Badgley really hit the big time with Netflix series You. He plays the creepy Joe, an actual serial killer. Penn is married to singer Domino Kirke and they welcomed a son in 2020.

Who better to play Chuck Bass’s billionaire father than the imposing Robert John Burke? The actor perfectly portrayed Bart’s ruthlessness, right up until his grisly demise. But, what has he been doing since?

The already successful Robert John Burke has continued to play tough men, starring in movies BlacKkKlansman and True Story. On TV, he plays Captain Ed Tucker on Law & Order: SVU and has starred in a host of other series. In his spare time, the actor is an active firefighter and captain!

When she appears in just about anything, French actress Clémence Poésy manages to steal the scene. In Gossip Girl, she literally saved Chuck’s life and managed to look impossibly chic while doing it.

The star played Fleur Delacour in the Harry Potter movies, and acted in Christopher Nolan’s action-thriller Tenet in 2020. On TV, she played Elise in British-French crime drama The Tunnel. Clémence Poésy is a mom of two, and currently expecting her third child.

We’ve covered father Steven, but what about young Sage? This character arrived in season six and caused all sorts of havoc for Serena. Hey, when your dad is dating the Queen Bee, why not take advantage of her connections?

The scheming Sage was portrayed by actress Sofia Black-D’Elia. Before her time on the Upper East Side, she played Tea in the MTV remake of British show Skins. More recently, she’s played Heather on To All the Boys: Always and Forever.

You didn’t think we’d forgotten about Eric, right? Serena’s little brother is the catalyst for the show’s pilot and goes on to have relationships with some of the main cast. The character was brought to life by actor Connor Paolo, who went on to star in Revenge.

Connor Paolo has continued to work but doesn’t have much of an online presence. The actor has appeared in various movies and made appearances in TV shows like The Brave, Rush Hour, and The Resident.

And now for the intimidating, snobbish grandmother of Serena and Eric — CeCe Rhodes. Over the course of the series, viewers watched as the matriarch socialite caused havoc for her loved ones. Lily’s mom is a classic villain, but she’s also a joy to watch.

Paris-born actress Caroline Lagerfelt took on this wonderful role, and she hasn’t slowed down. Now approaching her 80s, the actress has appeared on NCIS, Gotham, and The Mindy Project. She has two children.

Last but definitely not least is the previously mentioned Raina Thorpe. While Chuck Bass initially thinks Raina is her father’s secretary, he later discovers that she’s the vice president of his company. Plus, as the season continues, other much darker secrets are revealed.

Tika Sumpter played Raina on the show, and she went on to star in The Game the same year. Since 2019, the star has played Alicia on sitcom Mixed-ish. She’s married to her The Haves and the Have Nots co-star Nicholas James.