Spotted: The Original Cast of Gossip Girl Then vs. Now

‘Gossip Girl’s’ Taylor Momsen Goes Topless On Red Carpet, Shows Off Toned Abs

Spotted: Gossip Girl alum Taylor Momsen working it in a decidedly not demure pasties-and-printed pants ensemble at KidSuper’s Funny Business Volume III Comedy Fashion Show. 

As if we need further proof she’s further left her days as Little J in the past. 

Just 14 when she was cast as Dan Humphrey’s desperate-to-belong little sis Jenny, the child actress ditched the plaid skirts and statement necklaces for good during the CW hit’s fourth series, not long after forming her rock band The Pretty Reckless. 

“I quit everything else and just focused on music,” she told E! News back in May of leaving acting behind at age 18. “It was the best decision I ever made, because it’s my true passion.”

Of course by then, the series—which premiered in September 2007—had already become a pop culture phenomenon, influencing style (didn’t it seem like every girl suddenly was wearing headbands and colorful tights?), vernacular (OMFG!) and, of course, making major stars out of its young cast.

GG’s crew—Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford, Jessica Szohr and Momsen—became big effin’ deals, with Sebastian Stan and Hilary Duff eventually hitting the Upper East Side to join in on the fun over the show’s six-season run.

And, yes, they were all spotted out together, both Badgley and Lively and Westwick and Szohr dating throughout their time on the series. With so many attractive actors in one space, hookups were bound to happen, Crawford reasoned during a 2024 appearance on Call Her Daddy, noting, ‘It was like our college experience.”

And while an HBO Max reboot found its own fanbase for two seasons starting in 2021, you know you still love the OG stars, XOXO.  

Curious what they’ve been up to since leaving the steps of the Met? Well, that’s one secret we’re more than happy to tell. 

Keep reading to check out which stars are still steaming up the small screens and who told their forever partner those three words, eight letters. 

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Blake Lively

The actress, who portrayed It Girl Serena van der Woodsen, has been keeping very busy since the end of Gossip Girl. A few months prior to the 2012 finale, Lively tied the knot with actor Ryan Reynolds and they’re now the proud parents to four kids: daughters James, Inez and Betty and son Olin, born in 2023. In recent years, she’s starred in hit movies The Age of Adaline, The Shallows, A Simple Favor and The Rhythm Section.

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Penn Badgley

Lonely Boy no more! Following his run as Dan Humphrey (who, spoiler alert, was ultimately revealed to be Gossip Girl), Badgley has been making headlines for his turn as stalker Joe Goldberg on the hit Netflix series You.

On a more personal note, Badgley is also a married man. The actor tied the knot with Domino Kirke, the sister of Girls actress Jemima Kirke, in Feb. 2017. They welcomed their first baby together in August 2020. Of course, fans of GG remember Badgley and Lively dated during the show’s early run before splitting in 2010. 

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Leighton Meester

The actress—a.k.a. privileged Upper East Sider Blair Waldorf—has been making a splash in the comedy world in recent years, starring in ABC’s Single Parents.

Meester married actor Adam Brody (aka The O.C.’s Seth Cohen) and they’re parents of a daughter named Arlo, born in 2015, and a son born in 2020, whose name has not been revealed.

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Chace Crawford

For six seasons, viewers swooned over Crawford’s character Nate Archibald. Since the 2012 finale, Crawford has starred in ABC’s Blood & Oil, as well as films Eloise and All About Nina. Crawford now stars in the Amazon original series The Boys, renewed for a fifth and final season in May 2024. 

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Ed Westwick

Westwick rose to fame as Chuck Bass and after hanging up his character’s signature scarf, he went on to appear in 2013’s Romeo & Juliet and star in 2015’s short-lived ABC drama Wicked City. He also starred in the British TV series White Gold.

In the fall of 2017, the Los Angeles Police Department started an investigation into sexual assault allegations made by several women against Westwick, which he denied. In July 2018, the Los Angeles County District Attorney declined to prosecute Westwick after determining there wasn’t enough evidence to file charges in two instances and a third accuser failed to cooperate with investigators. 

For the last few years, Westwick has been a relationship with actress Amy Jackson. They announced their engagement in January 2024, marrying in Italy that August.

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Taylor Momsen

Little J has come a long way since her days trying to snag a place in Blair’s crew. Momsen was just 14 when she starred as Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl, though she left the show in 2010 as music was her ultimate passion from an early age. She went on to form and front her band The Pretty Reckless when she was 17. 

As for a potential return to acting? “I never say never anymore in life, especially now with all the curveballs the world is throwing everyone,” she told E! at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards, her first red carpet in five years. “But no immediate plans.” 

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Jessica Szohr

Szohr burst onto the Hollywood scene with her breakout role as Vanessa Abrams in GG. Since that time, the actress has appeared in films The Internship, Ted 2 and Two Night Stand. She’s also been on TV shows Kingdom, Shameless and The Orville.

She gave birth to daughter Bowie Ella with hockey pro fiancé Brad Richardson in January 2021 and the pair went on to tie the knot in August 2024.

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Kristen Bell

Since the finale in 2012, the snarky narrator—who returned for the 2021 reboot—tied the knot with longtime love Dax Shepard, the pair welcoming daughter Lincoln in March 2013, followed by daughter Delta 21 months later. In the acting world, the actress starred in Hulu’s Veronica Mars revival and NBC’s The Good Place. Bell also fronted the Bad Moms films and voices Anna in Disney’s Frozen and Frozen 2. 

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Sebastian Stan

Remember when Bucky Barnes was on was on Gossip Girl? That’s right, the actor appeared in 11 episodes of the CW series as bad boy Carter Baizen from 2007 to 2010 and dated Leighton Meester during that time.

Since his time on the show, Stan has become a household name thanks to his role as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in the Captain America and Avengers films. He also starred on Disney+’s The Falcon and Winter Soldier opposite Anthony Mackie and in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy. 

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Hilary Duff

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than a decade since Duff made a guest appearance on GG. In her six-episode arc, she appeared as Hollywood star Olivia Burke, who sparked a romance with Dan while at NYU and infamously engaged in a threesome with the not-so-Lonely Boy and his BFF Vanessa.

Since then, Duff starred in her own hit TV series, Younger and How I Met Your Father. She was about to step back into Lizzie McGuire’s platform sandals for a Disney+ revival, but it didn’t work out due to differing creative visions.

In 2019, the “So Yesterday” singer married musician Matthew Koma, and they share daughters Banks, Mae and Townes. She’s also mom to son Luca from her past marriage to Mike Comrie.

A version of this story was first published on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 3 a.m. PT.

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