Blake Lively admits she 'poisoned' 'Gossip Girl' cast against co-star Penn Badgley in resurfaced chat

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Blake Lively, currently at the center of a heated legal battle with Justin Baldoni, admitted to "poisoning" her former 'Gossip Girl' co-stars’ opinions of Penn Badgley back in 2009, according to a resurfaced interview.

Lively and Badgley, who dated for three years between 2007 and 2010, were among the stars of 'Gossip Girl', a hit series that aired for six seasons from 2007 to 2012, alongside Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick, Taylor Momsen, Chace Crawford, and Jessica Szohr. 

Despite their breakup in 2010, both Lively and Badgley moved on with other partners while continuing to work together on the show. This resurfaced interview is now gaining attention amid Lively’s ongoing lawsuit with Baldoni, adding new layers to her public narrative.

Blake Lively claims she poisoned 'Gossip Girl' co-stars against ex-Penn Badgley

According to a resurfaced interview obtained by Daily Mail, Blake Lively admitted to attempting to control the narrative surrounding her former 'Gossip Girl' co-star, Penn Badgley, who had once dated her.

Lively portrayed the socialite Serena Van Der Woodsen, the love interest of Badgley’s character, Dan Humphrey. In the newly unearthed interview, she shared with Glamour magazine in 2009, “At first I was so upset that they hired him. I actually poisoned the whole cast against him.”

She added, “But then they noticed that he wasn’t a jerk and was actually a really nice, charming person.” Lively admitted, “Almost immediately I realised that too, but it took me about a week to admit it.”

Despite initial tensions, she emphasized there was no lingering animosity among the cast, saying, “We hang out after filming. We actually look forward to spending time together outside of work.”

At the time, there were also reports suggesting that Lively and Leighton Meester, who played Blair Waldorf, were not friends, and neither Meester nor Badgley follows Lively on Instagram.

This resurfaced interview comes amid Lively's ongoing legal battle with 'It Ends With Us' director and star, Justin Baldoni. Lively has made several serious accusations against Baldoni following their collaboration on the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel. Baldoni has denied the claims.

A trial for her ongoing legal case is scheduled for March 9, 2026.

Blake Lively's video discussing her demands to take creative control of her projects

In addition to the viral video about Blake Lively's past comments on "poisoning" former co-stars, another video from her appearance at the 2022 Forbes Power Women’s Summit has also been making rounds online this week. 

In the video, Lively shared how she took charge on set to seek creative control over her projects. She explained, "I would show up on a set, I knew that they just wanted me to show up and look cute, and stand on a pink sticker where I’m supposed to go, and say what I’m supposed to say."

She continued, "But I also knew that wasn’t fulfilling for me, that I wanted to be part of the storytelling, be a part of the narrative – whether that be in the writing, the costume design, in creating the character." Lively stressed that while some directors, producers, and writers welcomed her involvement, others resented it, saying, "We just hired you to be an actor."

Recalling her experience in meetings, Lively said she often didn’t reveal her need for more creative ownership, saying, "I wouldn’t reveal that I actually need to have authorship to feel fulfilled." She concluded, "So It was a really strange position to be in, because I felt like I don’t want to just be an actor, I want to have more authorship."

Internet expresses shock over Blake Lively's claim of poisoning former cast members

After Blake Lively's resurfaced interview, where she discussed "poisoning" former cast members against a co-star, many internet users expressed shock, with some criticizing her as "so toxic."

One user reacted, saying, "Omg, she is so toxic!" Another fan, concerned about Lively’s children, commented, "God help her children."  

One person responded with a GIF, asking, "Oh my God! What happened to her?" Meanwhile, another shared a GIF of an elderly man laughing uncontrollably while giving a thumbs-up gesture.

One X user wrote, "Blake is a spoiled little kid who never grew up and was enabled to be the biggest brat around. Her behavior is a well known pattern. She’s over." 

Another tweeted, "OMFG🤯 this girl was born mean. I can’t imagine living in her head."

One person commented, "I'm hope Justin Baldoni’s attorneys see all this." 

One netizen urged Justin Baldoni, "My goodness. @justinbaldoni please put this as evidence please."

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.