Blake Lively celebrated the 18th anniversary of Gossip Girl by sharing a treasure trove of never-before-seen photos from the set of the hit teen drama that defined a generation.
‘The summer Gossip Girl turned 18…’ Lively, 38, captioned the nostalgic Instagram carousel, with an accompanying song aptly set to the 2006 Peter Bjorn And John track Young Folks.
Lively, who starred as Serena van der Woodsen on the series, likened being on the show to a ‘college’ experience, and said it provided her with an ‘education’ and peers who became like ‘family.’
The slideshow is filled with candid moments of the cast during filming and downtime in New York City.
Among the throwbacks, Lively can be seen hugging her onscreen BFF Leighton Meester, 39, who played Blair Waldorf, in multiple sweet shots that perfectly capture their Serena-and-Blair bond.
Another snap featured Lively with the late Michelle Trachtenberg, who tragically died earlier this year at the age of 39. Trachtenberg played the scheming Georgina Sparks on 28 episodes of the series.
Blake Lively, 38, celebrated Gossip Girl’s 18th anniversary sharing never-before-seen photos from the set of the hit teen drama. Pictured in June in NYC
One particularly standout image shows Lively posing with her ex-boyfriend and former costar Penn Badgley , 38, who played Dan Humphrey
Lively was also seen in a playful photo alongside Ed Westwick, 38, matching in crisp white button-downs.
One particularly standout image shows Lively posing with her ex-boyfriend and former costar Penn Badgley, 38, who played Dan Humphrey.
In the shot, Lively is dressed in Serena’s iconic gold cotillion gown, a knotted Pamela Dennis creation that remains one of the most unforgettable looks of the series.
Fans also got a glimpse of some of the cast’s off-screen fun, including Lively and Chace Crawford, 40, bouncing around in a giant inflatable in the woods.
Another image was a group photo from her bowling alley birthday party surrounded by the cast and crew.
The trip down memory lane reminded fans just how much of a cultural phenomenon Gossip Girl – created by Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz – was when it premiered in 2007.
The show ran for 121 episodes spread over six seasons, launching its young cast – including Lively, Meester, Badgley, Crawford, and Westwick – into international stardom.
The show also featured a young Taylor Momsen, 32, in the role of Jenny Humphrey; Momsen has since established herself as a force in the musical world with her band The Pretty Reckless.
The show also featured notable names such as Hilary Duff, Tika Sumpter, Sebastian Stan, William Baldwin, Wallace Shawn and Armie Hammer.
Lively and Chace Crawford seen bouncing around in a giant inflatable in the woods
Among the throwbacks, Lively can be seen hugging her onscreen BFF Leighton Meester, 39
Meester played Blair Waldorf on The CW series
Another snap featured Lively with the late Michelle Trachtenberg, who tragically died earlier this year at the age of 39
The throwback marked a lighthearted turn as Lively remains in a bitter courtroom clash with Justin Baldoni, stemming from their experience filming the 2024 romantic drama It Ends with Us.
Baldoni has obtained the services of another high-profile figure in the world of law, as Alexandra Shapiro has joined his legal team.
Shapiro was flagged as a new member of Baldoni’s legal team and for Wayfarer Studios in paperwork she filed September 15, US Weekly reported Thursday.
Shapiro, who is based out of New York, gained experience working as a clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
In recent years, the legal standout has represented high profile clients such as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried, among other notable names.
Daily Mail has reached out to reps and attorneys for Baldoni for further comment on Shapiro’s addition to the actor’s legal team.
The addition of Shapiro to Baldoni’s team comes as he is facing further scrutiny as another individual has come forward with claims of harassment, according to newly filed court documents obtained by The Daily Mail.
In a sworn declaration, filed by Blake Lively’s lawyer, the individual, whose name has been redacted, alleged they endured ‘repeated, negative interactions with Mr. Baldoni and his associates, including verbal abuse by Mr. Baldoni.’
The Daily Mail has reached out for comment from Baldoni’s representatives, but have not heard back at this time.
Lively was also seen in a playful photo alongside Ed Westwick, 38, matching in crisp white button-downs
Another image was a group photo from her bowling alley birthday party surrounded by the cast and crew
The trip down memory lane reminded fans just how much of a cultural phenomenon Gossip Girl – created by Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz – was when it premiered in 2007
The unnamed person further claimed that Baldoni was ‘not permitted on set during the majority of production as a result of those experiences.’
The individual also said they requested that Baldoni ‘not be involved in marketing or public relations efforts.’
A source told TMZ that the individual is ‘likely to testify against Justin in Lively’s trial.’
Although the declaration does not concern It Ends with Us, the accuser stated they previously collaborated with Baldoni on a different project connected to his company, Wayfarer Studios.
The filing also references Baldoni’s business partner, Wayfarer co-founder Steve Sarowitz, noting that the accuser had been contacted by Sarowitz’s assistant to arrange a meeting, though no specific topic for the discussion was identified.
The documents, filed September 4, 2025, were submitted under penalty of perjury.
Lively took her 42.7 million followers back on a nostalgic look dating back nearly two decades
A small dog was positioned in front of a laptop set to the TV show’s webpage
Lively shared a series of images to commemorate the 18th anniversary of The CW series
The fresh allegations surfaced just as Lively filed a sweeping new motion seeking attorney’s fees, treble damages, and punitive damages against Baldoni’s company Wayfarer Studios and its executives.
In the 30-page filing in federal court, Lively’s lawyers argue that Wayfarer’s defamation lawsuit against her was ‘baseless from the start.’
They said the lawsuit amounted to a retaliatory attack after she reported harassment and retaliation.
The motion accuses the company of attempting to ‘damage her credibility and conceal their own unlawful acts’ by flooding the public docket with redacted exhibits and character attacks.
Lively’s team argues the conduct fits squarely into what California Civil Code Section 47.1 was designed to prevent — retaliatory lawsuits against those who come forward with harassment complaints.
Under that statute, Lively is asking the court to impose severe penalties, including treble damages and punitive damages.
She is permitted to request the court recognize her as the ‘prevailing defendant’ entitled to recover legal fees.
Justin Baldoni, 41, has obtained the services of another high-profile figure in the world of law, in his ongoing courtroom clash with Lively, 37
Shapiro was flagged as a new member of Baldoni’s legal team in paperwork she filed September 15. Pictured in NYC this past July
The motion also cites alleged threats made by Sarowitz, who was described as vowing to spend $100 million to ruin the lives of Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
According to the filing, Sarowitz allegedly declared at one point: ‘I will protect the studio like Israel protected itself from Hamas. There were 39,000 dead bodies.
‘There will be two dead bodies when I’m done. Minimum. Not dead, but “you’re dead to me.” So that kind of dead. But dead to a lot of people’
Baldoni and Lively has been embroiled in a legal battle for months.
In December 2024, the actress sued Justin for allegedly sexually harassing her on set — claims he denied – before he and Wayfarer Studios fired back with a defamation suit against Blake, her publicist Leslie Sloane and husband Ryan Reynolds.
Justin also waged war with The New York Times, filing a $250million lawsuit against the publication over its bombshell tell-all on Lively’s sexual harassment claims against her former co-star on December 31, 2024.
The New York Times denied the allegations.
On June 9, however, it was learned that a judge dismissed Baldoni’s lawsuit in a major setback for the actor’s hopes for a blockbuster win over the millionaire actress.
The trip down memory lane reminded fans just how much of a cultural phenomenon Gossip Girl – created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage – was when it premiered in 2007
Lively and Baldoni pictured in their 2024 film It Ends with Us
In December 2024, the actress sued Justin for allegedly sexually harassing her on set — claims he denied; seen in April 2025
Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s suit alleging defamation and extortion on the basis that all Lively’s allegations were made within privileged court papers.
The judge said in the order obtained by DailyMail.com: ‘The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged.
‘The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign.
‘But the Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law.
‘The Wayfarer Parties’ additional claims also fail. Accordingly, the Amended Complaint must be dismissed in its entirety.’
The judge ruled: ‘The Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened. The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively’s version of events.’
He dismissed the lawsuit against The New York Times as well.
