Why Meredith From How I Met Your Father Looks So Familiar

Leighton Meester hit the scene in the early 2000s, making minor appearances in TV series like "24," "7th Heaven," and "Veronica Mars." It wasn't until 2007 that she became a household name by landing the co-lead role of Blair in the Manhattan elite-centered drama, "Gossip Girl." She spent 121 episodes alongside Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick, and Chase Crawford. While Blair and her alleged best friend Serena (Lively) are close on paper, the series ultimately consists of the two battling it out for the title of Queen B. Much of Blair's narrative arc on the series sees her trying to step outside of Serena's shadow. 

"Gossip Girl" gave audiences a deliciously heightened look at the lives of students at an exclusive Upper East Side prep school, all the way down to faking their own deaths. More importantly, it introduced the world to the powerhouse female leads of Blake Lively and Leighton Meester. After "Gossip Girl," Meester continued to build a career both in film and television.