Penn Badgley weighs in on one of Gossip Girl’s most controversial twists, and he’s naming the one person he believes should have been behind the keyboard. The CW drama series ran from 2007 to 2012, following the lives of privileged Manhattan teens and the anonymous blogger who exposed their secrets. The final season of Gossip Girl stunned audiences by revealing that the Brooklyn-born outsider played by Badgley, Dan Humphrey, had been Gossip Girl all along, a choice that continues to draw mixed reactions from viewers and critics.
Per People, Badgley discussed the infamous twist when he appeared on the latest episode of Alex Cooper’s podcast, Call Her Daddy. While he admitted he understood the decision from a production standpoint, the actor revealed that he and the rest of the cast believed that Blair Waldorf’s maid Dorota (Zuzanna Szadkowski) was the perfect candidate to be Gossip Girl. When Cooper brought up the idea of Dan’s father, Rufus, as Gossip Girl, Badgley explained that production needed the blogger to be a series regular, saying, “They needed to be one of the core six. Otherwise, nobody cares.” Read his comments below:
It wouldn’t have made sense for anybody. We all wanted it to be Dorota. They needed it to be a series regular. They needed to be one of the core six. Otherwise, nobody cares.
What This Means For Gossip Girl’s Legacy
The Reveal Remains Controversial And Memorable
Badgley’s comments add to the long-standing debate over Gossip Girl‘s most controversial decision. While some appreciate the poetic irony of Dan infiltrating and eventually defining the elite world he once criticized, others found it implausible and out of character, especially given how often Gossip Girl targeted Dan and his loved ones. Badgley’s support of Dorota as the ideal Gossip Girl taps into the audience’s sentiment that a twist involving an audience-favorite secondary character might’ve been more emotionally resonant, tonally cohesive, and rewarding in terms of both character arc and the series’ themes of loyalty and identity.
Dorota as Gossip Girl could have offered a twist that balanced show and satisfaction, honoring the series’ layered class commentary while rewarding a beloved side character. It also wouldn’t have required viewers to reconcile six seasons of Dan’s oblivious behavior with his secret identity. Dorota’s role as an omnipresent figure in the lives of Manhattan’s elite gave her the credibility and stealth to match Gossip Girl. By revealing that Gossip Girl’s twist was shaped by contracts and network mandates, Badgley shows how shock value and franchise goals sometimes outweighed narrative logic in the show’s final moments.
Our Take On Dorota As Gossip Girl
A Fun What If That Might Have Worked Better
Even years later, Gossip Girl’s finale continues to spark debate, demonstrating the show’s lasting cultural impact. Badgley’s openness to discussing alternative endings, especially in support of Dorota, shows just how much thought was given to the reveal from all sides. It also reflects the appreciation for the unsung character who, despite being in the background, had a significant narrative and emotional impact. His comments also shed insight on how TV production constraints, like needing a reveal to be impactful for series regulars, often guide decisions more than logic within the show’s world.
As the Gossip Girl reboot on Max fizzled out without matching the original’s impact, Badgley’s comments serve as a reminder of how vital it is for long-running mysteries to stick the landing. Fans still care, and that in itself is proof of Gossip Girl‘s enduring place in pop culture.
Source: Call Her Daddy (via People)
