Characters / Gossip Girl (2007)

Serena van der Woodsen

"Gossip Girl is going down!"

Portrayed by: Blake Lively

Voiced by: Erica Edwards (Latin-American Spanish), Yuko Kaida (Japanese)

The IT girl of the Upper West Side. Cheerful and carefree, fun and spirited. When the show starts she returns to Manhattan after spending time at a boarding school.

• All Work vs. All Play: The fun-loving free spirit to Blair's hard-working, scheming, queen.
• Always Someone Better: Towards Blair. She is much more charismatic and better with people than Blair and often gets things handed to her as a result, while Blair has had to work very hard for everything she's achieved. This is a recurring source of conflict in their friendship, although Blair eventually gets over it.
• Apologises a Lot: She tends to spend a lot of time apologising to other characters, even for things she really shouldn't be apologising for.
• Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Blair's Veronica and Nate's Archie in Season 1.
  • Also the Veronica to Vanessa's Betty and Dan's Archie.
• Class Princess: She's the most popular IT girl of Manhattan. While she can be irresponsible at worst, she's a genuinely friendly girl who never acts like an Alpha Bitch.
• Cool Big Sis: To Eric and also Jenny in the first few seasons, until they liked the same guy.
• Damsel in Distress: The fact that being in a car crash thanks to wolves roaming New York, being conned by her boyfriend, and her mother having her arrested for stealing a bracelet are not the best examples of why she fits this trope should tell you something.
• Disappeared Dad: Serena and Eric's father left when they were little.
• Dumb Blonde
  • Downplayed in the early seasons. She is a nice, free-spirited girl, whose intelligence appears to be lower compared to most of her peers', but seems rather average. After several seasons, however, she grows into this trope.
  • Double subverted in regards to her academic career. Serena made good grades her last two years of high school, and won admission to three Ivy League universities. It's however explicitly said that she was wanted there not because of her academic prowess, but because of her fame in the UES society.
• Easily Forgiven: Slightly subverted. She took Blair's boyfriend's virginity, then moved to Connecticut without telling Blair she was leaving, then ignored Blair's calls, texts and e-mails for a year even though she knew Blair's parents were getting a divorce (due to Blair's father leaving her mother for another man) and Blair's father was moving away to France. Blair did give her hell and humiliated her in public, but then forgave her after a few episodes. Not for the last time, either.
• Everyone Loves Blondes: Though not the only blonde, she's easily the most popular character in-universe, and immediately gets almost every male character on his knees for her.
• Fallen Princess: The final season teasers implies her to be this. Then again, Never Trust a Trailer.
• The Fashionista: Not as elitist as Blair about it, but she's also very fashion-oriented. She has been noted to be the muse of several designers (particularly in the books, though in the show Dorota also says that Marc Jacobs named a purse after her), and in a later season Dan shows that he retained some useful fashion knowledge from his time dating her.
• Good Bad Girl: Even at her wildest (such as in her time before the pilot), she's still a genuinely nice girl, who just happens to Really Gets Around and never seems particularly ashamed of it. She does try to change some of her "badder" bad girl traits, such as drugs and wild party, but is still enthusiastic about sex as soon as she really fancies someone.
• Happily Married: Implied in the finale to be her future with Dan.
• Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Especially before the beginning of the series, where this was pretty much all Serena's character was about. She grows out of it during the series, though it's still part of her personality and her wild party persona comes back at times.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Blair, to the point they dumped their respective dates at prom, and spent the rest of the night together remembering old days. And now in season 4 they live together.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Serena decides whether a person is good or bad by the following criteria: They like me - they're good. They don't like me - they're bad.
• In Love with Love: Season three and onward.
• In-Series Nickname: S.
• Informed Attractiveness: She is treated as THE ultimate beauty of the circle by most of the characters, despite the cast being full of other very attractive actresses.
• It's All About Me: At first it seems a bit like an Informed Flaw, as the world is mostly set by revolving around her and if she doesn't react quickly enough, her judgmental boyfriend or insecure best friend will accuse her of being conceited. But as the seasons roll over it becomes increasingly true.
• Late for School: Basically a trademark in the books. Carries over to the show every once in a while.
• Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Light to Blair's Dark. And more so in contrast to Georgina during season one.
• Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: Let's see... Two teachers, her best friend's boyfriend, an ex-con, two con artists, a Harem Seeker, a married man... And Dan. It's even lampshaded early in the series, how an uncharacteristically good guy he is for being one of Serena's choices, but in the end of the series it's no longer necessarily true.
• Mistaken for Pregnant: After she ends up on Gossip Girl while buying pregnancy tests for Blair in season one.
• Ms. Fanservice: Once in a blue moon Blake Lively appears in something that actually covers her legs and/or her boobs. Many fans consider her breasts to be characters in their own right.
• Nice Girl: Especially compared to her best friend Blair, she's generally kind and laidback.
• Preppy Name: Serena van der Woodsen.
• Pretty in Mink: Wore a white fur stole for the would-be photo shoot in "Kids Stay In the Picture".
• Pseudo-Romantic Friendship: With Blair. More so in the books, where they take baths together, but still prevalent enough on the show.
• Really Gets Around: Before her changing her ways in the beginning of the series it was part of her Hard-Drinking Party Girl side; afterwards (as in, during the actual course of the show), it's a mix of her natural approach to her own sexuality and being In Love with Love. It's less that Serena sleeps around for fun and more that she falls in love often, and soon has sex with almost everyone she falls for. Interestingly, she doesn't get much of the usual Double Standard for it, probably because she's genuinely nice and people just accept it as part of her personality. If anything, it's only mentioned when Blair's Deadpan Snarker tendencies show up:
  Blair: Are you jealous because you didn't sleep with [Chuck] first? There had to be somebody left on the Upper East Side.
• Serial Romeo: From season two and onward. Her boyfriends include Dan, Aaron Rose, Gabriel, Carter, Tripp, Nate, Colin, Ben, and Steven.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Dan in season one.
• Spoiled Sweet: She’s the IT girl from the upper east side, In Love with Love and is welcoming to the Humphrey children with open arms.
• Statuesque Stunner: Even the show itself points this out in "The Magnificent Archibalds":
  Aaron: Serena's life is complicated?
  Dan: Yeah. I don't know about you but the Serena I know has long, flowing blonde hair, towers over both of us?
• Strong Family Resemblance: All the Rhodes women (except for somewhat color coded for being the Black Sheep Carol) are tall, slender blond beauties.
• Teacher/Student Romance: With Colin Forrester in season four.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: In late season 5, when the world stop revolving around her. She backstabs Blair (unprovoked this time) and her young cousin Lola out of jealousy.
• Uptown Girl: To Dan, who is financially strained compared to his wealthy classmates.

Blair Waldorf

"I am not a stop along the way. I am a destination."

Portrayed by: Leighton Meester

Serena's BFF (and occasional rival). The preppy queen of Constance Billard, always with a crew of minions around her. Ruthless and elitist yet very much a loving friend and girlfriend. Although if you ask Dan Humphrey she's a 95-pound, doe-eyed, bonmot-tossing, label-whoring package of girly evil.

• Abusive Parents: Zig-zagged. Her mom is a piece of work and makes unkind comments about Blair's weight. But she also shows a lot of genuine concern for Blair.
• Academic Alpha Bitch: She's a rich, popular, and ruthless overachiever who wants to destroy her rivals in both popularity and academics.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: The love of her life turns out to be Chuck Bass and not Nate Archibald.
• Alpha Bitch: As the resident queen bee for the first two seasons, before graduating; though even before, when she's no longer focused on reigning the school, Penelope is quick to fill the void.
• Always Second Best: To Serena, whom she feels constantly overshadows her. This dynamic fades when Blair grows more self-confident in later seasons, however.
• Anti-Hero: At best, she is this.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Chuck and Blair. Later on, Dan and Blair.
• The B Grade: Gets a B in season two and goes after the teacher who gave her the grade because she needs straight As to get into Yale. In season one, she's unhappy because she only made 2200 on the practice exam for the SATs, even though Serena points out that that's in the 90th percentile.
• Better as Friends: Blair and Nate eventually land on this conclusion in season two.
• Betty and Veronica: Played the Veronica to both Serena and Eva's Bettys.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At times, she doesn't even pretend to be nice.
• Brainy Brunette: She's one of the best students in her class. Also, as mentioned above, she makes 2200 on the practice exam for SATs, as expected of someone who wants to get into Yale.
• Breakout Character: It's easy to forget Serena is the protagonist.
• Brutal Honesty: Obviously not when lying or conspiring, but when she gives an actual opinion, she tends to be extremely blunt.
• The Corrupter: To Jenny. Chuck did some too, but it was mostly her.
• Daddy's Girl: Very much this. She didn't even hold any grudges about him moving to another continent with his new lover (she did, however, hold a grudge against the lover, for a while at least). Should be noted that her father knows a lot less about her Alpha Bitch tendencies than her mother does, and often treats her like a Spoiled Sweet princess, an impression Blair is all too happy to play along with. When her father does find out his daughter cheats and manipulates to get her way in Season 2, he is shocked.
  • She also grows very close to her step-father Cyrus, asking him to walk her down the aisle together with her biological father at her wedding to Louis.
• Deadpan Snarker: A character trademark. If she's not being outright mean, she's being very snarky, and even her close friends get their share of it.
• Death Glare: A master of this trope.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: She softens up over the years.
• Determinator: She will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
• Fallen Princess: When rumors about her being pregnant by either Nate or Chuck hit Gossip Girl. Later becomes a literal example, when her marriage to Prince Louis falls apart.
• The Fashionista: Fitting as she's a fashion designer's daughter.
• Female Misogynist: Blair frequently slut shames and otherwise spews misogyny at other female characters. Best exemplified in her reactions to Nate cheating on her with Serena and Chuck sleeping with Jenny: while she does hold anger towards the actual cheaters, she unleashes most of her rage against the women, trying to ruin their lives multiple times.
• Fish out of Water: Expects to be able to rule NYU the same way she ruled Constance Billard, but learns the hard way that college is not like high school. Chuck eventually helps her transfer to Columbia, which is a better fit for her.
• Happily Married: With Chuck, as of the finale. Their wedding is seen in the last episode.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Serena, to the point they dumped their respective dates at prom, and spent the rest of the night together remembering old days. And now in season 4 they live together.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Although she's stuck-up and seemingly confident, she's secretly insecure about Serena being Always Someone Better.
• In-Series Nickname: Queen B, or just B.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Blair is standoffish, vindictive and usually only helps others if she stands to gain something from it. However, she can be very sweet and affectionate toward her friends and loved ones, especially when she learns to stop treating every minor disappointment as a personal betrayal.
• Just Friends: With Dan in Season 4, after they've developed more of a rapport.
• Karma Houdini: Sometimes suffers as a result of her treatment of others, but usually gets away with cruel and entitled behavior far more than other characters do.
• Kick the Dog: Her treatment of Dan and Vanessa usually qualifies.
• Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Dark to Serena's Light.
• Living Emotional Crutch: To Chuck.
• Lovable Alpha Bitch: Blair can be sweet and does worry about the people she likes if she's on good terms with them, but only her close friends and family get to see this side of her.
• Love Martyr: For Chuck Bass. Then in late season three she realizes it's not healthy to love someone so much that you'd prostitute yourself for them and breaks up with him. Then, in Season 5, she realizes she'll probably never get over him and decides she wants to be with him anyway. Ironically, by that time his Character Development has turned the trope around and he's been a Love Martyr for her for about two seasons.
• Madden Into Misanthropy: When Yale kicked her out.
• Mama Bear: For the members of the Non-Judging Breakfast Club. Also, Eric fairly often and Jenny in the past. Oddly, she doesn't seem to be this for the baby she lost in season five.
• Manipulative Bitch: One of the most conniving, manipulative masterminds on the show.
• Mistaken for Pregnant: Brings about her social downfall in season one.
• Moral Myopia:
  • Puts the onus on Dan for driving Serena away late in season 6... even though she was responsible for instigating it in the first place because she didn't like them as a couple.
  • While she was right to be angry at Jenny for posting about Dan and Serena cheating on Vanessa and Nate, blaming Jenny for “messing with” the Serena/Nate relationship instead of Dan and Serena for actually cheating is more than a bit ridiculous.
• Ms. Fanservice: Often appears wearing sexy lingerie.
• Never My Fault: Probably a result of being raised around the same tendency in her mother.
• No Social Skills: Downplayed. Blair is very witty and has her own brand of charm, but she is also abrasive and sometimes awkward, especially compared to Serena's famously effortless social grace.
• Odd Friendship: With Dan. While they are in many ways total opposites (and pass a good time of the series hating each other guts or ignoring one another unless Serena is involved), they bond over their taste in movies.
• One-Hour Work Week: Most people who go to college actually attend classes.
• Parental Abandonment: Seeing as all four of her parents have left her and moved to France.
• Pet the Dog: Once in a while, Blair will do something completely altruistic.
• Preppy Name: Blair herself and her actress, Leighton Meester.
• Pseudo-Romantic Friendship: With Serena. To the point that when she forgives Serena for having slept with Nate and left to a boarding school without telling her, she seems to have felt way more upset about Serena leaving her than the whole "had sex with your boyfriend" thing.
• Ready for Lovemaking: Once for Nate, at least three times for Chuck, and several times with Dan.
• Rich Bitch: Filthy rich, snobby, and ruthless.
• Smart People Play Chess: Blair plays chess with Dorota.
• Stepford Snarker: Frequently uses cutting remarks to hide the fact that she's feeling vulnerable or attacked, and it's implied that a substantial amount of her habitual bitchiness is a product of acting out due to insecurity or loneliness.
• Team Mom: Of the Non-Judging Breakfast Club. And a Mama Bear one at that.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: In season 5, kind of. She is not more of a jerk than before, she just loses many of the good qualities that've been making her likable before.
• Tsundere: Type A. She is mostly tsun, but she has a nice side.
• The Unfavorite: Blair's mother prefers Serena.
• Weight Woe: Usually downplayed, but Blair has struggled with disordered eating and sometimes relapses when she's under a lot of stress.
• Will They or Won't They?: With Chuck. They started out as friends-with-benefits, then broke it off, then got together for all of one week in the season one finale. After that they spent the entirety of season two wanting to be together, but each needing the other to be the first to confirm that by saying "I love you" (It Makes Sense in Context). They were then a couple for 3/4 of season three, waged war on one another at the start of season four, went back to being friends-with-benefits, then decided they should be together but only after accomplishing their other goals first... Season five saw Blair almost leave her fiancé for Chuck, but after he nearly died she made a pact with God to stay with Louis in exchange for Chuck's survival (this also makes sense in context - sort of). Finally in season six they got together for good.

Chuck Bass

"Dude. I’m Chuck Bass. Even Europeans must know what that means."

Portrayed by: Ed Westwick

Serena's brother (through adoption) and Blair's main love interest. The richest character on the show and also the most ruthless. Spends most of his time brooding in fancy suits while sipping scotch and plotting somebody's downfall.

• Abusive Parents: His father Bart, especially in the last season when he tries to kill his own son.
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In the books he was depraved but seemed quite happy with himself and his life. In the series he's the Jerkass Woobie with a ton of emotional damage.
• Ambiguously Bi: When Chuck pretends to be gay to blackmail an administrator at NYU into allowing Blair to give a toast, Blair jokes with him about it. His response is that he disliked making out with the administrator because he was not Blair, and sarcastically asks Blair if she thinks he's "never kissed a guy before?"
• Attempted Rape: Twice in the pilot episode, no less. In Season Two, he tries to pull a Bed Trick on Blair, but she catches on quickly and would have allowed it to continue if not for the interruption.
• Beauty Is Bad: He's considered a devilishly handsome "bad boy".
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Chuck and Blair seem poised to play Will They or Won't They? for the remainder of the series.
• Big Brother Mentor: To Serena's brother Eric. He seems to genuinely like him and was accepting of him during his coming out.
• Bigger Is Better in Bed: The show likes to hint at this being the case with Chuck.
• Birds of a Feather: With Blair. They are both highly intelligent and competent, are skilled manipulators, and are almost always willing to use any means necessary to get their way. This actually stands in the way of their relationship initially, as they are so caught up in playing mind games with each other that they can't bring themselves to actually admit how they feel.
• Brains and Bondage: He's one of the most intelligent characters of the show, and he has a lot of fun.
• Breakout Character: The show originally gave him a similar role in the book as a date raping villain while also having him as Nate's sidekick. However his astounding popularity has led to him taking center stage to the point where Nate (who is the main male character of the books) seems to have mostly been shoved into the background while Chuck Bass is developed into a more likable character through his relationship with Blair and redemption plotline.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Witty, devious, and a Manipulative Bastard, but also vain and his only interests are sex and money. At least until Character Development kicks in.
• Byronic Hero: If he wasn't before, season 4 is turning him into one of these.
• Cannot Spit It Out: To Blair in season 2. They both know he loves her, but his inability to be vulnerable enough to say it (and vice versa) repeatedly drives them apart.
• The Casanova: A womanizer who uses girls as tools. Until Blair, at least.
• Catchphrase: "I'm Chuck Bass."
• The Chessmaster: Excels at this.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: He's even lampshaded it himself.
• Deadpan Snarker: King of the one-liner, and seems to have a dry comeback for almost anything.
• Death Glare: He has a knack for it.
• Determinator: Like Blair, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
• Drowning My Sorrows: And considering how often he's made to suffer, he must be at high risk of pancreatitis.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Mr. Ellis sure was happy to get to kiss him.
• Fatal Flaw: Mention the magic words, "Bart would(n't) be proud" and Chuck will do anything to get back to where he thinks his father would want him to be.
• Freudian Excuse: Related to the Death by Childbirth thing. Chuck's mother from died giving birth to him, the reason for his father's dislike of him. Except she didn't. It's a long story and explained in a rather convoluted way to boot.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: On and off. His friends (and Blair) will spend half a season remarking on what a bad person he is and wondering why they're friends with him, only for him to suddenly be included as a trusted core member of the Non-Judging Breakfast Club whom everyone secretly cared about the whole time.
• Happily Adopted: By Lily. He gets along with her better than either he gets along with his biological father or she with her biological children.
• Happily Married: With Blair, as of the finale.
• Harem Seeker: When he's not with Blair, he has his own harem.
• The Hedonist: Has this tendency, although much of it seems to be a way of acting out against his father or dealing with stress. At times in his life when he's doing well, he is more focused on work and relationships and does not pursue mindless pleasure.
• Insecure Love Interest: He runs on this trope regarding Blair for most of the show's duration. It doesn't help that Blair goes back and forth between reinforcing this belief and telling him he's the best man she's ever known and all that she's ever wanted.
• It's All About Me: He falls into this mindset quite often in the early seasons. Goes through massive character development in the fifth season.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's an egotistical jerk, and proud of it, but he loves Blair with all his heart and would do anything for her.
• Karma Houdini Warranty:
  • Does a lot of bad things but often gets his comeuppance, like for instance losing Blair multiple times due to his own schemes (which would be an aversion of this trope). It's arguable whether this applies to him re: attempting to rape Serena and Jenny; the first example got him kneed in the crotch and the second got him punched in the face, but he never faces any legal repercussions and the incidents are all but forgotten by the other characters.
  • More generally, Chuck may do a lot of immoral things, but he also tends to suffer a lot more than the other characters, meaning karma might actually be working just fine in his case.
• Ladykiller in Love: Falls hard for Blair in early season 1 and, other than a few brief flings, stays devoted to her for the entire series.
• Love Martyr: Becomes this to Blair in the second half of season four and all of season five.
• Madden Into Misanthropy: When he lost Blair in late season three.
• Manipulative Bastard: Like Blair, he is vengeful, manipulative and able to scheme elaborate plans.
• Memetic Badass: In-universe. Most of the main characters are well known for being wealthy and conniving Upper East Siders, but Chuck's notoriety in particular is frequently played for one-off jokes and the occasional plot point.
• Millionaire Playboy: Actually a Billionaire Playboy.
• Nouveau Riche: Chuck's dad is a self-made man, and the Basses are relatively new to the Upper East Side. Given how elitist their social circle is, this comes up from time to time.
• Odd Friendship: With Nate. And Dan. At least until he figures out Dan sent the video about Blair declaring her love for Chuck.
• Parental Abandonment: With his father having trouble accepting him after his mother died during childbirth. According to season 3, Bart had trouble accepting him after his mother ditched them and forced Bart to tell Chuck that she died in childbirth. And then his mom comes back just to steal his hotel from him and ruin his life.
• The Pornomancer: He sleeps around a lot.
• Quick Nip: Chuck Bass frequently does this, on occasion with flasks.
• Really Gets Around: Notorious for being a playboy and is frequently shown sleeping with hired women for recreation.
• Real Men Wear Pink: And sometimes purple.
• Scarf of Asskicking: Although Nate claims that death by scarf is not that intimidating.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Nate's Sensitive Guy.
• Sexy Man, Instant Harem: Never has any trouble attracting multiple women. Including twins - they find Chuck.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: In season one his wardrobe was rather varied... to say the least. It got more subdued in season two, and by season three he only ever wears suits outside his penthouse.
• Smug Snake: He's an arrogant, hedonistic and narcissistic sleazebag who uses his charisma and seductive nature to get what he wants.
• Soft-Spoken Sadist: Shows shades of this trope, as he has a habit of saying cruel things in a very quiet and gentle tone of voice.
• The Stoic: Chuck is extremely soft-spoken and usually very composed, mirroring his calculating and cold-blooded personality. Subverted somewhat in that he can be very open about his feelings verbally, and just isn't as likely to emote them in an obvious way.
• Token Evil Teammate: Of the Non-Judging Breakfast Club. Though he's mellowed over the course of the show, while Blair and Serena have gotten worse.
• Took a Level in Kindness: While he's still no saint by any means, he lets go of some of his more unscrupulous tendencies as of season 5.
• Troubled, but Cute: Because he's Chuck Bass, after all. Sex-obsessed, manipulative bad boy with daddy issues, Hidden Heart of Gold, and a ton of emotional damage? Easily the most attractive guy on the show, just ask Blair and his female fans.
• The Unfettered: Sometimes. For most seasons his only goal is to sleep with/destroy Blair. He even describes himself as not having anything to lose.
• Wicked Cultured: An elegant, quick-witted billionaire who also can be quite ruthless, abusive and callous.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: All he really wants from his father is his approval, which he feels he can never have due to the crime of having killed his mother at birth.
• Will They or Won't They?: With Blair, from season one to the end of season five (after which they get together). They were also a couple for about 2/3 of season three.

Nate Archibald

"Affairs with married people, love triangles... Just so happens everyone's problems are within my area of expertise."

Portrayed by: Chace Crawford

Voiced by: Irwin Daayán (Latin-American Spanish), Keiichi Nakagawa (Japanese)

The fourth member of the show's core four (aka the Non-Judging Breakfast Club). Chuck's best friend, Blair's former boyfriend and Serena's occasional love interest. Comes with a large dose of family drama, a fair dose of stupidity and dashing manbangs.

• Better as Friends: Blair and Nate eventually land on this conclusion in season two.
• Big Brother Instinct: Toward Jenny, although somewhat complicated by the fact that there have been feelings between them at various points in the series (Jenny herself lampshades this, right before Nate plants one on her).
• Big Man on Campus: He is considered to be the "golden boy of the Upper East Side."
• Big, Screwed-Up Family: His mother's family, the Vanderbilts.
• Brainless Beauty: The resident pretty boy, but not very bright.
• Chick Magnet: Quite popular with girls and involved in many relationships throughout the series.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Loves coming to the rescue of damsels in distress.
• Da Editor: Specifically, editor-in-chief of a magazine in college.
• Dating Catwoman: With Bree Buckley, his girlfriend in early season three.
• Did Not Get the Girl: After carrying torches for both Serena and Blair at different times during the series, he ends up with neither of them.
• Disappeared Dad: Nate's dad flees the country, then returns only to end up in federal prison.
• The Ditz: A very sweet guy, but not exactly the brightest crayon in the box.
• The Drag-Along: Nate usually has to be forced or talked into joining the NJBC adventures. He becomes a lot more willing during season 6.
• Dumbass No More: Usually the dimmest of the group, Nate's intelligence rises to average or above in the final season as he actively works to help his friends in their schemes. That doesn't stop him from following in his father's footsteps as far as business goes, though.
• Embarrassing Middle Name: Fitzwilliam.
• Hormone-Addled Teenager: Has many sexual relationships during the show's six-year run.
• In Love with Love: He has fallen head over heels for every single girl in the show, only to completely forget her two weeks later, not to mention all the Satellite Love Interests the boy's had.
• Kindhearted Simpleton: The dumbest of the main characters, and probably the sweetest too, especially compared to Chuck and Blair.
• Like Father, Like Son: They both have trouble being honest when it comes to their business finances.
• Likes Older Women: Has gotten involved with women who are much older than him (and, frequently, are also married).
• Mr. Fanservice: Often struts around shirtless.
• Nice Guy: Next to Chuck and Blair, he's practically a saint.
• Odd Friendship: With Chuck — the naive Serial Romeo and the devious Harem Seeker.
• One-Hour Work Week: Never seems to attend classes (which was lampshaded by Blair in season three).
• Only Sane Man: The insanity seems to just play out around him.
• Perpetual Expression: Extreme confusion.
• Preppy Name: Nathaniel Archibald. Played by Chace Crawford.
• Pretty Boy: Vanessa once declared him to be prettier than her.
• Prince Charming: He is described as charming with extreme regularity, and has the tendency to fall passionately in love (with various girls) and deliver romantic speeches (occasionally hilariously out of context) while rescuing them from some emotional or social dragon. He is in the books given the epithet "prince of the upper east side" and it is said that he can "snap his fingers and have any girl he wants."
• Really Gets Around: At one point, Gossip Girl herself labels him the Class Whore.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive guy to Chuck's manly man.
• Serial Romeo: He has dated many different women, including all the main girls (Blair, Serena, Jenny, and Vanessa). He also dates several side characters like Bree, Juliet, Lady Catherine, Diana, Sage, and Raina.
• Spoiled Sweet: The Kind Hearted Simpleton from a wealthy family who isn’t judgmental about the social class of the Humphrey children and looks out for the people he cares about.
• The Stoner: Explicit in the novel, alluded to in the series.
• Token Good Teammate: Among his family and group of friends. He did some questionable things during the series' run, but he is the only one in the pack who never went after anybody for a malice-driven vendetta and apparently the only one within Gossip Girl's circle of influence who's never sent a tip there.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Chuck, starting after Nate discovered that Chuck had been sleeping with Blair (though what made him angry was that he thought Chuck was just using her; once he realized there was love involved he was alright with it). Even though that was eventually resolved, it took a few seasons for their friendship to really get back on track, and in the meantime they weren't always nice to one another.
• Unwitting Pawn: It's safe to assume that if someone is scheming within the nearby zone, he or she will be manipulating Nate.
• Upper-Class Twit: Nate's family is very wealthy and is just as ditzy as Serena.

Dan Humphrey

"We don’t have any servants here so if you see anybody else in the loft besides me, call the police. It’s not the chef."

Portrayed by: Penn Badgley

Voiced by: Eduardo Garza (Latin-American Spanish), Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese)

Dan is the Brooklyn boy who falls in love with IT girl Serena van der Woodsen, only to find he doesn't exactly fit well in her world. By and by he becomes more adjusted, but he still thinks the world of the Upper East Side crowd is highly immoral. Dan is an aspiring writer who in the books writes delightfully awful poetry but in the TV series prefers short stories. He's played by Penn Badgley.

• Author Avatar: The writers of Gossip Girl have admitted that Dan is their author avatar.
• Beat Them at Their Own Game: Has apparently been toying with the other characters since the beginning.
• Becoming the Mask: It seems as if being Gossip Girl changes him throughout the series run, turning him from his initial Nice Guy persona into someone far less good-natured.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Starting the end of season 3, but more notably in season 4
  "They have peace treaties!"
• Big Bad: Revealed to be this for the entire series, when he is revealed to be Gossip Girl in the series finale.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Particularly in earlier seasons, where he plays the part of the nice guy while ruining lives via Gossip Girl.
• Brooklyn Rage: Averted. He may be from Brooklyn but he's one of the calmer, more sensible characters. Except when you mess with his sister.
• Butt-Monkey: Tends to be mocked more frequently than the other characters, usually by Chuck or Blair.
• The Chessmaster: As of the finale.
• The Confidant: Plays this role once in a while to other characters who are in a crisis, opening up about his own experiences and usually giving relatively good advice. His willingness to do this is preyed upon by Georgina in season 1, leading to his first breakup with Serena. He himself vindictively turns this around on Blair in season 2 after learning that she humiliated Vanessa.
• Deadpan Snarker: Like Blair, he has a witty and dry sense of humor and is often sarcastic.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Although your mileage may vary on how nice he actually is.
• Easily Forgiven: He's immediately forgiven by everyone for being Gossip Girl.
• Fish out of Water: In the first season when he's trying to fit in the Upper East Side.
• Friendly Enemy: Can be considered this to the main group since, as the mastermind behind the Gossip Girl blog, he was also lying to all his friends.
• Friends with Benefits: Attempts this with Vanessa in season three.
• Happily Married: The finale implies that this is what happens with him and Serena.
• Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue": The stories Dan writes about the Upper East Side.
• Holier Than Thou: Called out multiple times for being judgmental of his peers, including people he considers friends or loved ones such as Serena.
• Hormone-Addled Teenager: Has a lot of sex partners during the show's run (along with the rest of the cast), some of which aren't so appropriate. Like for instance his high school teacher, having a threesome with his girlfriend and his best friend, or sleeping with his girlfriend's best friend (and afterward chewing her out for having had sex with him).
• Hypocrite:
  • Constantly complains about shallowness, evilness and rules of privilege in the UES world. Condemns dishonesty and scheming. Turns out he'd wanted into that evil, evil world so badly that he pulled the biggest scheme in the series to get it, hurting countless people in the process.
  • In early Season 6 he started publishing nasty pieces about his (subsequently turning former) friends, using their real names, and justifying it to anybody that tried to call him out, that it's about the bare truth over personal connections. However, he released Chuck's chapter (full of Character Shilling) when he thought he could get into Blair's (for whom he'd still carried a torch) good graces, and when he lost that hope, he published the chapter about her, a mean one.
  • Eagerly throws Chuck under the bus for the Gossip Girl blast that more or less ruined Blair's wedding to Louis, even though he sent the blast video, not Chuck.
• I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me: Gender-Inverted. Dan dreamed of Serena from afar for years before she finally noticed him in the pilot episode.
• I Just Want to Be Special: Dan just wants to be part of the upper-class world but he is repeatedly reminded that it won't happen.
• Informed Ability: We're told he's a remarkably talented writer, and he managed to get published in the New Yorker. But when we actually get to see anything he's written it's usually trite and mediocre, and he apparently has difficulty coming up with story ideas that aren't directly cribbed from events in his own life.
• In-Series Nickname: Lonely Boy.
• In with the In Crowd: Originally a loner, but eventually becomes friends with Serena, Nate, and the others. Lampshaded during their high school graduation by Blair. While Dan clearly still thinks of himself as an outsider, she points out that he's actually done pretty well for himself.
  Blair: You're friends with Nate Archibald, you played on the soccer team, you got into Yale, you got the lead role in the school play, you got published in the New Yorker, you had sex with a teacher!
  Nelly: Plus you dated the most popular girl in school.
• Just Friends: With Vanessa. In Season Four he and Blair have started to develop a snarky, She Is Not My Girlfriend, Belligerent Sexual Tension styled version of this.
• Karma Houdini: He doesn't suffer any social consequences after revealing he's been Gossip Girl all along.
• Last-Name Basis: By Chuck and especially Blair.
• Master Actor: With the revelation of the series finale, he must be a pretty good actor to maintain his secret for years.
• Missing Mom: Dan and Jenny's mother, though she comes back for a few episodes. She doesn't even show up for her son's wedding.
• The Mole: Given that he turns out to be Gossip Girl...
• Most Writers Are Male: Dan is an aspiring writer.
• Motor Mouth: In a mostly dorky fashion. Gets worse when he is nervous.
• Mr. Fanservice: Likes being shirtless.
• My Friends... and Zoidberg
  Chuck: So long, friends... Dan.
• Never My Fault: One of his defining character traits, showing up constantly throughout the series run. The prime example must be when he sleeps with Serena in the season five finale despite being in a relationship with Blair, then the moment the sex is done he gets furious with Serena and claims she was out to ruin his relationship. Even if she was, nobody forced him to sleep with her, as Serena points out to him. He is then furious with Blair and puts the blame for their break-up on her, and while she certainly didn't treat him very fairly (stringing him along when she knew her heart still lay with Chuck), at least she broke up with him before getting back together with Chuck. Dan, on the other hand, was unfaithful to her with her best friend.
• Nice Guy: Starts out as one, then as the series progresses the Upper East Side world begins to change him more and more. He still has his moments, however.
• Odd Friendship: With Blair, in season 4 (they even have a Relationship Upgrade at one point).
• One-Hour Work Week: Hardly ever seen at NYU.
• Only Sane Man: The sanest of the main characters, especially in early seasons.
• Social Climber: His main motivation is to be In with the In Crowd, although he vehemently denies this.
• Stalker with a Crush: To Serena, now that we know he spent years tracking and chronicling her activities through his position as Gossip Girl.
• Stalking is Love: Serena doesn't find it creepy or disturbing at all that Dan created a website that tracks and chronicles the movements of her and others just so he could get her.
• Teacher/Student Romance: With Rachel Carr during his senior year of high school.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: After the sheer amount of crap the poor guy was put through, it's hard to blame him.
• Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Romantic example. Has a strong tendency to begin a relationship with a woman, heavily idealize her, get upset when she fails to meet his standards, and then tell her he's disappointed in her for not changing to meet his idea of her.
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: In Season 6, he aims to destroy the lives of everyone else in the cast after what he (and Jenny) went through
• Worthy Opponent: Even the Manipulative Bastard members of the Bass family had to give him props.

Jenny Humphrey

"Don't you read Gossip Girl? Extortion is what I do, all day."

Portrayed by: Taylor Momsen

Voiced by: Christine Byrd (Latin-American Spanish), Michiko Komatsu (Japanese)

Dan's younger sister who starts off idolizing Serena and wanting Blair's respect. Her innocence vanishes more and more each season and by now she could probably out-bitch Blair if she wanted to. Jenny's got a talent for designing and loves to make her own clothes.

Disappeared from the main cast when Taylor Momsen decided to leave the show to pursue her music career, but came Back for the Finale.

• Adaptational Attractiveness: In the books, Jenny Humphrey is a sweet, artistic girl whose main appearance anxiety is that she is short, brunette, and busty, unlike her tall, slender blonde idol Serena Van Der Woodsen. Who do they cast to play her in the TV series? Tall, slender blonde Taylor Momsen.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: She was a brunette in the books but on the show she's a blonde.
• Aesop Amnesia: Has to learn the "not letting the cool kids change who I am" lesson every couple of episodes.
• Alpha Bitch: After being anointed by Blair the next queen bee of Constance, she eventually embraces it.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: On and off. She and Dan are close, but their relationship occasionally becomes strained when her behavior goes to extremes.
• Backstabbing the Alpha Bitch: Jenny does this to Blair in "A Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate" in order to become Queen herself, which leads to an Escalating War between the two.
• Back for the Finale: She appears at Serena's and Dan's wedding.
• Batman Gambit: She used Gossip Girl which was run by her brother to get out of New York.
• Becoming the Mask: In season 3 when she becomes the Queen Bee with her own group of minions.
• Birds of a Feather: The initial reason she wanted to be friends with Blair was because she noticed that Blair, like herself, was a hard worker who did not get things handed to her. In kind, Blair grows to respect her and ultimately appoints her the next "queen" of Constance.
• Break the Cutie: From the Pilot, where Jenny is sexually assaulted at her first party, Jenny experiences a lot of humiliation and trauma in her time on the show, some of it a consequence of her own bad decisions.
• The Bus Came Back: For a couple of episodes in season 4.
• Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Jenny undergoes a rather brutal Humiliation Conga in season 1 as she tries to fit in with the popular crowd at Constance, getting busted for misbehavior constantly despite her actions being about on par with those of the other girls. Somewhat justified as she's also trying to project a façade of wealth and status that she doesn't have, while her peers are able to get away with more because they have money.
• The Chessmaster: She used Gossip Girl to manipulate her social status to where she wanted it and also plan her exit.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: To Nate in season 3, to the point of trying to sabotage his relationship with Serena.
• The Confidant: To Nate in season one, after they meet by accident and become friends.
• Corrupt the Cutie: She was fairly sweet and innocent in the beginning, if already ambitious. It didn't last.
• Daddy's Girl: Arguably. While Jenny goes against almost everything Rufus says, she seems to be a Daddy's Girl at heart and hates being on bad terms with him.
• The Dragon: Since Dan was Gossip Girl, she had the final say on anything that went on the site about her.
• Embarrassing Middle Name: Tallulah.
• Emo Teen: Shifts into something like this mode partway through her tenure on the show, with her fashion style becoming gothier and more edgy.
• Fangirl: It's been mentioned several times that she's a huge Twilight fangirl. She even once tried to explain the concept to Lily.
• The Fashionista: And a young fashion designer.
• Guile Hero: Until she Took a Level in Jerkass, at which point she became a Manipulative Bastard. Jenny is incredibly adept at thinking on her feet.
• Hormone-Addled Teenager: Played up somewhat in comparison to the other characters, as Jenny has the most typical "teenager" storyline of all of them, mostly revolving around her rebellions against her father and her struggles with identity, life priorities, and wanting to be liked by others.
• Huge Girl, Tiny Guy: With Eric.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: To Eleanor Waldorf in season 2. She eventually begins to feel she is being taken advantage of and kept out of the limelight in order to uphold Eleanor's brand, causing her to quit.
• Improbable Age: At fifteen years old, Jenny is a mini-couturier who is able to rival professional designers during New York's fashion week.
• Informed Ability: In-universe, a talented seamstress and designer who meets with a very positive reception from the fashion world and has the potential to become a superstar. However, many of her clothes are not notably fresh or innovative and how good she actually is comes down to the viewer's taste. Somewhat justified in that fashion is a dynamic industry heavily based on trends, meaning that the clothing being on trend for its time (which much of it is) does not necessarily mean it will read as well years down the line.
• In-Series Nickname: Little J.
• Kick the Dog: While she Took a Level in Jerkass in Season Three, there are four moments that are seen as especially heinous: allowing her minions to dump yogurt on Eric’s head, ordering her minions to egg Eric’s boyfriend, trying to break up Serena and Nate, and posting about Dan and Serena on Gossip Girl.
• Like Brother and Sister: With Eric, for better and for worse.
• Manipulative Bitch: She learned her way of scheming, lying and backstabbing terrifyingly quickly.
• Missing Mom: Dan and Jenny's mother, though she comes back for a few episodes. She doesn't even show up for her son's wedding.
• Peer Pressure Makes You Evil: At least in the first couple of seasons it seems like she's a genuinely sweet girl at heart, but behaves like a mean girl in order to gain popularity and keep her friends. As time goes on, it begins to feel less and less like a façade.
• Put on a Bus: Season 4 had her moving upstate with her mother, a character only seen for a few episodes in season 1 and mostly unreferenced throughout most of the series. She returns briefly but is likely gone for good.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: The change of Jenny's personality & personal style were all because of Taylor Momsen's sudden change in personal style. She was also written off the show the first time to pursue her musical career, then permanently so when she continued to clash with production.
• The Runaway: Twice.
• Secret-Keeper: Apparently she knew all along that Dan was Gossip Girl.
• Shipper on Deck: She used to be a Derena shipper.
• Single Girl Seeks Most Popular Guy: Towards Nate, the Big Man on Campus, especially in season 3. Somewhat justified, however, as they were friends before she had any visible romantic interest in him.
• The Starscream: After getting fed up with Blair’s bullying and manipulation, Jenny goes behind Blair’s back and tells Nate about Blair’s affair with Chuck. Though Jenny didn’t intend for the incident to wind up on Gossip Girl and initially seemed to regret her disclosure, she quickly swoops in on the vacated Queen Bee throne and usurps Blair.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Both times she takes over as Queen Bee, she becomes a much nastier person. In Season Three it even lasts beyond that, with her lashing out at her friends and family. Thankfully, she gets better after Season Four.
• Toxic Friend Influence: Seems to have very questionable taste in friends, such as Alpha Bitch and Ax-Crazy types.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Eric when their friendship is most strained and with Blair when their relationship is most civil.
• Worthy Opponent: To Blair in season 1, as Blair admits to her face when Jenny says she's done trying to fit in.

Lily van der Woodsen/Bass/Humphrey

"If Serena's indiscretions were as PG as Jenny's, I wouldn't have needed the botox."

Biological mother to Serena and Eric, adoptive mother to Chuck, stepmother to Dan and Jenny. Lily was much like her daughter Serena when she was younger, trying to break free from her strict mother's demands. As an adult she has been spending most of her time getting married and getting divorced. She can be very caring and loving when she wants to, but most of the time she's an absent parent.

• Ascended Extra: Lily and Rufus were secondary characters in the books, but in the series they get a lot of attention.
• Former Teen Rebel: She ran away from home, dated rockstars, had a child out of wedlock, spent time in a mental institution, and used drugs.
• Full-Name Ultimatum: Subverted. She calls her adopted son Charles at all times, except for when she's referring do his deviant side.
• Generation Xerox: Her flashbacks show her appearance-conscious socialite mother CeCe trying to restrain the free-spirited young Lily. In present time the appearance-conscious socialite Lily is trying to restrain her free-spirited daughter Serena.
• Good Stepmother: She has a better relationship with Chuck than her own husband, stating that her love for him is unconditional.
• Hands-Off Parenting: To say the very least.
• Long-Lost Relative: Scott, the son she had with Rufus and gave up for adoption.
• Mama Bear: Lily won't hesitate to destroy people's lives for the sake of her family's convenience.
• Manipulative Bitch: Lily has beaten both Basses at their own game.
• Parenting the Husband: Seems to have to do this with Rufus.
• Really Gets Around: Take out Nate and Blair's families, and almost any middle-aged man will turn out to be Lily's past or present suitor.
• Serial Spouse: With at least four different husbands.
• Socialite: Most of the characters on the show are considered socialites and attend parties and social events.
• Strong Family Resemblance: All the Rhodes women (except for somewhat color coded for being the Black Sheep Carol) are tall, slender blond beauties. Coincidentally, her step-daughter Jenny also fits this characteristics, despite not being related to her.

Rufus Humphrey

"I promise to eat caviar without spitting it out in my napkin when we go to dinner at Mayor Bloomberg’s. As long as he knows when he comes to our house he’s eating my chili."

Dan and Jenny's father, and stepfather to Eric, Serena and Chuck. A former rock star (or at least pseudo-star) who had a love affair with Lily in his youth. Years later his son falls in love with Lily's daughter and eventually he and Lily find their way back to one another. Rufus is probably the most attentive parent on the show, although lately it seems he doesn't do much during the day.

• Ascended Extra: Lily and Rufus were secondary characters in the books, but in the series they get a lot of attention.
• Flanderization: He used to be a cool rocker-type dad. Now he's just some boring guy who sits at home all day and/or follows Lily around. With her coat in season 4. Directly referenced by him in season 5.
• House Husband: While Lily is out working and socializing, Rufus mostly sits at home, strums his guitar, makes waffles and dishes out advice.
• Long-Lost Relative: Scott, the son Lily gave birth to and gave up for adoption (without telling Rufus about it).
• One-Note Cook: Actually he can make chili, bolognese and waffles. Especially waffles. But his cooking skills end there.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: Season Six. Having sympathy for a misguided young girl is one thing, but thinking that Ivy is trustworthy is another.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Waffles.

Vanessa Abrams

"My parents are artists, my sister’s a musician. Just like going to an Ivy is your family’s way, not going to college is mine."

Dan's bohemian BFF and on-and-off crush. Vanessa is a documentary film maker and aspiring script writer who frowns on everything regarding the Upper East Side.

• Back for the Finale: Though only in a cameo.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Can be petty, vindictive, and even cruel, while still taking care to appear as though she has the moral high ground; that said, she's more likely to backtrack and apologize afterwards than other characters who behave similarly.
• Brainy Brunette: Very booksmart and tests well, even managing to succeed on the SAT despite not having studied.
• Cool Big Sis: To Jenny, although this dynamic doesn't last once UES politics and relationship drama start coming between them.
• Disappointed in You: Tends to pull this card when one of the UES characters gets on her bad side.
• Distaff Counterpart: To Dan.
• Enter Stage Window: Has a tendency to sneak in to Dan's bedroom via his window. He does not always appreciate this.
• Friends with Benefits: Attempts this with Dan in season three.
• Granola Girl: To an extent, and her mother has strong hippie tendencies.
• Holier Than Thou: Infamously so. She considers basically all the Upper East Side characters some shade of morally bankrupt in comparison to herself, and has no qualms about telling them as much.
• Hypocrite: Like Dan, often judges the other characters for their backstabbing, manipulative, conniving ways, but she herself can be plenty backstabbing, manipulative, and conniving if she feels her actions are justified.
• Informed Ability: She's a good enough writer to get accepted at Tisch, but we've never gotten to see anything she's written. She's also supposed to have a great talent for documentary filmmaking, but this ability is not displayed at all beyond her simply walking around with a camera.
• Just Friends: With Dan, although they have had feelings for each other on-and-off throughout their friendship.
• Mandatory Line: Towards the end of her run on the series.
• Moment Killer: When Dan and Serena try to have sex in season 1.
• One-Hour Work Week: Goes to NYU but never seems to have classes.
• Parental Abandonment: Her parents hardly show up at all, and she lives alone in New York at age sixteen.
• Put on a Bus: Put on a plane, actually, in the season four finale.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: She's initially a supportive friend to Jenny, but in later seasons her It's All About Me attitude emerges.
• Unlimited Wardrobe: Given that she claims to barely be able to afford food, she sure has a large wardrobe with a lot of expensive designer outfits in it.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: For Dan. Zig-zagged in that they do get together eventually, but never for long.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: At least in the early seasons of the show, her forays into UES-style bad behavior are usually in the name of accomplishing some nominally worthy end goal, such as blackmailing Blair in an attempt to force her to help save a notable historical landmark.

Eric van der Woodsen

"Jenny, your sweet potatoes are bland."

Serena's little brother, who is often the sole voice of reason. Gone from the show in season five.

• All Gays are Promiscuous: Averted.
• Back for the Finale: He returns briefly for the series finale.
• But Not Too Gay: While he does have boyfriends, he is never seen kissing them, or even holding hands with them.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Unlike Serena, he doesn't feel inclined to betray his decent stepfather, drop everything and run to biological daddy, who's abandoned them years ago.
• Coming-Out Story: A season one episode reveals that he is gay.
• Disappeared Dad: Serena and Eric's father left when they were little.
• Driven to Suicide: The reason why Serena returns in the pilot is because Eric tried to kill himself.
• Like Brother and Sister: With Jenny, even before they become actual step-siblings.
• Lonely Rich Kid: When Serena left for boarding school.
• Morality Pet: In earlier seasons. It's downplayed since he never actually stops them for doing any evil, but villains do seem to have a fondness for him. His "The Reason You Suck" Speech, in which he confesses his suicide attempt, is what triggers Blair to make peace with Serena right in the beginning of the series, Chuck of all people considers him something akin to a little brother, and Jenny (who can be a real jerk when she wants to) is his best friend. Even Georgina seems rather apologetic when she outs him to his family; granted, Serena doesn't believe it and Georgina outright says she might have done it on purpose, but that's the closest Georgina ever gets to have apologized for anything.
• Nice Guy: In the first three seasons he is undoubtedly the nicest character on the show.
• Only Sane Man: Most of the time. Recently, less so. Definitely in the context of his own family, however.
• Put on a Bus: In season 5. There was a throw-away line about him starting college in one of the episode at the beginning of the season.
• Straight Gay: Exhibits little to none of the typical gay stereotypes.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: In seasons one, two and three he was the only through-and-through decent character. In season four he plots to take Chuck and Blair down and hates on Chuck in favor of Jenny, even though Chuck has always treated Eric well and Jenny has thrown Eric under the bus countless times.

Gossip Girl

"And who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell."

The creator of the blog the whole series is built around.

• Alliterative Name: Gossip Girl
• Catchphrase: "You know you love me. XO XO - Gossip Girl."
• Character Blog: The show features in-universe vlog written by a mysterious Gossip Girl.
• Fauxlosophic Narration: Every now and then.
• Gossipy Hens: It's in the name. The Gossip Girl blog is dedicated to gossip about the main characters.
• He Who Must Not Be Seen: Gossip Girl narrates the show (the voice is provided by Kristen Bell), but is never seen. The series finale subverts this, when it is revealed that Gossip Girl was really Dan Humphrey.
• Interactive Narrator: The characters on the show frequently use Gossip Girl to spread rumors and/or spin a situation in their favor.
• Legacy Character: There are three Gossip Girls during the story and it's implied in the end that the next generation will take on.
• The Nicknamer: Lonely Boy (Dan), Little J (Jenny), Queen B or B (Blair), and S (Serena).
• The Omniscient: An omniscient blogger who knows everything about everyone.
• The Reveal: "She" turns out to be Dan Humphrey. However both Georgina Sparks and Serena also ran the blog for a period so they can be considered to have been Gossip Girl too
• School Newspaper News Hound: Of the modern technology variety.
• Secondary Character Title: Subverted, as "she" turns out to be one of the main characters.
• Title Drop: See Catchphrase. (Exception: "The Revengers," which does not end with Gossip Girl's usual sign-off due to Chuck and Blair running from the roof, having just watched the former's dad fall to his death.)

Dorota Kishlovski

"KGB can't get me to talk. Chuck Bass has no chance."

Blair's nanny/maid/sidekick. Dorota is actually a Polish duchess but she moved to America to escape an unhappy marriage and began to work for the Waldorfs. In many ways the real mother figure in Blair's life and the person who does most of Blair's legwork for her.

• Ascended Extra: Started out as a background character but evolved into Blair's eternal sidekick. Dorota got a backstory in the webisodes "Chasing Dorota" and had an entire episode revolve around her wedding day.
• Beta Couple: She and Vanya (Chuck's doorman). Chuck actually helped Vanya win Dorota's heart, and he threw their wedding.
• Funny Foreigner: You will have some bizarre ideas about Poland if you view Dorota as a typical specimen or treat seriously her stories.
• Happiness in Slavery: Pretty much a modern example.
• Long-Lost Relative: Her estranged husband shows up in Chasing Dorota.
• Mama Bear: Towards Blair.
• Older Sidekick: Blair's a teenager and while we haven't been given Dorota's exact age her actress is in her thirties. And Cyrus has confirmed that she practically raised Blair, meaning she ought to be at least ten years Blair's senior.
• Parental Substitute: As noted above she practically raised Blair.
• Servile Snarker: Though mostly the facial expressions she makes when Blair says or does something she deems snark-worthy.
• Shipper on Deck: She always wants what is best for Blair, and seems pretty convinced that Chuck is the person Blair is meant to be with (although during the Dair arc she rooted for Dan).
• Smart People Play Chess
• Straight Man: If Blair, her mother, or any other high society member in the house starts losing their marbles, Dorota's facial expressions will illustrate it.
• Undying Loyalty: She is always on Blair's side, no matter what.

Georgina Sparks

"You can tell "Jesus", the bitch is back"

A former friend of Serena van der Woodsen and sworn enemy of Blair Waldorf, she is the series' most recurring antagonist.As it turns out during season 5 (major spoiler), she usurped Gossip Girl's identity.

• Ambiguous Situation: Was her conversion to Christianity/newfound goodness in Season 2 genuine? Or was it an act to avoid boot camp and plot revenge?
• Arch-Enemy: To both Serena and Blair.
• The Baby Trap: Arrives at Dan's loft pregnant, claiming (falsely) that he is the father. He is with her when she gives birth to baby Milo and helps raise him for a while, until the truth comes out.
• Batman Gambit: In season 3's The Lost Boy, where she sends Blair a fake invitation to an elite society and uses a contact who works for someone Chuck is trying to impress in order to send the pair after the same photograph, thus bringing out both Blair and Chuck's competitive, self-serving sides and attempting to drive a wedge between the pair.
• Blackmail: She blackmails Serena in season one; she uses her knowledge of Serena sort of, but not actually, killing a man to control her.
• Brief Accent Imitation: Pretending to be a foreigner.
• The Dreaded: Serena is terrified of her, and even the others have Oh, Crap! moments with her on the loose.
• Evil Counterpart: She started out as what Serena could have become. In later seasons she seems to have become more of an Evil Counterpart to Blair around about the same time Blair became her main enemy.
• Evil Former Friend: To Serena.
• Gold Digger: She later marries some clueless chap for money and to have someone looking after her son. She treats her husband more like a minion.
• Implied Love Interest: To Jack Bass.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Frequently pretends to be emotionally vulnerable or feel genuine affection for another person, but she always turns out to just be play-acting in order to manipulate people.
• Manipulative Bitch: Georgina is shown to be as malevolent a manipulator as Blair.
• Oh, Crap!: “You can tell Jesus that the bitch is back”. Cue epic Oh, Crap! look from Blair.
• Put on a Bus: For almost a full season after she is sent to reform school in the season one finale. In fact, although she's a reccuring antagonist, she often appears only once in a while in each season for some episodes, and disappear as quickly as she arrived (after wreaking some havoc). Kind of a Zigzag Bus.
• Reformed, but Rejected: In late season 2. Especially prevalant in the season 4 penultimate episode, where she is yearning to get in on the dirt but is being snubbed.
• The Reveal: Averted. It looks like she's Gossip Girl, but it's revealed that she's just usurping her identity.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: She uses this tactic to gain Dan's sympathy in season 1.
• Yandere: For Dan. She attempts to ruin Serena and Dan's relationship, while also blackmailing Serena about their tragic secret.

Eleanor Waldorf

"Blair, you will never be more beautiful or thin or happy than you are right now. I just want you to make the most of it."

The divorced mother of Blair Waldorf and a respected and well-established fashion designer. She loves her daughter, but she is sometimes too caught up in her own professional life to really connect with or understand her.

• Actor Swap: In the pilot, she was played by Florencia Lozano. Afterwards, she was replaced by Margaret Colin.
• Establishing Character Moment: In the first episode, during a party that Eleanor organized in her home, she stops Blair, who was wearing a dress designed by her mother, and tells her that she should have let her know she was planning to wear one of her designs so she could get it properly fitted, at least. Worse, she does it in front of company, humiliating Blair, whose gesture had been an attempt to win her mother's approval. Also see her character quote. Telling a girl who is secretly miserable and insecure that it doesn't get better than this is cruel. To cap it off, after her little speech, Eleanor tells Blair to put some product in her hair because her ends are dry. Is it any wonder that Blair ended up the way she did?
• The Fashionista: So much that she made fashion her profession.
• Hands-Off Parenting: She undoubtedly loves Blair, but doesn't spend almost any time with her and is generally disconnected from her daughter. She can also be a little too critical of appearances, pressuring the already thin and fashion-obsessed Blair to be perfect at all times, feeding her massive insecurities.
• Manipulative Bitch: Her bitter divorce brings this out in her. For Thanksgiving, she lies to Blair that her father Harold couldn't come visit them from Paris, when in fact she had uninvited him.
• Took a Level in Kindness: She mellows down in later seasons and becomes a better parent.

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