Lily Van Der Woodsen wouldn’t miss Chuck Bass’ wedding — and Kelly Rutherford feels the same about attending Ed Westwick’s upcoming nuptials.
“I miss that character, but I am still in touch with almost everyone from the show. I am going to Ed’s [Westwick] wedding and I am so excited,” the Gossip Girl alum, 55, told Variety at the French TV festival Series Mania.
Rutherford, 55, portrayed Lily Van Der Woodsen, mother of Blake Lively’s Serena, on The CW series from 2007 to 2012, while Westwick, 36, starred as Chuck Bass.
“It was before this whole super politically correct time,” Rutherford said of the original Gossip Girl. “We were on the verge of it and there is just a different energy about it. After the first season, we knew [it was huge].”
Rutherford added that she would “love” to return to the world of Gossip Girl, calling Lily a “fierce mum.” She continued to reflect on her time on the series, saying, “The women I grew up with were very chic, but I hadn’t really seen a mother like that on TV. I didn’t realize how much people loved Lily — until now. At first, it was all about these kids. We were just parents. Then, they started to write for us more.”
Rutherford added that she enjoys reflecting on the original show’s wildest plot points. “There were times when we would read the script in the morning and some people would go: ‘I would never say this, I would never do this.’ Oh yes — you would,” she recalled. “We all have this lovely perception of ourselves, but we are dynamic beings. Lily would mess up and recover, and to be able to admit it as a parent was huge.”
Despite Rutherford’s willingness to return, Max’s now-canceled Gossip Girl reboot featured an entirely new cast of characters. “I guess they thought it was just easier to create a new environment,” Rutherford said. The Gossip Girl revival only lasted 2 seasons before its cancellation in 2023.
Rutherford and Westwick, 36, were last spotted together in September 2023 during Paris Fashion Week when they both attended the Lancôme x Louvre event. In a video shared via TikTok by French magazine Gala, the Gossip Girl actors greeted each other with a warm embrace and chatted with Westwick’s then-girlfriend (now-fiancée), actress and model Amy Jackson.
Westwick popped the question to Jackson, 31, in January during a romantic ski trip in Gstaad, Switzerland. “Hell YES 💍,” Jackson captioned a joint Instagram post on January 29 with Westwick, which featured photos from their engagement. Westwick responded to the post via Instagram Story at the time, saying, “I hit the jackpot xxx.”
