Scandals The Cast Of Gossip Girl Will Never Outrun

The following article includes allegations of sexual assault.

Arriving in the fall of 2007 on the CW, "Gossip Girl" took viewers into the privileged world of wealthy New York teenagers and inside their drama-filled lives while attending private school. There was Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), the "Queen B" of the Upper East Side, and her rival/best friend, Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively). Other characters included egotistical cad Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), quintessential prep school hottie Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), and Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), whose humble origins made him something of an outsider. Meanwhile, a mysterious, anonymous blogger known as Gossip Girl (voiced by "Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell) comments on all the action.

Beyond that core cast, several other actors came and went over the years. These included the likes of Hilary Duff, Taylor Momsen, and the late Michelle Trachtenberg, who tragically died at age 39 in late February 2025.

The show became an instant hit, running for six seasons and transforming its young actors into bona fide stars. While fans may wonder what the cast of "Gossip Girl" is doing today, they're also likely to recall the controversy that's accompanied all the fame and success that many of the actors have experienced over the years. To find out more, read on for a rundown of scandals the cast of "Gossip Girl" will never outrun.

In 2009, as "Gossip Girl" was at the peak of its popularity, TMZ reported that a sex tape featuring Leighton Meester was being shopped around. Among the outlets who turned down the chance to buy it — for a reported $100,000 – was website Mr. Skin. However, Meester herself insisted that the video, in which she would have been 18 years old, did not exist. "[The tape] is not real, so it makes me sort of sad," she told Harper's Bazaar. "I definitely understand the nature of people better now and that the mere allegation of something like that could be headline news," she added. "People think it's real because somebody says it is."

A couple of years later, Meester became embroiled in further controversy when she took her mother, Constance Meester, to court, accusing her of ripping her off financially. According to her lawsuit, she had been sending her mom $7,500 per month to take care of her brother, who required medical care. However, the "Gossip Girl" star flipped out when she discovered her mother had instead been spending the money on things like cosmetic surgery, hair extensions, and Botox. Meester claimed her mother threatened to sue her for $3 million if she didn't raise the monthly stipend to $10,000.

Constance counter-sued, adding some shocking allegations to the mix. "Leighton intentionally assaulted Constance by throwing her to the ground and repeatedly hitting her with a bottle," her lawsuit stated, reported People. The suit further claimed Constance had "sacrificed her happiness" (via The Hollywood Reporter) to support her daughter's acting career. She ultimately withdrew her suit, and her daughter won a default judgement against her mom.

"Gossip Girl" had been off the air for several years when, in 2017, the Los Angeles Police department launched an investigation into Ed Westwick. That investigation was based on an allegation from actor Kristina Cohen that he sexually assaulted her in 2014. Two more women came forward with similar claims from 2014, Aurélie Wynn and Rachel Eck, with the latter telling BuzzFeed that Westwick had "aggressively groped" her.

The accusations led to immediate repercussions for Westwick. He was viewed as being so toxic that scenes he filmed for an Agatha Christie adaptation for British television were all reshot with another actor cast in his part. Westwick, however, maintained his innocence. "It is disheartening and sad to me that as a result of two unverified and provably untrue social media claims, there are some in this environment who could ever conclude that I have had anything to do with such vile and horrific conduct," he wrote in a since-deleted tweet, as reported by E! News.

Ultimately, Westwick was never hit with any charges. According to a memo issued by prosecutors, there was insufficient evidence to charge him in the cases of Cohen and Wynn. "Those witnesses were not able to provide information that would enable the prosecution to prove either incident beyond a reasonable doubt," that memo stated, as reported by The Guardian. "Prosecution on those two incidents is declined due to insufficient evidence." Eck's claims, the memo added, couldn't be investigated due to her unavailability. In any case, Westwick's career took a hit, and led many to wonder what ever happened to Westwick after "Gossip Girl."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

While marijuana has been legalized in several U.S. states, Texas is not among them. "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford found that out the hard way when he was arrested for a crime that many fans may not even know that he'd committed: possession of some wacky tabacky in Plano, Texas. Crawford and a pal were reportedly in a car in a mall parking lot outside of Ringo's Pub when police conducted a search. Crawford was found to be in possession of a single joint. He was charged with a misdemeanor, possession of marijuana under 2 ounces, and faced a maximum sentence of six months in prison.

Crawford was freed on bond, and the next day was spotted having lunch with friends in the same mall where he'd been busted. "He was cool," an eyewitness told People. "He was on the phone the whole time. [The group] seemed normal. None of them seemed like they were mad or anything."

Crawford managed to avoid doing any jail time when he cut a plea deal that instead placed him on probation. In addition to once a month meetings with a probation officer, he was also required to perform 24 hours of community service. Upon completion of that community service, split between working in a hospital and a church, a judge wiped the drug conviction from his record.

Kelly Rutherford portrayed Lily van der Woodsen, wealthy mother of Blake Lively's "Gossip Girl" character. During her time on the show, Rutherford filed legal papers to divorce her husband, German businessman Daniel Giersch, while she was pregnant with their second child. That kicked off a nightmare that lasted years, cost her a fortune, and drove her to bankruptcy.

After battling over custody of their two children, a détente was reached in 2009 when the exes came to an agreement. That truce didn't last long, and shortly after she obtained a temporary restraining order against him. The situation took a serious nosedive, however, when information that Rutherford's lawyer passed on to the State Department about Giersch's allegedly shady business dealings led his visa to be revoked. After he was deported, he settled in Monaco. This suddenly made their joint custody agreement problematic, particularly when a judge ruled that their kids should reside with their father in Monaco, under the rationale that Rutherford was permitted to travel there but Giersch was banned from returning to the U.S. When she attempted to keep the kids in the U.S. with her in 2015, she was accused of abducting her own children.

The situation was eventually rectified when she moved to Monaco. "Yes, it was a challenging time. It was a heartbreaking time. But I focus on the good most of the time, I really do," she told People in 2024. "I'm very thankful of where we are. I have a great relationship with my kids."

During the course of "Gossip Girl," Kelly Rutherford's Lily van der Woodsen entered into a romantic relationship with rock musician and art gallery owner Rufus Humphrey (played by actor Matthew Settle), the father of Penn Badgley's character, Dan Humphry. While Rutherford was in the midst of her messy divorce, in 2010, Settle and his wife, model model Naama Nativ, were also splitting up. "Divorce is imminent," a source told Us Weekly. The following year, the divorce was finalized, reportedly amicable.

Perhaps due to wish fulfillment from fans hoping the actors would get together like their characters had, rumors began flying that the reason for their respective divorces was because Rutherford and Settle were dating. Those rumors heated up when the two shared a very public smooch on a 2012 red carpet.

When asked to confirm or deny that they were a couple, Rutherford insisted they were not. "We love each other ... as friends!" Rutherford told E! News. Settle also denied those romance rumors, with his publicist insisting (via Glamour) that reports that he and his co-star were an item were "not correct at all."

Penn Badgley was a "Gossip Girl" fan favorite as Dan Humphrey, and he went on to further success with the creepy stalker drama "You." That show, like "Gossip Girl," proved to be a big hit, particularly when it moved from Lifetime to Netflix. One of the aspects of the show that kept viewers returning to the show was its steamy sex scenes. That, however, changed abruptly when Badgley informed the show's creator that he no longer wanted to appear in any more intimate scenes.

As he explained during an episode of his "Podcrushed" podcast, he had come to feel that simulating lovemaking on camera was akin to cheating on his wife. "Fidelity in every relationship, and especially my marriage, is really important to me. It just got to a point where I don't want to do that," he said, as reported by the New York Post. If he had it his way, Badgley would never appear in another sex scene again. "It's important to me in my real life to not have them," he told Variety.

Understandably, some fans of "You" were not happy about his refusal to appear in those scenes, and backlash resulted. In a subsequent interview with GQ, he said he felt as if the negative fan reaction had been "blown out of proportion," something he blamed on the internet's lack of context. "What I was speaking about wasn't actually the final product," he said. "It was sort of like the culture inherent to the production of all movies, but particularly those scenes. It's like, look, we know that Hollywood has had a history of flagrant exploitation and abuse."

A child actor who played Cindy Lou Who opposite Jim Carrey in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," in "Gossip Girl," Taylor Momsen portrayed Jenny Humphrey, younger sister of Penn Badgley's Dan. Jenny quickly became a favorite with the show's fans — which is why they were so disappointed when she exited "Gossip Girl" during Season 4.

At the time, Momsen had been experiencing success with her musical sideline as lead singer of her band, The Pretty Reckless. She came to the conclusion she was done with acting and wanted to focus full-time on music. She took some heat, particularly when "Project Runway" judge Tim Gunn shared his unflattering impression of Momsen after making a "Gossip Girl" guest appearance. "What a diva!" Gunn told E! News. "She was pathetic, she couldn't remember her lines, and she didn't even have that many. I thought to myself, 'Why are we all being held hostage by this brat?'"

More than a decade later, Momsen shared her truth behind that situation. Explaining that she'd been acting since age 2, she recalled being struck with the realization she didn't have to do it anymore. "It was like a light bulb went off and I uprooted and changed my whole life kind of overnight," she told her TV brother when she appeared on his podcast, "Podcrushed" (via CNN). Looking back, she remained thankful to producers for writing her character out of the show and allowing her to quit so she could hit the road with The Pretty Reckless. "They really allowed me to follow my dream and so I'm forever grateful and thankful to them for that," she added.

As the unseen titular Gossip Girl, Kristen Bell's voice was heard in every episode of the series — even returning to the role when the series was rebooted with a whole new cast in 2021. She's also raised eyebrows with some strange things about her marriage to Dax Shepard – such as the time a rumor began circulating that they had an open marriage. "There was the most exciting tabloid story that we were Hollywood swingers, and we hosted swing parties," Shepard declared while appearing on "The Drew Barrymore Show," where he also confirmed, "No, we have not crossed that divide with anyone."

Bell and Shepard have also experienced backlash for their parenting. That was the case when Bell appeared on "The View" and revealed she didn't bathe their kids until she could smell them. "I wait for the stink," she said (via Today). Further backlash came when Bell revealed that the couple allowed their infant daughter to drink non-alcoholic beer.

The couple received even more online disapproval when Bell discussed bringing their kids to an amusement park in Denmark and letting them wander around unsupervised for the entire day. "Didn't see them for seven hours," she said while appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" When asked if it all worked out, she quipped, "Apparently. They're both alive. We all returned home," Bell joked.

Kristen Bell isn't the only "Gossip Girl" alum to experience backlash over parenting that some on the internet found to be dodgy. Hilary Duff — who appeared in several episodes in the recurring role of Olivia Burke, a famous actor who's attending NYU — was deemed to be a bad parent due to a video that her co-star posted featuring her 3-year-old daughter. In that video, her daughter is seen in the back seat of a moving car, while not secured in a car seat.

As the backlash grew — including an entire segment on "Good Morning America" in which a pediatrician detailed the dangers of not buckling up an infant in a car seat — Duff defended her actions. Interviewed by Romper, she insisted that the offending video was shot while on the street leading up to the driveway of her home, within a quiet, gated community with little traffic.

"It's not like I'm driving on the 405 with my kids in the back seat without a car seat. You have no context. You don't know where I am," she said, explaining that her friend and co-star, Molly Bernard (who filmed the video), was in the backseat ensuring her daughter's safety. "Do you know how many times I let my kids sit on my front seat once we get [close to our driveway] to pretend like they're driving home? You're telling me you've never put your kid in the back seat to drive a block before with an adult back there?"

Ever since her career-making role as Serena van der Woodsen, Blake Lively has been at the center of several scandals. While "Gossip Girl" propelled her toward a lucrative movie career, one of those films proved to be such a fraught experience for her that it led to an explosive series of lawsuits that rattled Hollywood.

At the center of it all is the 2024 film, "It Ends With Us," directed by former "Jane the Virgin" star Justin Baldoni, who also co-starred with Lively. While Lively and Baldoni offer differing versions of events, it's clear that they clashed while making the film, with Lively even taking matters into her own hands by hiring an editor to produce her own cut of the movie. When the movie premiered in August, online sleuths pointed to evidence of a rift between its stars.

That December, Lively launched a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. Baldoni then sued The New York Times for libel, accusing the newspaper of conspiring with Lively's PR team to paint an unflattering portrait of him. He then sued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, seeking $400 million in damages. Lively's lawyers responded by issuing a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim," the statement read. Lively then amended her initial complaint, claiming two female actors who'd worked on the film were willing to testify. As of March 2025, the litigation remains ongoing.