Leighton Meester

Leighton Marissa Meester ( ; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is known for her starring role as Blair Waldorf on The CW television series Gossip Girl (2007–2012). She has also appeared in films such as Killer Movie, Country Strong (2010), The Roommate (2011), Monte Carlo (2011), The Oranges (2011), The Judge (2014), The Weekend Away (2022), and EXmas (2023). She portrayed Angie D'Amato on the ABC sitcom Single Parents (2018–2020). Meester made her Broadway debut in Of Mice and Men (2014). For her leading role in The CW/Stan comedy drama series Good Cop/Bad Cop (2025), Meester was nominated for the Australian Logie Award for Best Actress.

In addition to acting, Meester has ventured into music. In 2009, she was featured as a guest vocalist on the Cobra Starship single "Good Girls Go Bad", which charted in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. She released solo singles "Somebody to Love" (2009) and "Your Love's a Drug" (2010) on the Universal Republic label. Meester has also recorded songs for various soundtracks. Her debut studio album, Heartstrings, was independently released in 2014. She has also modeled, having been the face of the Jimmy Choo, Herbal Essences, and Vera Wang brands.

Early life and education Meester was born April 9, 1986, She has an older brother, Douglas Logan (born 1983), and a younger brother, Alexander "Lex" (born 1994). Their mother is of Irish descent, while their father has Dutch ancestry. At the time of her birth, Meester's parents were serving time in a federal prison for their involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the United States. Constance was able to give birth to Leighton in a hospital and nurse her for three months in a halfway house, before returning to prison to complete her sentence. She grew up in Marco Island, Florida, where she participated in productions at a local playhouse. Her parents separated in 1992.

When she was 11 years old, Meester and her siblings moved with their mother to New York City. She attended the Professional Children's School and began working as a model with Wilhelmina, booking a Ralph Lauren campaign shot by Bruce Weber, and working with then-photographer Sofia Coppola. At age 14, she relocated to Los Angeles and attended Hollywood and Beverly Hills High Schools. Meester then transferred to a small private school and graduated a year early.

Career

1999–2006: Beginnings Meester made her television acting debut in 1999 as a murder victim's friend, Alyssa Turner, on an episode of Law & Order. Following this, she made her film debut as Elisha Springfield in Hangman's Curse (2003), based on the bestselling book by Frank Peretti. She had a series regular role in Tarzan in 2003, which aired for only eight episodes, a recurring role in Entourage as Justine Chapin, and played Carrie Bishop in Veronica Mars in 2004 and 2005. Meester booked guest roles in the series Crossing Jordan, 8 Simple Rules, 7th Heaven, and 24.

In 2006, Meester appeared in two films, Flourish and Inside. She also guest starred in an episode of Numbers and appeared in two episodes of House as Ali Johnson, a teenager with a crush on Gregory House. and Shark, and portrayed the female lead in the horror film Drive-Thru (2007), for which she recorded the song "Inside the Black." Meester was cast as identical twin sisters Kayla and Kelly Rhodes in the ABC crime-drama series Secrets of a Small Town, but the network decided not to forward the series.

2007–2013: Gossip Girl and music ventures In 2007, Meester was cast in The CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl as Blair Waldorf, based on the book series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. She first auditioned for the role of Serena van der Woodsen, but told the producers she could better play Blair. However, it was important that Serena was blonde and Blair was brunette, so Meester dyed her hair brown for the role. Her performance was the most critically acclaimed of the show, with Blair being cited as the series' breakout character. She also garnered media attention for her wardrobe on the show. The series ended after six seasons and 120 episodes. Meester later starred in the television film The Haunting of Sorority Row, and had a role in the ensemble comedy-drama film Remember the Daze (2007). In 2008, she appeared in the horror-thriller film Killer Movie and reprised her role in Entourage, singing with Tony Bennett in the episode. She was also ranked on Maxim magazine's "Hot 100 of 2008" and "Hot 100 of 2009" lists. thumb leftEarly in 2009, Meester partnered with Reebok to model their new Top Down sneakers. Apart from Gossip Girl, Meester worked with co-star Ed Westwick in a Nikon Coolpix series camera advertisement, and both were the faces of the Korean clothing line ASK Enquired. In April 2009, she released the song "Birthday" featuring duo Awesome New Republic. A version without her vocals was included on their Rational Geographic Vol. I album. Later that month, Meester signed a recording contract with Universal Republic. Meester provided vocals on Cobra Starship's song "Good Girls Go Bad", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Meester's first official single, "Somebody to Love", featuring R&B singer Robin Thicke, was released for airplay on October 13, 2009, and became available for digital download the next day. She recorded a cover of the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for the compilation album A Very Special Christmas 7.

Her second single, "Your Love's a Drug", was digitally released on March 30, 2010. She is also featured on Stephen Jerzak's song "She Said". Meester did a duet with DJ Clinton Sparks on "Front Cut", which appeared on the internet in February 2011. Lil Wayne worked with her on an unreleased song titled "Make It Rain", and Jesse McCartney wrote her another song. The album was produced by Polow Da Don, Harvey Mason Jr., and Spencer Nezey. Meester began working on it in March 2009, and the album was initially projected to be released in the fall of 2009, but was later delayed to early 2010. It was pushed back again to late 2010, and was ultimately shelved.thumb Meester had small roles in the comedies Date Night (2010) and Going the Distance (2010). She then starred with Gwyneth Paltrow and Garrett Hedlund in the country music drama Country Strong (2010). Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe described Meester as the best part of the film, writing, "She's just doing Reese Witherspoon's June Carter Cash in Walk the Line with dabs of Miley Cyrus and Kellie Pickler. But it's not an impersonation; it's a performance with its own comedy and sweetness." Claudia Puig of USA Today was also positive, stating "Meester shows she can do more than play one of Gossip Girl privileged Manhattan socialites." For the film, Meester recorded a cover of the song "Words I Couldn't Say" by Rascal Flatts as well as "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans featured on the film's soundtrack; a promotional single titled "Summer Girl"; and a duet with Garrett Hedlund titled "Give In To Me". After wrapping, she received a guitar from Tim McGraw and decided to learn how to play it. In October 2010, Meester said she had been working with a band called Check in the Dark and had been writing for the last six months after being inspired by Country Strong. She revealed her influences, saying, "I love Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, that style of music, and as far as songwriting I think that's where my heart is."

In 2010, Meester signed on to be the spokesperson for Herbal Essences hair products. That same year, she took part in Bulgari's humanitarian efforts for the Save the Children organization with Isabella Rossellini and Maribel Verdú. Next, she fronted a beauty campaign for Korean brand eSpoir. Vera Wang selected her to be the face of the fragrance Lovestruck in 2011, stating that Meester's "beauty, talent and spirit will inspire all the young women that I hope will enjoy this passionate, new young fragrance." The next year, Meester shot a campaign for the follow-up fragrance, Lovestruck Floral Rush. Italian fashion house Missoni named Meester the face of their spring/summer 2011 campaign.

Meester then starred in the thriller film The Roommate (2011) as Rebecca Evans, an obsessive, bipolar woman. Though the film received mainly negative reviews, Meester's portrayal was praised. Entertainment Weekly found she was the only one to bring "the slightest trace of something fascinating to her role," while Los Angeles Times wrote, "[Meester's] performance often has the feeling of a sports car in neutral. When she punches it for quick changes of tone from manic to wounded or around the bend, she shows how much more she is capable of." In the teen comedy film Monte Carlo (2011), Meester portrayed Meg Kelly, Selena Gomez's character's stepsister and Katie Cassidy's character's friend. Movieline noted, "As in Country Strong, Meester's crack timing and irresistible poignancy illuminate a part that would leave other actresses simpering themselves off the screen." Her final film of the year, The Oranges (2011), opposite Hugh Laurie and Adam Brody, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Meester's performance was again met with positive reviews, with the San Francisco Chronicle writing that she "succeeds in embodying all that is alluring and alarming about a 24-year-old woman."

In April 2012, Meester announced via Twitter (now X) a five-city tour with Check in the Dark, which started May 29 and ended June 4, 2012. Reflecting on her past pop collaborations, she said she "loved" them, but that folk music was "a lot closer to [her] heart." In May 2012, she endorsed the Philippine clothing brand Penshoppe's campaign All Stars. In June, Meester said she and the band had recorded all the songs for an album that served as a demo.

She then starred in the comedy film That's My Boy, alongside Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Milo Ventimiglia, which released in June 2012. The film received mainly negative reviews, was nominated for eight Golden Raspberry Awards, and was a box office failure, grossing less than $58 million, failing to recoup its production budget of $70 million. In August 2012, Meester, Wilmer Valderrama, and Vanessa Curry appeared in house music group The Nomads' music video for "Addicted to Love". She was unavailable to reprise her role as Carrie Bishop in the film Veronica Mars (2014) due to scheduling issues, and was replaced by singer Andrea Estella of the band Twin Sister. In October 2013, Biotherm, a French luxury skincare company, announced Meester as its new global ambassador.

2014–2017: Broadway debut and Heartstrings In April 2014, her comedy film Life Partners premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. It follows the friendship between a lesbian (Meester) and a straight woman (Gillian Jacobs) who begin a new relationship. Meester made her Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1937 novel Of Mice and Men, starring opposite James Franco and Chris O'Dowd. The production filmed and broadcast in cinemas for one night through National Theatre Live, the first Broadway production to be selected by the program. She then appeared opposite Robert Downey, Jr., Robert Duvall, and Vera Farmiga in the David Dobkin-directed comedy-drama film The Judge, which premiered at the TIFF and released in October 2014. Meester next appeared in Like Sunday, Like Rain (2014) directed by Frank Whaley, playing the girlfriend of Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong, and By the Gun (2014), alongside Ben Barnes. She won the Best Actress Award for Like Sunday, Like Rain at the 2014 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival. She was also the face of French brand Naf Naf's autumn/winter 2014 collection.

On September 9, 2014, it was announced her debut album, Heartstrings, would be released independently through her own label, Hotly Wanting, on October 28. The nine-song LP was written by Meester and produced by Jeff Trott. Its style was compared to ethereal singer-songwriters such as Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell.

In 2015, Meester embarked on a tour to support the album, which began on January 6 in Los Angeles, California, and ended on March 2 in San Francisco, California. Later that year, she appeared in advertisements for the Malaysian fashion brand Jimmy Choo. Meester was one of the 100 celebrity narrators featured in the documentary Unity (2015), which had a limited theatrical release. In March 2016, she was cast in Fox's comedy series Making History as Deborah Revere, a colonial woman from 1775 and the daughter of American artisan Paul Revere. The series was cancelled after one season.

2018–present: Guest roles and The Buccaneers In January 2018, Meester joined the cast of Semper Fi, starring alongside Jai Courtney, Nat Wolff, and Finn Wittrock, which was released in October 2019. Meester starred in the ABC sitcom Single Parents alongside Taran Killam, which premiered in September 2018 and was cancelled after two seasons. In 2018, Meester had a guest role on The Last Man on Earth and in 2019, she was a guest star in an episode of The Orville titled "Lasting Impressions" as Laura Huggins. She reprised the role in the 2022 episode "Twice in a Lifetime".

In 2022, she appeared in How I Met Your Father in the recurring role of Meredith, starred in the thriller film The Weekend Away, and voiced a role in the animated film My Father's Dragon. She then starred in the holiday film EXmas (2023). In October 2024, she was announced to be joining the cast ofThe Buccaneers for season two. In September 2025, it was announced that Meester would star in a Netflix film adaptation of Katherine Center's novel The Bodyguard, opposite Jared Padalecki. In October 2025, it was teased that Meester would make a guest appearance in season two of Netflix's series Nobody Wants This, which stars her real-life husband Adam Brody and Kristen Bell.

Philanthropy

Meester has participated in several charitable campaigns. In 2008, she was a spokesperson for Sunsilk's "Life Can't Wait" campaign, which aimed at motivating women to pursue their dreams. She also collaborated with Safe Horizon in 2009 to raise awareness about domestic violence. In 2015, Meester auctioned off fashion and accessories in a charity auction on eBay. The proceeds benefited Many Hopes, a charity organization that builds schools and homes for children in Kenya.

Meester has volunteered with the non-profit organization Feeding America since 2017. During her first two years working with Feeding America, she volunteered at Los Angeles' Downtown Women's Center and assisted with relief efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Meester and Adam Brody also worked at Para Los Niños Charter School in Los Angeles, where they helped the organization serve lunches to children. In January 2019, she participated in Feeding America's campaign with Subway and Shamrock Farms.

Personal life Legal In July 2011, Meester and her mother, Constance, filed lawsuits against each other over Meester's financial support of her younger brother, Alexander, who has multiple health problems. Meester's suit claimed her mother used the money she sent for her brother's care on "cosmetic procedures", such as botox and hair extensions. Her mother's suit made a counterclaim alleging breach of contract and physical abuse. Constance claimed a verbal contract was in place under which Meester had promised $10,000 a month, rather than the $7,500 she received. Her mother also claimed she was due a larger sum in return for "sacrific[ing] her happiness" when she moved Meester to Los Angeles as a child to pursue acting. Meester obtained a default judgment on December 7, 2011. In June 2012, Meester won the lawsuit, with the judge rejecting the claims in her mother's counter-suit.

Relationships Meester dated American actor Aaron Himelstein in 2007 after meeting on the set of Remember the Daze. She then dated actor Sebastian Stan from 2008 to 2010. In November 2011, Meester and Himelstein briefly rekindled their relationship, later breaking up in 2012.

In November 2013, she became engaged to actor Adam Brody, with whom she filmed The Oranges in March 2010. The couple were married in a private ceremony on February 15, 2014. Their first child, a daughter named Arlo, was born on August 4, 2015. In April 2020, it was reported that the couple were expecting their second child. In September 2020, Brody confirmed their second child, a son, was born. Meester and Brody reside in Los Angeles. In January 2025, their home was destroyed by the Palisades Fire.

Filmography

Film +Film work Year Title Role Notes 2003 Lorraine Short film Hangman's Curse Elisha Springfield 2006 Flourish Lucy Covner Inside Josie 2007 Drive-Thru Mackenzie Carpenter Remember the Daze Tori 2008 Killer Movie Jaynie Hansen 2010 Date Night Katy Going the Distance Amy Country Strong Chiles Stanton 2011 Rebecca Evans Monte Carlo Meg Kelly Nina Ostroff 2012 That's My Boy Jamie Martin 2014 Life Partners Sasha Weiss Carla Powell Like Sunday, Like Rain Eleanor Logan By the Gun Ali Matazano 2015 Unity Narrator (voice) Documentary film 2018 The Mother Short film 2019 Semper Fi Clara 2022 Beth Jenner My Father's Dragon Sasha the Tiger (voice) 2023 River Wild Joey Reese Direct-to-video film EXmas Ali Moyer 2026BasicKaylinnPost-production; also executive producer 2026 Hannah Brooks

Television +Television work Year Title Role Notes 1999 Law & Order Alyssa Turner Episode: "Disciple" 2001 Boston Public Sarah Breen Episode: "Chapter Twenty-Eight" 2002 Once and Again Amanda Episode: "Gardenia" 2002 Family Affair Irene Episode: "No Small Parts" 2003 Tarzan Nicki Porter Five episodes 2004 Crossing Jordan Marie Strand Episode: "Missing Pieces" 2004 7th Heaven Kendall Two episodes 2004 North Shore Veronica Farrell Episode: "Pilot" 2004–2008 Entourage Justine Chapin Three episodes 2005 24 Debbie Pendleton Four episodes 2005 Veronica Mars Carrie Bishop Two episodes 2005 8 Simple Rules Nikki Alcott Episode: "The After Party" 2005–2006 Surface Savannah Barnett 12 episodes 2006 Monster Allergy Poppy (voice) Episode: "House of Monsters" 2006 Numbers Karen Camden Episode: "Dark Matter" 2006 House Ali Johnson Two episodes 2007 CSI: Miami Heather Crowley Episode: "Broken Home" 2007 Shark Megan Three episodes 2007–2012 Gossip Girl Blair Waldorf Main role; 121 episodes 2007 Samantha "Sam" Willows Television film 2010 Herself Episode: "The Belle of Elle" 2016 Zoolander: Super Model Herself Television film 2017 Making History Deborah Revere Main role; nine episodes 2018 Zoe Episode: "Karl" 2018–2020 Single Parents Angie D'Amato Main role; 45 episodes 2019, 2022 Laura Huggins Two episodes 2022–2023 How I Met Your Father Meredith Eight episodes 2025 Good Cop/Bad Cop Lou Hickman Main role 2025 Nell Wolfe Season two 2025 Nobody Wants This Abby Episode: "Abby Loves Smoothies" 2025 I Love LA Alyssa Recurring role

Stage +Leighton Meester stage work Year Title Role Notes 2014 Of Mice and Men Curley's Wife Longacre Theatre

Discography +Leighton Meester studio albums Title Album details Peak positions US USHeat. Heartstrings Released: October 28, 2014 Label: Hotly Wanting Formats: Digital download 139 1

+Leighton Meester singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album USBub. USHeat. "Somebody to Love" 2009 11 13 "Your Love's a Drug" 2010 19 14 "Heartstrings" 2014 — — Heartstrings "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

+Singles with Leighton Meester as a featured artist Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album US AUS AUT BEL CAN FIN NL NZ UK "Good Girls Go Bad" 2009 7 5 37 4 7 13 19 2 17 RIAA: 2× Platinum ARIA: Platinum MC: Platinum RIANZ: Platinum Hot Mess "She Said" 2010 — — — — — — — — — Miles and Miles "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

+Leighton Meester promotional singles Title Year Album "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" 2009 A Very Special Christmas 7

+Other charted songs by Leighton Meester Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications AlbumUS USHeat. CAN "Give In to Me" 2011 79 5 7 94 RIAA: Gold Country Strong "Summer Girl" 104 15 17 — "Words I Couldn't Say" 120 25 24 — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

+Guest appearances on recordings by Leighton Meester Title Year Other artist(s) Album "Inside the Black" 2007 Drive-Thru "Birthday" 2009 Awesome New Republic Rational Geographic Vol. I "A Little Bit Stronger" 2010 Country Strong "The Stand In" 2012 Check in the Dark The Game

+Leighton Meester music videos YearTitleDirector(s) 2009 "Somebody to Love"(featuring Robin Thicke) Zoe Cassavetes 2014 "Heartstrings" Stephen Ringer

+Music videos with Leighton Meester as a guest artist Title YearDirector(s) "Good Girls Go Bad"(Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester) 2009 Kai Regan

+Guest appearances in music videos by Leighton Meester Year Title Artist Director(s) 2012 "Addicted to Love" Nomads featuring Vanessa Curry Andrew Sandler and Wilmer Valderrama Choice TV Breakout Star: Female 2009 Choice TV Actress: Drama MTV Video Music Awards Best Pop Video "Good Girls Go Bad" (with Cobra Starship) 2010 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress: Drama Gossip Girl Hollywood Film Awards Spotlight Award Country Strong 2011 MTV Movie Awards Best Villain The Roommate Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Drama Country Strong Choice Movie: Villain The Roommate 2012 Choice TV Actress: Drama Gossip Girl Choice Summer Movie Star: Female That's My Boy 2013 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Screen Couple Worst Screen Ensemble 2014 Broadway.com Audience Awards Favorite Featured Actress in a Play Of Mice and Men 2025 Logie Awards Best Actress in a Comedy Good Cop/Bad Cop