Blake Lively Shares Never-Before-Seen <i>Gossip Girl</i> Set Photos for Its 18th Anniversary

THE RUNDOWN

• Blake Lively marked the 18th anniversary of Gossip Girl by posting a carousel of rare behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram.
• The images featured Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, and the late Michelle Trachtenberg.
• Lively reflected on the series as her “college,” crediting the show with shaping her early career.

Blake Lively is revisiting her Gossip Girl years. On Sunday, the actress shared a series of throwback photos on Instagram to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the show’s premiere.

“The summer gossip girl turned 18…,” she wrote in the caption. “This show was my college. It was my education, my social life, my hard work, my late nights and early mornings, my teacher. New York City and Silvercup Studios (& sometimes Paris ✨) was my campus for SIX years. So many memories. What. A. Decade. 💖 What a University.”

The slideshow included rare behind-the-scenes shots from the set and moments of the cast offscreen. Lively appeared in multiple photos with Leighton Meester, highlighting their bond as characters Serena and Blair. She also shared a playful image with Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Georgina Sparks and passed away earlier this year.

Other photos showed Lively with Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford, along with a shot of her in Serena’s gold cotillion gown beside Penn Badgley, her co-star and former boyfriend.

Lively has reflected on the show’s cultural impact in recent years, particularly its influence on fashion and beauty trends. Speaking to ELLE in July while promoting her haircare brand, Blake Brown, she recalled how her character Serena’s tousled waves became one of the most requested looks of the 2000s. “Part of the reason for its popularity may be that there was a familiarity and ease from being in someone’s home every week,” she said. “You get to know a person, character, style, and look. It was also aspirational, because people don’t get dressed and do their hair every day. I surely don’t do my hair every day.”