Hosted by Jessica Szohr, XOXO is the ultimate deep dive into the cultural phenomenon known as Gossip Girl. Featuring interviews with the cast and crew, as well as moguls in music, fashion, and entertainment, Jessica will bring to life behind-the-scenes stories, on-set memories, New York City, fan favorite episodes, and more. Each week Jessica and guest will break down a new episode of the hit TV show that transformed the culture of today and changed the lives of the cast and crew - in addition to millions of fans across the world.
Can you believe it’s been almost a year since XOXO began? Join Jessica and Zuzanna in celebrating this wild and wonderful journey with a Best Of 2022 episode - our way of reminiscing on just a few of our fondest moments from the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jessica and Zuzanna are back to break down another episode full of drama, scandal, and of course a fabulous party. They talk about Rufus’ amazing wig, Zuzanna’s emergency pedicure for a particular scene, and Jessica reveals her story of auditioning for The White Lotus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The amazing Gina Torres, who played Vanessa’s mom Gabriela Abrams, watches back her debut Gossip Girl episode with Jessica and Zuzanna. They discuss the strong personalities and complex relationship that Vanessa and Gabriela share, the best shoes to wear to a sketchy poker game, and how pastries can bring even polar opposites like Blair and Vanessa together. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The wonderful Aaron Schwartz, known to the true romantics in the fandom as Dorota’s beau, Vanya, joins Jessica and Zuzanna on today’s episode! Aaron breaks down auditioning with an accent, growing up as a child actor, and what he did to make Vanya different. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today Jessica and Zuzanna dive into Season 3, Episode 4, Dan de Fleurette, where we meet movie star Olivia Burke (played by real life celeb Hilary Duff), Lily returns not too pleased to find Serena not at Brown, and Chuck and Blair pull an elaborate stunt to make each other feel good once again. Plus, they discuss the Gossip Girl cocktail menu at the real-life Empire Hotel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jessica and Zuzanna talk to one of Jessica’s dearest friends that she met on the Gossip Girl set, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, the brilliant actor behind Bree Buckley. JoAnna shares stories about her long career on the CW (back when it was the WB), Bree’s secret intentions with Nate, and her daughter’s love of limos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jessica and Zuzanna finally get to sit down with the legendary Margaret Colin, who played the tough-as-nails Eleanor Waldorf. Margaret talks about balancing the comedy and the evil of Eleanor, choreographing her own dance scene with Cyrus, and getting recognized on the street (but only when she puts makeup on). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jessica and Zuzanna dig into the crew’s first days of college life, and touch on Leighton Meester’s incredible music career, Nate and Bree’s Romeo and Juliet story, and of course the Dan and Georgina of it all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jessica and Zuzanna go deep with actor Chris Riggi, who plays Scott Rosson, AKA the long lost love child of Rufus and Lily. He discusses his top-secret audition for the part of “Mr. X”, working with Matthew Settle, and his on-screen romance with Vanessa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this special mailbag episode, Jessica and Zuzanna answer listener questions about all things Season 2! Find out their favorite storylines, biggest surprises, and who they’re rooting for as they get ready to embark into Season 3. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hey Upper East Siders, it’s that time of year again… time to rewatch the last episode of Season 2! Jessica and Zuzanna are joined by director Norman Buckley to talk everything from pasting leaves on trees in Central Park to why Norman became the party scene guy and how he earns actors’ trust. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S2E24 is a little different than usual - it’s the infamous flashback episode, Valley Girls! Jessica and Zuzanna talk about the legacy of mother-daughter relationships in the van der Woodsen family, reminisce about their proms, and try to understand TikTok as two elder millennials. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For today’s rewatch of S2E23, Zuzanna Szadkowski joins Jessica once again to share all the behind-the-scenes deets you ever wanted to know – the Russian Tea Room, tourists on set, and one of the most iconic Gossip Girl lines: "you can tell Jesus that the bitch is back." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Zuzanna Szadkowski is back to rewatch another juicy episode - S2E22, Southern Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. They talk about the genius of Georgina’s transformation, Rufus and Lily’s impending engagement, and Zuzanna’s pet peeve about Chinese food. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Maureen van der Bilt, aka Holley Fain, sits down with Jessica to break down Season 2 Episode 21, Seder Anything. She talks all about her time on Gossip Girl, from meeting Jessica to sporting her very own Upper East Side headband — and as a bonus, she gives an incredible impression of Kristen Bell’s Gossip Girl! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jessica is back for more with Zuzanna Szadkowski, the brains behind Dorota. In the second part of their conversation, they’ll discuss Zuzanna’s takes on the show’s key relationships, working with dogs and babies on set, and almost kind of being in a paparazzi photo that one time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this special two-part deep dive, Jessica finally gets to sit down with the incredible Zuzanna Szadkowski - the woman behind everybody’s favorite housekeeper, Dorota. Part 1 covers her audition story, Dorota’s relationship with Miss Blair, and the time she met a real-life Dorota in the wild. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jessica is joined by Tamara Feldman, who played the infamous Poppy Lifton to recap today’s episode, The Remains of J. They discuss how magic helps Tamara book jobs, the weirdest part about filming a big party scene, and the Chuck & Vanessa scene that made fans go undone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Broadway star Aaron Tveit joins Jessica to talk about playing “nice guy” Tripp van der Bilt on Gossip Girl. They walk us through a big episode for Tripp and Nate, “The Grandfather,” dishing about Tripp’s original name, Blair’s downward spiral, and van der Bilt family dynamics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tyler McCall and Laura Breckenridge, aka the infamous Miss Carr, are back to help unpack an extra juicy episode, The Age of Dissonance. They discuss whether Blair should be forgiven for her past sins, the return of Carter Baizen, and the downward moral spiral of one Rachel Carr. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
XOXO fave Tyler McCall is back to break down the scandalous episode 17: Carrnal Knowledge with Jessica. This one really has it all - secret sex clubs, school expulsion, and illicit affair… and the wildest thing of all - calling a teacher by their first name! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What happens when a small-town teacher from Iowa shows up to Constance and gets in Blair’s way? That’s what Laura Breckenridge, who plays Miss Rachel Carr, joins Jessica to talk about! Laura gets into Blair ad libbing on set, what it’s like to get into an Ivy League, and how IRL, she’s way more of a rule follower than Miss Carr. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tony award winner Matt Doyle, aka Gossip Girl’s Jonathan Whitney, sits down with Jessica to break down this week’s episode! They dive into it all - theories about Jonathan, his cameo on the GG reboot… and why it’s not a good plan to let a 17-year-old run a multi-billion dollar company, even if it’s Chuck Bass. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It’s Jenny vs. the minions in today’s rewatch, so we had to get a minion on the show to tell her side of the story! The hilarious Dreama Walker, who plays Hazel Williams, joins Jessica to talk about the small-town dynamics of Gossip Girl, wearing too much Argyle, and how, in television, hair is everything. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you smell the faint scent of Chanel No. 5 wafting through the air, that’s because our rewatch guest this week is none other than the absolute icon Caroline Lagerfelt, who played grandma CeCe Rhodes! Caroline joins Jessica to talk about sharing clothes with Kelly Rutherford, the longevity of Gossip Girl, and how CeCe’s heart pumps only gin and secrets (according to Dan!). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today’s episode is all about the life and lies of a certain Upper East Side billionaire: the suave and sinister Bart Bass, played by Robert John Burke! Robert joins Jessica to talk about starring on the show while being a volunteer firefighter, having more fun playing the villain, and how IRL he’s more like Rufus! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What better way to get back into our rewatches than by talking to the lovely Kelly Rutherford aka Lily van der Woodsen? Kelly is back on the pod to break down the epic Snowflake Ball episode. She talks about Lily’s complicated triangle with Bart and Rufus, and the moment she decided to start calling Chuck, Charles. You’re not going to want to miss this one! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Before we dive back into our rewatches next week, we have an exciting guest stopping by - Jessica’s best friend and former CW colleague Nina Dobrev! They go back in time to chat about The Vampire Diaries, being on CW teen dramas, and how they became each other’s ride or die. Nina also talks about her upcoming movies, ‘The Out-Laws’ with Adam Devine and ‘Reunion’ with Gossip Girls’ very own Chace Crawford. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
This week, we pause our rewatch so Jessica can interview someone kind of controversial before he’s headed off to jail…our favorite charismatic criminal, The Captain! The amazing Sam Robards joins the show to dig into The Captain’s crazy storylines, growing up with classic Hollywood royalty, and why sometimes it’s nice to be a little flawed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For this week’s drama-stuffed Thanksgiving episode, Jessica is joined by one of Cyrus’s clan, the artist of the family - John Patrick Amedori! John shares what it was like playing Aaron Rose, whether Blair’s disdain for him is fair, and sage words of wisdom from Grandma Amedori. Come for the pie, stay for the early 2000s nostalgia. Don’t miss this one! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
