Meet the “Gossip Girl” Cast's Real-Life Partners
'Gossip Girl' included some notable love stories, and the cast has gone on to have epic romances offscreen
Gossip Girl always knew how to make us swoon with its love stories, and many of the actors have gone on to have epic romances offscreen.
The hit CW series, which aired from 2007 to 2012, followed the dramatic happenings of New York's Upper East Side elite, from complicated love triangles to on- and off-again relationships.
Since the series ended, many of the stars have gone on to get married and start families of their own. Blake Lively notably married actor Ryan Reynolds, after meeting on the set of Green Lantern, while Leighton Meester found love with fellow teen drama actor Adam Brody.
Recently, a few more Gossip Girl alumni tied the knot. Jessica Szohr married former NHL player Brad Richardson in a wedding attended by a handful of CW actors, while Ed Westwick recently found the "B to his Chuck" in wife Amy Jackson.
Here’s everything to know about the real-life partners of the Gossip Girl cast.
Blake Lively
Blake Lively is best known for playing golden girl Serena van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl. Though her character marries Dan Humphrey (played by actor Penn Badgley, whom Lively dated in real life) in the series finale, offscreen, Lively found love with actor Ryan Reynolds.
After meeting on the set of Green Lantern, the two reconnected years later when they happened to go on a double date with other people. "It was funny because, for about a year after Green Lantern had come and gone and all that stuff, we were both single. We went on a double date," Reynolds told Entertainment Weekly. "That was the most awkward date [from their perspective] probably because we were just like fireworks coming across."
The couple later tied the knot on Sept. 9, 2012, during a private wedding in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Since then, they have welcomed four children together, daughters James, Inez and Betty and a son named Olin.
Leighton Meester
Leighton Meester famously played "Queen B" Blair Waldorf. On the show, Blair got married to her epic on-again, off-again love Chuck Bass, but in real life, Meester found love with a different teen drama star, The O.C. actor Adam Brody.
The couple first met on the set of The Oranges and went public with their romance in early February 2013. After getting engaged that November, they tied the knot in February 2014, a day after Valentine's Day.
Since then, they have become parents of two, including a daughter named Arlo, born in 2015, and a son, whose name has not been revealed, born in 2020.
Ed Westwick
Ed Westwick played notorious bad boy Chuck Bass, who eventually settles down with his longtime love Blair Waldorf at the end of the show.
Years after Gossip Girl ended, Westwick found love with model Amy Jackson. After crossing paths at a fall 2021 Aston Martin racing event, the couple began dating and Westwick popped the question during a ski trip in January 2024.
Later that year, the couple got married in August 2024 — first in a civil ceremony in London and again during a lavish wedding in Italy, the latter of which was attended by his costar Kelly Rutherford. Through his marriage to Jackson, Westwick also became a stepdad to her son Andreas, whom she shares with ex George Panayiotou.
Penn Badgley
On the series, Penn Badgley notably played Dan Humphrey, a.k.a. Lonely Boy, aka the true identity of Gossip Girl. Though he ties the knot with Serena in the series finale, in real life, he got married to singer Domino Kirke.
The couple first started dating in July 2014 and eventually tied the knot during two weddings in 2017. After getting legally married on Feb. 27, 2017, in a courthouse ceremony in Brooklyn, New York, they held a wedding celebration on June 24, 2017, in upstate New York.
Through his marriage to Kirke, Badgley became a stepfather to her son Cassius, whom she shares with ex Morgan O'Kane. In August 2020, the couple welcomed a baby boy together, marking Kirke's second child and Badgley's first.
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Szohr played Vanessa on the series, the best friend-turned-girlfriend of Dan Humphrey. Though Vanessa and Dan don't get a happily ever after the show, Szohr did find hers offscreen with former NHL player Brad Richardson.
After going Instagram official in 2019, the couple welcomed a baby girl named Bowie Ella Richardson on Jan. 11, 2021. The pair announced their engagement in May 2022 with a black-and-white image on Instagram before officially tying the knot at the luxury golf club Pine Canyon in Flagstaff, Ariz., in August 2024.
The event included several CW stars, including The Vampire Diaries actress Nina Dobrev, who served as Szohr's maid of honor, as well as Szohr's Gossip Girl costar Chace Crawford.
Matthew Settle
Matthew Settle played the lovable rocker Rufus Humphrey, the father of Dan and Jenny (Taylor Momsen). Like his character, Settle is also a father of two.
The actor welcomed his first child, daughter Aven Angelica Settle, in March 2009 with his then-wife Naama Nativ. The couple eventually split in February 2010.
In August 2015, Settle welcomed baby No. 2 as his girlfriend Maria Alfonsin (pictured) gave birth to a daughter named Nalu.
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg played everyone's favorite villain, Georgina Sparks, on the show. In the series finale, Georgina is a mother to son Milo (who appears in the Gossip Girl revival) and is linked to Chuck's uncle, Jack Bass.
Offscreen, Trachtenberg is in a relationship with talent agent Jay Cohen. The couple was first linked in October 2020 and have given a few glimpses of their relationship since. In March 2024, she gave him an Instagram birthday shoutout, writing, "Happy Birthday to the man who puts up with me" alongside a heart and kiss emoji.
Chace Crawford
Chace Crawford played the aloof yet charming Nate Archibald on the series. Though Nate doesn't end up with anyone at the end of the show, he does end up running for mayor of New York City in the series finale.
Over the years, Crawford has been linked to a few leading ladies, notably his Blood and Oil costar Rebecca Rittenhouse, whom he dated from 2015 to 2019. In June 2024, The Boys actor confirmed he's currently single. During an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, he revealed that he joined the world of online dating, but hasn't made a connection yet.
Kelly Rutherford
Kelly Rutherford played the sophisticated and demure mother of Eric and Serena van der Woodsen. Like her character, Rutherford is a mother of two.
Following her marriage to Carlos Tarajano, whom she divorced in 2002, she married her second husband, German businessman Daniel Giersch, in August 2006. The couple welcomed their first child, son Hermés Gustaf Daniel Giersch, in October 2006, and later welcomed a daughter named Helena in June 2009.
As Rutherford and Giersch separated in 2009, they went through a contentious six-year-long custody battle, wherein Giersch was granted full custody of their two kids in 2015, ordaining that they would have to live in Monaco — where he resides — full time.
"Yes, it was a challenging time. It was a heartbreaking time," Rutherford told PEOPLE as she reflected on the nearly decade since the final decision in February 2024. "But I focus on the good most of the time, I really do, I'm very thankful of where we are. I have a great relationship with my kids."
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen made a name for herself playing the rebellious Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl. Though her character left the series in season 4 so that Momsen could pursue her music career with The Pretty Reckless in real life, she did briefly reprise her role in the series finale.
When it comes to her relationships offscreen, Momsen has kept pretty private. However, during an appearance on Badgley's podcast Podcrushed, she joked that one of her first heartbreaks was with Supernatural star Jared Padalecki, whom she described as her "first childhood crush."
She recalled meeting him on the red carpet, noting that she was "starstruck" at the time. "He was nice, but he didn't love me back, so that was my first love, my first heartbreak all in one fell swoop," she joked. "I then decided from that moment forward that I was only gonna wear heels all the time."
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