Blake Lively’s Life Transformed Forever After Gossip Girl

Blake Lively is known for many things: her stylish looks, her marriage to fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, and the humorous posts they share on social media. However, her career might have taken a different turn if not for her iconic role in the show “Gossip Girl”.

“Gossip Girl” captivated teenagers and became pivotal for The CW’s television line-up. Lively starred as Serena van der Woodsen, a mysterious blonde who returns to town after a year at boarding school. The series chronicled Serena and her friends navigating high school dramas from the perspective of the affluent elite, while trying to uncover the identity of the elusive Gossip Girl.

This series undeniably marked the most significant role in Lively’s career, changing her life in fundamental ways, from boosting her net worth to shaping the roles she chose afterward.

“Gossip Girl” wasn’t Blake Lively’s debut, but it was the show that truly launched her into stardom. Fans who were familiar with the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar were eager to see Lively as Serena. “Fans of the book had seen me in ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,'” Lively told Collider. This fan demand prompted showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage to offer her the role, even though she initially hesitated.

The show became an anchor for The CW, gaining traction even during the 2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Its popularity threw the cast into the limelight, with paparazzi often lingering around the sets. Despite this, Lively did not feel like a celebrity. “I’ll never feel like I’ve arrived,” she said to Vogue in 2015. “The people I look up to the most are the people that are continuing to up their game.”

Before “Gossip Girl,” Blake Lively was prepared to leave acting behind. Despite the success of “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” she intended to complete her senior year of high school and go to college. “I’m not going to just jump on this acting train and hope that it takes me somewhere,” she told Collider in 2017.

She chose to defer college for a year to give acting one last shot and eventually landed “Gossip Girl.” The production team assured her that she could attend Columbia University part-time while filming. However, this arrangement didn’t quite pan out. “When they say, ‘We promise, but we can’t put it in writing,’ there’s a reason they can’t put it in writing,” she explained to Vanity Fair in 2017.

Fashion played a significant part in “Gossip Girl,” attracting interest from fans and designers alike. “A lot of magazines would call and want to do interviews on how you get the ‘Serena look,'” series hairstylist Jennifer Johnson told Vanity Fair.

Retailers and designers quickly recognized the show’s influence, leading to a queue of designers wanting to dress either Lively or her co-star, Leighton Meester. Lively’s fashion choices on and off the show have continued to draw attention, particularly her daring looks at the Met Gala. Over the years, her Met Gala outfits have included a black Ralph Lauren dress in 2008, a blush Burberry dress in 2016, a deep red Versace in 2018, and a Statue of Liberty-inspired dress by Versace in 2022.

The sudden fame from “Gossip Girl” taught Blake Lively the value of privacy. While dating co-star Penn Badgley, they kept their relationship and eventual breakup remarkably private. Producer Joshua Safran only found out about their split while shooting the Season 2 finale.

Lively extended this privacy into her family life. When she announced her first pregnancy, she did so on her lifestyle blog. “That was my way of owning that moment,” she told Allure. Lively and Reynolds continue to guard their privacy, even keeping the name of their fourth child under wraps until Reynolds casually mentioned it in a 2024 speech.

“Gossip Girl” set the foundation for Blake Lively’s impressive net worth, estimated at $30 million. While reports suggest she earned up to $60,000 per episode, even more conservative estimates of $50,000 per episode for the show’s third season translate into substantial earnings over 121 episodes.

These earnings enabled Lively to negotiate higher salaries for future projects, such as the reported $800,000 she received for “A Simple Favor.” Her fame led to lucrative brand deals and the launch of her own businesses. In 2021, she founded Betty Buzz, a sparkling drink mixer brand, followed by Betty Booze, an alcoholic seltzer line, in 2023. In 2024, she launched the hair care line Blake Brown with Target.

Playing Serena required Lively to relocate to New York, a move she relished. “I grew up in Burbank [California] and I love living in New York City so much,” she told The Independent. She appreciated the city’s fashion scene and its European feel, which she found more culturally rich than California.

Even after “Gossip Girl” ended, Lively and Reynolds settled in Bedford, New York. They first purchased a multi-million-dollar home in 2012, followed by a larger home in the same area. In 2017, they bought a loft in Tribeca, further cementing their roots in the state.

After wrapping up over 100 episodes of “Gossip Girl,” Blake Lively needed a break. She took a short hiatus from acting and ventured into a new business: a lifestyle blog named Preserve, which she launched in 2014. The site was a platform to connect with different creators and share stories and experiences. However, it also served as the medium for her to announce significant life events, such as her first pregnancy.

Lively was driven to be successful with the blog because it allowed her to control her business while engaging in her passions. “If I can be successful at this, I have security for my family and my babies,” she told Allure.

Despite her enthusiasm for Preserve, Lively shut down the site after a year. Reflecting on this decision, she acknowledged that perhaps the blog was launched before it was ready. “I never thought I would have the bravery to actually do that, to take the site dark,” she explained to Variety, emphasizing the importance of staying true to her vision.

Lively felt that her fame was inadvertently becoming the crutch for the site. “It was so never meant to be that,” she noted, explaining why the site’s closure, though tough, was the right decision.

Returning from her hiatus, Blake Lively took on more adult roles. Her first major project afterward was “The Age of Adaline” in 2015, marking a shift from her teenage roles to playing more mature characters.

Lively’s subsequent projects leaned into thrillers and dramas. She starred in “The Shallows,” a thriller about a shark attack, and took on lead roles in “A Simple Favor” and “The Rhythm Section.” These roles demonstrated her range, showing audiences that she wasn’t limited to the teen-focused dramas of her past.

Blake Lively’s portrayal of Serena van der Woodsen remains iconic. However, her role as Emily in “A Simple Favor” showcased her ability to take on complex characters that audiences both love and loathe.

Both Serena and Emily exude a mix of allure and enigma, making them compelling yet challenging characters. Lively’s familiarity with playing someone like Serena undoubtedly contributed to her success in portraying Emily. Audiences couldn’t help but draw parallels between the two characters, with many seeing Emily as a grown-up version of Serena.

“Gossip Girl” is Blake Lively’s only major TV role to date. While she briefly hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2009 and appeared on “Sesame Street” in 2018 and 2020, she hasn’t taken on another significant television role since Serena.

The demanding production schedule of over 20 episodes a season during her time on “Gossip Girl” was intense, “We were shooting two to three episodes at once,” Lively explained to Collider. This grueling schedule may have influenced her decision to focus on film projects afterward.

Though she almost returned to TV in 2018 for a scripted fashion series with Amazon Studios, and even entered a first-look deal with the studio in 2019, none of these projects came to fruition. For now, her career firmly remains in the film industry.