Blake Lively and Leighton Meester’s Alleged Feud, Uncovered

It’s been a long time since they were co-stars, but rumors about Blake Lively and Leighton Meester’s supposed feud refuse to die down. While we might have managed to temporarily forget about the drama on the set of the iconic teen drama “Gossip Girl,” the stories resurfaced when it came to light that Lively may have some beef with her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, Justin Baldoni. Lively has had her fair share of controversial moments in the past, and her rumored squabble with Meester remains especially talked about even nowadays.

The rumors became so loud that “Gossip Girl” executive producer Joshua Safran addressed the alleged feud during a 2017 Vanity Fair interview. He clarified, “They were friendly, but they were not friends like Serena and Blair.” With this statement, he effectively reignited speculation about the two women’s off-screen relationship. Safran attempted to explain the situation by mentioning their vastly different personalities. As he described, “Blake is very much in the moment… Leighton was the exact opposite, very removed and very quiet.”

When looking for proof of a possible feud between Blake Lively and Leighton Meester, certain past interviews provide ample evidence. In resurfaced clips posted to TikTok, it quickly becomes clear that the former co-stars might have been straight-up enemies. In one video, Lively appears to compare Meester to a monkey while discussing her wish to have a pet monkey on the show, like Chuck Bass in the “Gossip Girl” books. Lively quipped, pointing to Meester in the process. She quickly clarified that she was joking, but Meester did not look amused.

In another resurfaced clip from the same interview, Lively seemingly takes another jab at Meester during a chat about how they measure up to their characters in the books. Meester speculated that she was a brunette on the show because Blair Waldorf is described as having dark hair. Lively interjects, “And everyone knows blondes are nicer.” Some awkward laughs follow, then silence, with Meester giving Lively a serious side-eye.

An unnamed source also disclosed to Hollywood Life in 2011 that the co-leads had a big falling out over costumes. “Leighton’s wardrobe budget was increased, and she started getting amazing clothes that the other two girls were jealous of,” the insider alleged. “Blake has the most success outside the show in feature films, so she was really annoyed about the wardrobe situation because she felt it was done behind her back.”

When New York Magazine visited the “Gossip Girl” set in 2008, they spilled some tea on what the relationships between the cast members were like. Apparently, someone told the outlet that Blake Lively and Leighton Meester not only weren’t real-life friends but “avoid each other like the plague.” The tension between them was palpable enough that several people felt pressured to take sides.

When Meester was questioned about their rumored feud, she deflected, instead sharing, “I was just reading about how Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson didn’t get along [on the set of ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’]. Why don’t they say that George Clooney and Brad Pitt don’t get along? It’s always the girls.”

Many celebs aren’t fans of Blake Lively, but her “Gossip Girl” co-stars weren’t among them. In 2009, Chace Crawford (who played Nate Archibald) asserted to Interview magazine that the press seemed hellbent on creating drama out of nothing. “Everyone wants to know what’s happening on set. There isn’t anything shocking to write about,” he said. Michelle Trachtenberg (Georgina Sparks) also firmly shut down any stories of on-set issues, confirming to Vanity Fair, “We were all chill, it was cool.”

Elsewhere, Amy Tagliamonti, who did makeup on the show, agreed. She rationalized, “There was too much work to do for things to be that dramatic behind the scenes. […] Everyone was just doing their thing.” Or perhaps they were all so swamped that they didn’t notice the feud going on right under their noses?