XOXO: 7 Times It Was Pretty Obvious Dan Humphrey Was ‘Gossip Girl’
Updated Oct. 31 2018, 1:08 p.m. ET
It’s hard to believe Gossip Girl premiered more than 10 years ago. What is also still hard for fans of the CW series to grasp is that "lonely boy" Dan was also the anonymous blogger, aka Gossip Girl, the whole time.
Though we may not be happy with the popular CW series’ choice to make Dan Gossip Girl, we couldn’t help but recount the clues that prove Dan was blogging all of his friends’ exploits all along. Though many fans (us included) were beyond surprised at the show's biggest revelation, we did find clues that actually point out Serena van der Woodsen’s beau was Gossip Girl… and it’s all in the pilot episode! Yes, the first ever episode of GG pretty much told the audience in so many words that Dan was Gossip Girl. Therefore, we all gloriously suffered for six seasons trying to figure out Gossip Girl’s identity when it was revealed in the very first episode.
Even Penn Badgley was surprised fans were so shocked by the reveal. "It made enough sense," he told People magazine in 2015. "He was a writer." Keep scrolling below to relive the seven times in the pilot episode that it was pretty obvious this handsome devil was the man behind the screen:
1. The very first time.
If you look close enough, the pilot episode of Gossip Girl reveals a huge clue as to who is the titular blogger preying on these boarding school elites’ lives. Gossip Girl chimes in for the first time at Grand Central Station, where we see a young Serena van der Woodsen. It’s not a coincidence that Dan is the only other character at Grand Central Station at the same time we hear from GG.
2. "Save a tree. Have a blog."
Also in the pilot episode, Dan literally says the line, “Save some trees. Have a blog.” Yes, yes he did basically in so many words reveal he was Gossip Girl.
3. The camera shows Dan while Gossip Girl talks about her identity.
When viewers are initially shown what the Gossip Girl website looks like, we are narrated — by Kristen Bell — that the identity of the blogger will remain a secret… and this whole voiceover takes place while the camera pans to Dan sitting on his laptop.
4. Stalker much?
Remember when Dan was on the bus with Chuck and Nate, but was not interacting with the duo? He was just standing behind them awkwardly lingering. Now, we all know this was to catch any secrets the pair may have been spilling.
5. Dan snatching Serena’s phone just proves his stalkerish tendencies.
Dan grabs Serena’s phone, which she doesn’t get back until the next morning. That means that Gossip Girl had access to all of the juicy secret texts, photos, and any other incriminating evidence that he could use to help his blog gain traction. Not only did he have access to her personal information, but also her contact list of other Upper East Siders.
6. The camera lingers on Dan when Gossip Girl is referenced... again.
When at the party at the end of the pilot episode, Gossip Girl is once again referenced. Though no one noticed (until now), the camera once panned to a shot of Dan. The writers of the show were basically telling us, look, it’s Gossip Girl!
7. Gossip Girl who?
While everyone was obsessing over Gossip Girl, Dan was very very adamant that he did not read the blog. Well, we know now he wasn't reading it — he was writing it!
