HBO Max spent a fortune trying to make lightning strike twice. You remember the vibe. The steps of the Met were back, the headbands were (briefly) retired for oversized shirts and bike shorts, and the Gossip Girl 2021 cast was everywhere, from the cover of Cosmopolitan to every "for you" page on the planet. But then, the show just... ended. It was cancelled after two seasons, leaving a bunch of gorgeous, genuinely talented actors in a weird sort of prestige-TV limbo.
Honestly, looking back at the ensemble now, it’s clear the casting wasn’t the problem. If anything, the cast was the only thing keeping the boat afloat when the writing started to feel like a Twitter discourse thread come to life. They had the impossible task of following Blake Lively and Leighton Meester, which is basically like being asked to paint a second Mona Lisa while everyone watches you through a microscope.
The central trio that almost worked
Jordan Alexander led the pack as Julien Calloway. She had the look. That shaved head was iconic from the first teaser, and she played the "influencer with a conscience" thing as well as anyone could. It’s hard to play a character who is supposed to be the most famous person in New York but also deeply insecure, yet Alexander found that specific, brittle energy. Opposite her was Whitney Peak as Zoya Lott. Peak was arguably the heart of the show, coming off a solid run in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She played the moral compass, though the writers often made Zoya feel a bit too much like a lecture and not enough like a teenager.
Then there’s the Thomas Doherty of it all. As Max Wolfe, Doherty was doing the absolute most. He was basically a concentrated dose of Chuck Bass energy but with a lot more fluidity and, frankly, better range. While the rest of the Gossip Girl 2021 cast was often forced to play it cool and detached, Doherty was out there chewing the scenery in the best way possible. He brought a theatricality that the show desperately needed to feel "Gossip Girl-y."
The breakout performances that stayed under the radar
You’ve gotta talk about Zion Moreno. As Luna La, she was supposed to be a sidekick, a stylist, a mean girl. But Moreno stole every single scene she was in. Her timing was impeccable. She had this dry, detached delivery that felt way more authentic to the "upper east side" vibe than some of the more earnest lead performances. It’s a shame we never got to see a Luna-centric season, because she was clearly the fan favorite by the time Season 2 rolled around.
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Savannah Lee Smith, who played Monet de Haan, was the other half of that power duo. She played Monet with a terrifying, sharp-edged ambition that felt like a direct descendant of Blair Waldorf. If you look at the social media stats from when the show was airing, people were obsessed with Monet. She was the "villain" we were all rooting for.
Why the Gossip Girl 2021 cast struggled with the "Teacher" plot
Here is the thing most people get wrong about why the reboot failed: it wasn't the kids. It was the adults. Tavi Gevinson is a legitimate fashion icon and a very capable actress, but having her character, Kate Keller, be the one behind the Gossip Girl account was a choice that never quite landed.
The Gossip Girl 2021 cast was essentially split into two different shows. On one hand, you had a sexy, high-stakes teen drama about Gen Z power dynamics. On the other, you had a weirdly depressing workplace comedy about underpaid teachers cyberbullying their students. The chemistry between the students was great, but whenever the camera panned back to the teachers' lounge, the momentum just died. You could see the actors trying to make the stakes feel real, but it’s hard to make "I might lose my tenure if I don't post this photo of a teenager" feel like Must-See TV.
Supporting players who deserved more
- Evan Mock (Akeno "Aki" Menzies): A professional skateboarder and model who had never acted before. Was he the most polished actor on the set? No. But he had a naturalism that was really refreshing.
- Eli Brown (Otto "Obie" Bergmann): He had the "lonely boy" role, but with way more money than Dan Humphrey ever dreamed of. Brown played the guilt-ridden rich kid well, even if the character was often written as a bit of a wet blanket.
- Emily Alyn Lind (Audrey Hope): She brought a classic, old-Hollywood feel to the show. Her storyline involving her mother’s breakdown and the polyamorous relationship with Aki and Max was one of the few times the show felt like it was actually saying something new about modern relationships.
The shadow of the original 2007 ensemble
It’s impossible to discuss the Gossip Girl 2021 cast without acknowledging the 2007 shaped hole in the room. The original cast felt like lightning in a bottle. You had Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, and Ed Westwick, who all became massive stars. The 2021 crew had the talent, but they didn't have the mystery.
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In 2007, we didn't know everything about the actors. In 2021, we could follow the entire cast on Instagram and TikTok before the first episode even dropped. That blurred the lines. We weren't seeing Serena van der Woodsen; we were seeing a group of very talented young actors playing New York elites while simultaneously posting behind-the-scenes Reels. It’s a weird paradox of modern fame that the show tried to critique but also fell victim to.
The fashion also played a massive role in how we perceived this cast. Eric Daman, the costume designer for both series, did an incredible job of making the new cast look distinct. He moved away from the "preppy" look into something more "streetwear-meets-luxury." This helped the Gossip Girl 2021 cast establish their own identity, but for some fans, if it didn't have a necktie or a headband, it wasn't Gossip Girl.
What the actors are doing now
The show's cancellation wasn't the end of the road for these guys. Far from it.
Thomas Doherty has been working steadily, leaning into his "leading man" energy. Whitney Peak is a Chanel ambassador—which, honestly, is the most Gossip Girl thing an actor can do. Jordan Alexander has returned to her roots in music and activist spaces. Zion Moreno is someone to watch; her presence is too big for her to stay off our screens for long.
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If you look at the trajectory of the Gossip Girl 2021 cast, they’re all doing exactly what they should be doing: using the platform of a high-profile HBO show to launch more interesting, niche projects. They didn't get six seasons and a movie, but they got a "moment."
How to appreciate the reboot today
If you’re going back to rewatch the show on Max, try to ignore the "teacher" scenes. Just skip them. Focus on the chemistry between the younger Gossip Girl 2021 cast members. There’s a scene in the second season where the group is at a debutante ball—or some New York equivalent—and the banter is sharp, the outfits are insane, and for a second, it feels exactly like the original.
The show was at its best when it stopped trying to be "important" and just let the cast be messy. The "Throuple" storyline with Aki, Audrey, and Max was actually quite well-handled and felt like a genuine update to the franchise's soap opera roots.
Actionable insights for fans of the franchise
If you want to keep up with the Gossip Girl 2021 cast or see more of that specific New York aesthetic, here is what you should do:
- Follow the stylists, not just the actors. Eric Daman’s work on the show is a masterclass in Gen Z high fashion. Following his archives gives you a better look at the character building than the show sometimes did.
- Watch the cast’s indie projects. Many of these actors, like Eli Brown and Emily Alyn Lind, have done smaller films that allow them to show off the range they couldn't always display between the "hey Upper East Siders" voiceovers.
- Check out the Season 2 cameos. If you’re a fan of the original, the second season of the reboot features some incredible returns from the 2007 cast that make the 2021 world feel more grounded in the lore.
The reboot might be over, but the Gossip Girl 2021 cast is still very much in the mix. They were the right actors at the wrong time, caught in a transition period for streaming TV where "big names" and "big IP" weren't always enough to guarantee a long run. They deserved better writing, but they certainly looked good while waiting for it.