Gossip Girl at 15: where is the cast now including Blake Lively and Penn Badgley?

It has been 15 years since people were updated with the “Manhattan Elite” in the CW’s popular television show Gossip Girl.

The American teen series followed six teenagers around New York as they made their way through school and adulthood with an abundance of drama following them and their families.

Six seasons were made of the CW show originally adapted from a novel series of the same name by Cecily Von Ziegesar.

Since the show’s release on 19 September 2007, a spin-off show on HBO Max has been made and the actors and actresses who played the iconic New York teenagers have made huge names for themselves.

From Hollywood blockbusters and Netflix hits to making strides in their personal and social lives, here is all the gossip to get you up to date with the original cast:

Blake Lively - Serena Van Der Woodsen

Gossip Girl’s leading lady Blake Lively who played main character Serena Van Der Woodsen has gone on to large professional and personal success.

Known for her stylish outfits and voluminous hair, the model and actress has gone onto star in top films such as The Age of Adaline, A Simple Favour and The Shallows.

Blake has also done a lot of advocacy work for women’s justice and to raise awareness for missing and exploited children.

In personal life, the 35-year-old has been married to Ryan Reynolds for a decade and shares three children with the Deadpool actor, and is currently expecting their fourth child.

Leighton Meester - Blair Waldorf

Arguably the biggest star to come out of Gossip Girl is Leighton Meester, the actress behind devious socialite Blair Waldorf.

While Leighton starred in some stand out movies including That’s My Boy, Monte Carlo and Killer Movie, the 36-year-old ventured into the world of music by releasing several singles and an album.

Leighton has also appeared on Broadway opposite James Franco, Robert Downey Jr and Chris O’Dowd in several shows, as well as volunteering for Feeding America since 2017.

The Texan actress has two children with husband Adam Brody who she met while filming The Oranges in 2010.

Ed Westwick - Chuck Bass

Flying the Union Jack for the UK was British actor Ed Westwick, 35, who played Charles ‘Chuck’ Bass in the American series.

Ed once spoke of his role in Gossip Girl saying: “There wasn’t much work in the UK, I was in LA for a month and I got this show. It’s changed my life.”

The actor said it himself as the British actor got roles in Romeo and Juliet (2013) and Chalet Girl, in addition to leading the BBC Two comedy series White Gold alongside two of The Inbetweeners’ cast members.

In 2017, three sexual misconduct allegations were made against the Chuck Bass actor which resulted in the pausing of the BBC Two show as well as his part in BBC’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Ordeal by Innocence - no prosecutions were made.

Chace Crawford - Nate Archibald

In the 15 years since Gossip Girl first aired on the CW, Chace Crawford has starred in a few movies and has recently been cast in Amazon’s series ‘The Boys’ as Kevin Moskowitz.

Chace, 37, played boy next door Nate Archibald in his television debut at the age of 22, propelling him to teen heart-throb stardom.

Not only has Chace starred in The Boys, but he has secured main roles in movies such as What to Expect, When You’re Expecting, Nighthawks and Mountain Men.

Over the years, he has also had many guest appearances in hit television shows Glee and Saturday Night Live.

Penn Badgley - Dan Humphrey

For his part as “lonely boy” Dan Humphrey, Penn Badgley received six Teen Choice Award nominations despite initially turning down the role.

Since then, Penn has gone onto find fame as Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s You and clinch roles in rom-com Easy A and biopic Greetings from Tim Buckley.

Penn’s love life has also been in the public eye, during and following Gossip Girl, after he was in a relationship with co-star Blake Lively until 2010 and actress Zoe Kravitz until 2013 -  year later, Penn married singer Domino Kirke and welcomed their first son in August 2020.

The 35-year-old is an activist on top of his job as an actor, after the BP oil spill encouraged him to explore his faith and spirituality.

Taylor Momsen - Jenny Humphrey

While Gossip Girl fans will know Taylor Momsen as Jenny Humphrey, many will recognise the actress from her childhood role in the Christmas classic The Grinch as Cindy Lou-Who.

However in 2011, Taylor told Elle Magazine that she was retiring from acting to focus on her musical career, albeit appearing in Gossip Girl’s finale in 2012.

Taylor leads her band The Pretty Reckless, whose music has been used in the movie Kick-Ass in addition to Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries.

Last year, Taylor’s band released their fourth studio album and have been on several tours.