In Honor Of ‘Gossip Girl’s 17th Birthday, I Gift You A Formal Guide To All The Cast Feuds

Happy 17th anniversary of Gossip Girl to those celebrating! Yes, it seems like I’m basically eligible for The Golden Bachelorette because apparently, one of my favorite shows of all time is almost a legal adult now. She grew up so fast, and so did the main characters, who were regularly drinking overpriced cocktails, going to strip clubs, buying buildings, running newspapers, sleeping with married people, and dating literal royalty at like 16 or 18 years old. Ya know, as you do in high school. But the explosive drama wasn’t just in the script… Several of the actors famously didn’t mesh at all and still don’t. In fact, Chace Crawford is the only star of the show who currently follows Blake Lively on Instagram, and she doesn’t follow any of her former Gossip Girl costars. Not to mention, there were lots of rumors about Blake and Leighton having a ~tense~ relationship when they worked together on the show.

As your one and only source into the scandalous lives of the actors who played Manhattan’s elite (plus the Brooklyn elite, hi Dan and Jenny), here’s a formal guide to the Gossip Girl cast feuds.

What Happened Between Blake Lively And Leighton Meester?

Of course, this one’s the main character of Gossip Girl feuds. Back in the day, there were rumors of bad blood between Blake and Leighton — New York Magazine reported in 2008 that they were said to “avoid each other like the plague” on set. According to the article, the other actors even felt pressured to “choose sides.”

Joshua Safran, the executive producer of the show, basically confirmed those rumors to Vanity Fair around the 10th anniversary of Gossip Girl in August 2017. “Blake and Leighton were not friends,” he admitted. Joshua elaborated, “Blake is very much in the moment. Blake knows what’s happening. You talk to Blake on a very contemporary level, and she would be like, ‘I’m doing this thing tonight. Have you been to this restaurant?’” From his perspective, Leighton was much more “removed and very quiet.” He said she would “wander the stage” when she was done filming. Yeahhh, I’m not convinced the extrovert vs. introvert dynamic is all there is to it, but what do I know?

Did Leighton Meester And Taylor Momsen Have Music-Related Beef?

Leighton and Taylor were especially busy during season 3 of GG because they were going on musical side quests. Taylor was working on music with her band, The Pretty Reckless, and Leighton was making smash hits like “Your Love is a Drug.” Taylor was allegedly not thrilled when her music didn’t get placed in the show, but a few of Leighton’s songs did. A rep for the CW said at the time: “The show will support Taylor and her music when the time is right, but her music is not ready yet.” Not the insanely blatant roast! After all that, Taylor’s the one who’s gone on to have a music career.

Did Blake Lively Get Armie Hammer Fired From Gossip Girl?

You may recall Armie Hammer’s famous 2017 Watch What Happens Live appearance (pre-exposed for being a cannibal era) where he subtly hinted at some Blake drama. Andy Cohen asked Armie who was the “biggest diva” on the GG set, and Armie, who briefly played Serena’s love interest on the show, had a telling response. “Let me just say that was a tough show to film and I didn’t end up actually filming all of the episodes I was supposed to because it was such a tough filming,” he dished. The actor explained that someone wanted him out, and when fellow WWHL guest Chelsea Handler guessed Blake, he smiled and weakly responded, “That’s not what I’m saying.” To be fair, I think Blake had the right instinct about this creep.

The Ed Westick And Jessica Szohr Wedding Drama Explained

The Great Wedding Divide! JK, this is literally not dramatic at all. But if you didn’t know, Ed and Jessica dated back in the Gossip Girl days, and they coincidentally both got married (to other people) in August 2024. Ed married actress Amy Jackson in Italy and Jessica exchanged vows with former NHL player Brad Richardson in Arizona. Naturally, fans wondered which cast members would attend each wedding — and what statement that would make about alliances, feuds, and such.

Obviously, Jessica and Ed were not able to attend each other’s weddings. Chace made an appearance at Jessica’s wedding, but apparently couldn’t make Ed’s because of scheduling issue. Kelly Rutherford, Miss Lily Van Der Woodsen herself, was at Ed’s wedding and gave an emotional speech. “I truly feel the most grateful for our friendship and to be able to work with you was such a gift,” she said at the wedding. “And to be able to watch you fall in love … I’m going to cry. No, truly it is the most beautiful thing in life and you are such a beautiful man.” Awww.

Leighton, Blake, Taylor, and Penn were not present at either wedding. But hey, at least Kelly and Ed are besties and Chace is cool with everyone.