When Blake Lively Admitted to Turning Gossip Girl Cast Against Penn Badgley; All About It Amid Justin Baldoni Row

Throwback to Blake Lively's candid confession about causing tension on the Gossip Girl set, where she admitted to initially turning the cast against her co-star Penn Badgley.

Written by Sakina Kaukawala , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Feb 17, 2025 | 03:08 PM IST | 98.9K

Blake Lively (via Getty Images)

Blake Lively’s past comments on her time working with Penn Badgley on Gossip Girl are once again in the spotlight amid her ongoing legal dispute with Justin Baldoni.

In a 2009 interview with UK Glamour, Blake Lively admitted she initially opposed the casting of Badgley as her on-screen love interest, Dan Humphrey. “At first, I was so upset that they hired him,” Lively said as per PEOPLE.

“I actually poisoned the whole cast against him.” However, she later realized her mistake. “He wasn’t a jerk and was actually a really nice, charming person. Almost immediately, I realized that too, but it took me about a week to admit it.”

Lively and Badgley’s relationship was more than just professional. The two actors, who played Serena van der Woodsen and Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl, dated off-screen for three years, from 2007 to 2010.

Their breakup, however, was kept private. Joshua Safran, the show’s executive producer, later revealed that Lively and Badgley kept their personal matters hidden from the crew, avoiding letting their breakup affect the show.

As Lively’s legal battle with Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath continues, attention has turned to her professional relationships. A resurfaced interview from the 2022 Forbes Power Women’s Summit showed Lively’s past frustrations on set.

She shared her struggles with being seen only as an actress and not as a creative force. “When I was younger, I shaped myself into the version of what I thought they wanted. But I knew that wasn’t fulfilling for me,” she said.

While some directors and producers welcomed her input, others resent it. “Sometimes, directors or producers were open to my input, but others felt like it was a rug-pull, like I was asserting myself into something they didn’t hire me to do,” Lively added.

All of this comes as Lively is involved in a legal battle with Justin Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath. The lawsuit, which was filed in December and moved to federal court, includes allegations of harassment, retaliation, and negligence. As the legal tussle continues, Lively’s past remarks and controversies have once again been thrust into the public eye.