'Gossip Girl' characters: Where are they now?
Hey, Upper East Siders, ever wonder what happened to the scheming socialites and Gatsby-esque villains who seemed to always circle S and B? Well we know all their secrets, and we're totally here to tell. (Incidentally, among other projects, Blake Lively had two kids and starred in a shark movie and Leighton Meester appeared alongside The Mindy Project's Adam Pally on the FOX comedy series Making History, which was sadly canceled after one season.)
1. Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass, played by Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick
Then: Blair and Serena were no doubt the Upper East Side's main attraction, but poor little rich boys Nate and Chuck made for fun sideshows (and, at times, sidepieces). Nate broke Blair's heart, and then had his heart broken by Serena, while Chuck bedded every model and wannabe socialite above 60th Street - and maybe even a few downtown. They were rich, then broke, then rich again, but never lost their penchant for hair products (Nate) or bowties (Chuck).
Now: Post-GG, the boys have both dabbled in film and television. Chace Crawford's resume has since included small roles in movies including Eloise and I Do...Until I Don't and a guest spot on the Hulu series Casual. Ed Westwick, who apparently still doesn't know who Gossip Girl is, recently starred in the BBC2 series White Gold, playing a salesman (who looks an awful lot like Chuck Bass) with a smart mouth in 1980s Essex.
2. Jenny Humphrey, played by Taylor Momsen
Then: Brooklyn rebel Jenny Humphrey never quite fit in with the UES crowd - but that didn't stop her from climbing all the way to the top of those Met steps. She went from an impressionable minion to the Queen Bee of Constance, but it wasn't built to last; after GG reveals that Jenny slept with Chuck, she's slut-shamed and banished to somewhere upstate (past the Bronx, even, we think). Jenny most encapsulated the crushing humiliation, joy and, well, more crushing humiliation of being a teenager, finally harnessing her ambition and talent into a clothing line (which is much cooler than a headband).
Now: Despite years of working as a child actor - fun fact: she was shortlisted for Hannah Montana - Taylor Momsen always seem conflicted about her role on Gossip Girl, preferring to focus her attention on her band, The Pretty Reckless. Her character went on "indefinite hiatus" during the show's fourth season (as noted above), but did return for the grand finale. She continues to front The Pretty Reckless and enjoy copious amounts of black eyeliner. The band released its third studio album, Who You Selling For, in 2016.
3. Dan Humphrey, played by Penn Badgley
Then: Oh, Lonely Boy, where do we begin? From invisible outsider to the boyfriend of Serena, the most beautiful and sought-after socialite in New York, Dan Humphrey is at least partly responsible for making Brooklyn the new Manhattan, right? Along the way he romanced Vanessa, Georgina, Olivia, got weirdly close with Blair, interned at W magazine, and managed to write a tell-all novel about his experiences. Oh, and he was Gossip Girl.
Now: Penn Badgley certainly has shades of Dan in him: He was also too smart for high school (he started college at 14). Today, he continues to work in film – his most noted roles being in the underrated Easy A and also-underrated Cymbeline – and music. In 2016, Penn and his band, MOTHXR, released their debut album Centrefold. Outside of work, Penn and Domino Kirke (sister of Lola and Jemima) began dating in 2014 and tied the knot in New York City in February 2017.
4. Dorota Kishlovsky, played by Zuzanna Szadkowski
Then: As Blair's much put-upon maid/personal assistant/confidant/surrogate mother, Dorota dealt with the wrath of Waldorf often. Through it all, she proved herself to be impeccably loyal, capable, and selfless - she was Blair's true best friend. Oh, and it turned out Dorota also had one of the best secrets (on a show filled with big-stakes secrets) when it was revealed that she was a Polish princess who defected to America against her family's wishes. Really, she was the only royal fit for Queen B.
Now: Zuzanna (who has an acting MFA from Harvard) has since appeared on hot shows like The Knick, Girls, Elementary, and The Good Wife. And she's still Blair's ride-or-die chick: In a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Leighton's real-life husband Adam Brody said that Zuzanna is still one of Leighton's best friends. Other than that, Zuzanna has been maintaining an excellent Instagram account, which mostly features her adorable rescue dog, Cindy.
5. Georgina Sparks, played by Michelle Trachtenberg
Then: While it's a trope GG pulled out more than once, Georgina was the first character to appear as a mysterious stranger - pretending to be the clueless new girl in town. But psych, that's just the first of her many schemes, from bedding Dan to finding Jesus to faking her baby's paternity. She had a love/hate relationship with the GG inner circle, and her one-liners and stomach for ruthlessness were some of the show's best "OMG, is this bitch for real?!" moments. She ended her reign of terror after finally meeting her match, Chuck's skeevy uncle Jack.
Now: Michelle Trachtenberg had the perfect inspiration for Georgina - her own teenage years at a prestigious but vicious private school. While she's still best known for her turns on GG and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (not to mention being Harriet the Spy), she continues to work on shows like Sleepy Hollow, Criminal Minds, and the Lifetime movie Sister Cities, co-starring Pretty Little Liars' Troian Bellisario.
6. Eric van der Woodsen, played by Connor Paolo
Then: Serena's sensitive, smart and occasionally institutionalised brother is both a player and a pawn in the (mind) games Serena, Chuck, Dan, Blair and Jenny excel at. After being outed by the maniacal Georgina, he had a few semi-serious relationships before getting mixed up with drugs and the duplicitous, Serena-obsessed Damian. Around season four, he peaced out to Sarah Lawrence College and only returned for a brief good-bye in the finale (like Jenny).
Now: Connor, who attended acting school with Taylor Momsen and Modern Family's Sarah Hyland, may not have had a dramatic on-screen exit, but his off-screen exit was at least a little bit shady. He left GG with short notice for a role on Revenge and said he couldn't imagine a scenario that would have brought him back. In 2016, Connor appeared on an episode of Rush Hour, based on the movie franchise of the same name. (The show was cancelled by CBS after one season.)
7. Vanessa Abrams, played by Jessica Szohr
Then: Brooklyn's resident hip wet blanket, Vanessa mainly functioned as the "angel voice" on Dan's shoulder, but still juggled on-and-off relationships with him and Nate. Mostly, though, she wore statement necklaces and got involved in schemes that were way above her pay grade. She is ultimately responsible for having Dan's book published, and the last we saw of her, she's working on set for that bunk Sex and the City prequel.
Now: Jessica Szohr has since scored small roles in films like The Internship and Ted 2. She's also kept busy on the small screen, appearing on episodes of Kingdom (with Nick Jonas), CSI: Cyber, and the Twin Peaks revival. Jessica can next be seen in a recurring role on season 8 of Shameless.
8. Carter Baizen, played by Sebastian Stan
Then: Carter functioned like Chuck and Nate's gateway drug - he was the first to give them pot and sneak them into nightclubs. Much like Georgina, when Carter popped up, you knew trouble was close by; he also at some point became indebted to the Buckley family and had to work off his debt on an oil rig. (Sure, why not?!) The last we see of Carter is when he's caught lying to Serena - she retaliates by kicking him out of her limo, which is en route to Palm Springs in search of her dad. Maybe Carter settled into life in the desert and sells T-shirts at Coachella now.
Now: Sebastian Stan went on to appear in Black Swan, Political Animals, Once Upon a Time, and is now part of the Marvel Universe, playing Bucky Barnes in the Captain America and Avengers movies. He can next be seen in I, Tonya, playing Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gilooly opposite Margot Robbie.
9. Nelly Yuki, played by Yin Chang
Then: Nelly Yuki is a lesson for the kids: Do not peak in high school! After years of being a nervous minion for Blair, Penelope, and Jenny, Nelly uses her cunning intellect to get into Yale - Blair's dream school - and then does everything she can to sabotage her former boss bitch. Once back in NY, she scores a job at WWD and gives Blair's clothing line a shade-filled review. Teacher, meet student. Secretly, we had always hoped she was Gossip Girl.
Now: Creeping Yin Chang's Instagram, as GG would, we couldn't help but notice she's BFFs with Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor from Friday Night Lights!). In addition to appearing in films like The Bling Ring and Disney's Prom, she launched 88 Cups of Tea, a podcast where she interviews prominent writers, directors, and producers.
10. Prince Louis of Monaco, aka Louis Grimaldi, played by Hugo Becker
Then:After a Paris meet-cute, Blair and Prince Louis went on a disastrous double date with Serena and his undercover security guard, with Blair throwing a tantrum when she thinks it's Serena who got the prince. Not all is lost when Louis shows up in New York - with one of Blair's shoes - and the two resume their romance, becoming engaged despite the royal family's deep dislike of Blair. After an ill-fated pregnancy, Blair and Chuck's ongoing love/hate relationship and the Prince's cold-as-ice post-ceremony confession - that he's only in it for the optics - the two quickly divorce, because not even the Grimaldis can stand in the way of the Bass. Blair is all about that bass, after all.
Now: French actor Hugo Becker continues is making waves on the international scene, starring in American, French, and U.K. productions including Damsels in Distress, Breathe In, Silent Witness, Chefs, and Un jour mon prince! (yes, very fitting, that last one). He's basically The CW's answer to Vincent Cassel and also looks just like Jamie Dornan if you squint a little.
11. Eva Coupea, played by Clémence Poésy
Then: In term of other Europeans, the only legitimate threat to Chuck's love for Blair came from an Eastern European hooker with a heart of platinum. Eh-va finds Chuck wounded on the street after a botched robbery and nurses him back to health, eventually taking him to Paris and then convincing him to return home to New York (where he even tries to shake his playboy identity with a new philanthropic persona). Eventually, though, Eva was driven out of town by Waldorf's incessant meddling and manipulation. All's fair in love and Upper East Side war.
Now: Clémence is an accomplished actress and model, appearing in the Harry Potter films as Fleur Delacour, indie gem In Bruges, 127 Hours, and the British-French crime drama Tunnel, which will air its third and final season in 2018. As a fave of Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, she also has that impossibly chic jolie laide look nailed, and is a street style star often photographed at Paris Fashion Week's hottest shows.
12. Olivia Burke, played by Hilary Duff
Then: What better way to transition out of Disney handcuffs than with a girl-on-girl turn on The CW Network? Hilary Duff came to the Upper East Side as a famous actress who hid her identity from Dan (and being Dan, it takes him eons to figure it out - yet he managed to fool everyone around him for years. Whatevs!) while at NYU with him and Vanessa. Oh, and before she left school and town forever, they offer her the true college experience, which obviously includes shots and a threesome.
Now: The jump to Gossip Girl was actually great for Hilary's career. She was briefly married to former hockey player Mike Comrie, and has one son, Luca. In 2015, she released her fifth studio album, Breathe In. Breathe Out. She's also starring in the fantastic show Younger, which recently wrapped its fourth season and will return to TV Land for a fifth.
13. Raina Thorpe, played by Tika Sumpter
Then: Finally, the female Chuck Bass. Raina came into the picture as Chuck's business adversary, and all that tension quickly led to a not-so-hostile takeover (wink, wink). But after arguing over their conflicting interests, Raina moved onto Nate, leading to some serious Bass brooding.
Now: Tika's profile remains on the rise in Hollywood circles, thanks to work like Tyler Perry's soap, The Have and the Have Nots, Ride Along, Get On Up and Bessie. 2016 was a big year for Tika, beginning with the release of her film Southside With You, in which she played a young Michelle Obama, and ending with the birth of her baby girl Ella Loren. In 2017, Tika announced her engagement to Nicholas James, her co-star from The Haves and the Have Nots.
14. Agnes Andrews, played by Willa Holland
Then: Jenny Humphrey's immersion into the fashion world via Waldorf Designs came with a wild side: model Agnes Andrews. Pick your model poison really, because she embodied all the "bad girl" behavior we associate with PYTs. She convinced Jenny to leave Eleanor Waldorf's wrap-dress clad bosom for the cold, hard fashion world solo - but then when Jenny split from Agnes to go on her own, Agnes responded like any adult would: She burned Jenny's entire collection. Down the road, Agnes faked making nice with Jenny only to drug her and leave her at a strip club so Jenny would be raped. Thankfully, Nate finds Jenny before she got harmed but that storyline alone makes Agnes the most despicable GG character, hands down.
Now: Willa comes from a showbiz family - both her parents are actors, and her ex-stepfather is Scarface director Brian De Palma (who, fortuitously, brought her to her first agency meeting on the advice of Steven Spielberg). Besides modeling in campaigns for Guess and Ralph Lauren, Willa is best known for playing Marissa Cooper's younger sister on The O.C. These days, she plays Thea Queen on the popular TV series, Arrow.
15. Gabriel Edwards, played by Armie Hammer
Then:Gabriel was introduced to the UES through his girlfriend Poppy, and both worked to lure Serena to Spain in hopes of conning her into giving up her hard-earned money. Eventually the plan is exposed but not before Gabriel legit fell in love with S after all. Because duh.
Now: Armie graduated from the UES to Harvard, playing both of the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network. He's been steadily working his way up the movie star ladder ever since, starring in The Lone Ranger, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Birth of a Nation, and Nocturnal Animals. Armie can next be seen in the buzz worthy coming-of-age drama Call Me By Your Name, playing an academic who falls in love with a young man in Italy during the 1980s.
16. Some random personal shopper, played by Matt McGorry
Then: Who was that retail bae stealing the scene in the Valentine's Day-themed 2012 episode "Crazy, Cupid, Love?" OK, we may be exaggerating his screen presence, but no, your wine goggles don't deceive you, that is Orange Is the New Black and How to Get Away With Murder star Matt McGorry. We can't blame you for missing his brief appearance, but we sort of do all the same?
Now: Between Gossip Girl and his two hit shows, Matt's scored two more insignificant roles, playing an EMT on an episode of Royal Pains and an officer on Elementary. It's all good now, though. And he's still on one of his two hit shows (the one about getting away with murder).
17. Ursula Nyquist, played by Tyra Banks
Then: Our time with paranoid, fading diva Ursula was brief, but impactful - Tyra wouldn't have it any other way. Serena and Ursula bonded, albeit too briefly, after Ursula hires Serena to be her publicist ... because who wouldn't want an 18-year-old with no experience managing their public affairs?
Now: Model, actress, Harvard grad, and TV host Tyra Banks is still repping hard for America's Next Top Model, which is in what feels like its 843rd cycle. ANTM and Tyra took a brief break from each other when she passed the crown to Rita Ora for cycle 23 but don't worry, Tyra's back for cycle 24 and even better – there are no age limits for contestants this time around. Outside of ANTM, Tyra has been busy caring for her baby boy, York Banks-Asia, who was born via surrogacy in January 2016, and working on the long-awaited sequel to Life-Size, which will premiere on Freeform in December 2018.
And 18. Kristen Bell, aka the voice of Gossip Girl
Then: Her voice made the UES go 'round, and we loved to hear Gossip Girl's pithy and pun-filled take on the drama surrounding Serena et al. Her signature "xoxo" is now part of the pop culture lexicon and a go-to email sign-off when you don't really mean kisses but aren't quite pissy enough to write "all best." She appeared in the series finale as herself, and gave a meta-filled wink to the camera when it was revealed who Gossip Girl is - and isn't.
Now: Kristen Bell had a successful career pre-GG as teen detective Veronica Mars, and has had a big-time film and TV career with Heroes, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, House of Lies, and Frozen. She currently appears on the CBS series The Good Place, loves watching Game of Thrones, and has been busy working on Frozen 2, due in 2019.
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