Hey, Upper
East Siders. Young Hollywood here. And we have the biggest news
ever. Everything you ever wanted to know about the behind the
scenes goings-on of your favorite teen show “Gossip Girl” is
officially on blast, all thanks to lonely boys BFF, aka the
fabulous Jessica Szohr! On January 26, 2022, the
“Gossip Girl” alum launched “XOXO with Jessica Szohr”, a podcast
where she talks all things “Gossip Girl”. The podcast has had some
pretty notable guests so far, from showrunners Josh
Schwartz and Stephanie Savage to guest
star Sebastian Stan. Here are all the juiciest
things we’ve learned about “Gossip Girl” from the podcast so
far!

1. Ed Westick Almost Didn’t Play Chuck
Bass

We can’t
imagine “Gossip Girl” without Ed Westick; Chuck
Bass simply would not be Chuck Bass without Ed! I mean, come on,
can you imagine anyone else in that role? Well, neither could
showrunner Josh Schwartz, who told Szohr that they were not sure if
the British Ed was going to get a visa to work in the United
States. The network was trying to make Josh pick a backup actor in
case the visa did not come in, but Schwartz refused and kept
putting it off because Ed was the only one he could see as Chuck.
Luckily, Ed’s visa got approved the day before filming started. The
story of how he got his visa is super chaotic, but don’t worry, we
won’t spoil it so you can hear for yourself!

2. Taylor Momsen Was the First Actor
Cast

Who knew
Little J was the first to be cast out of all the characters?!
“Gossip Girls” casting director David Rapaport shared with Szohr that Taylor Momsen, who played
Jenny Humphrey, was the first they cast for the show.

3. The Network Didn’t Think Blake Lively
Would Fit for Serena

David
Rapaport went in depth with Szohr about the casting process and
how, at first, the network thought Blake Lively was too “West Coast” to play an East Sider. However, Rapaport
always saw Lively as the perfect Serena, which she was! And
eventually the network did too!

4. Prior to “GG”, Sebastian Stan and
Chace Crawford Were Friends

Who knew that
these two were besties before their time on “Gossip Girl”?! Chace Crawford, who played Nate Archibald, opened
up to Szohr about his friendship with Sebastian Stan, who played
Carter Baizen, from working together previously. Chace even went up
to Josh Schwartz on set letting him know his buddy was coming out
to audition.

5. Jessica Szohr Got The Role Because of
a Pool Party

Jessica Szohr
got the role of Vanessa thanks to a pool party she attended with Adam Brody. As we know, Adam Brody played the
iconic Seth Cohen on “The OC”, which was also created by “GG”
showrunners Josh and Stephanie. Josh threw a pool party and
Stephanie was there, when Adam dropped in with Jessica, and the two
of them instantly knew she was Vanessa. What Jessica didn’t know is
that she was basically auditioning for them the whole party. But
can you imagine if she didn’t go to that party? Who would have
played Vanessa?!

6. Chace and Ed Were
Roommates

We have touched on this before, but it will
just never get old! Chace and Ed were roommates for a few years at
the beginning of the show. Chace recalls a funny story of going
apartment hunting in New York with his mom, realizing how expensive
everything was, then calling Ed up and asking if he wanted to live
together. A roommate match made in heaven!

7. Nina Dobrev Auditioned to Play Young
Lily Van Der Woodsen

What some
might not know is that there was supposed to be a “Gossip Girl”
spinoff focusing on a young Lily Van Der Woodsen and her sister
Carol’s adventures in L.A. Season 2 Episode 24 “Valley Girls”
served as an unofficial pilot episode where Brittany
Snow played young Lily. But David Rapaport recalls being
blown away by Nina Dobrev’s audition for the part.
The only problem was, Dobrev didn’t look anything like Kelly Rutherford, who played Lily Van Der Woodsen.
Soon after that, though, Dobrev scored the role of Elena Gilbert on
“The Vampire Diaries”, so no harm no foul.

8. To Audition, Kelly Rutherford Needed
an Assistant to Hold Her Baby

Talk about a
working mom! Kelly Rutherford showed up to her audition for “Gossip
Girl” with her baby, and while she was in the room, an assistant
for the show had to hold her baby. We bet that was a nice break for
the assistant, though — who doesn’t love to hold babies? Another
thing you might not have known is, she was pregnant for part of
Season 1 and gave birth in between Season 1 and 2. She told Szohr
that being a mom in real like and coming on set and playing a mom
was very special for her.

These are
just a few of the behind-the-scenes secrets shared on Szohr’s
podcast. To hear they rest, you will have to listen for yourself!
“XOXO with Jessica Szohr” is now available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.