Leighton Meester may not have Blair Waldorf's trust fund, but theGossip Girlbreakout built a very real—and very impressive—net worth on her own, no Upper East Side safety net required.
Reflecting on her early days as a struggling actress,Meester recalled, "I would be on the verge of thinking, 'I don't know if I can afford to do this.' But every couple of months, I would get a job, pay rent, and keep auditioning until the next thing."
All that changed at 20, when she was cast as Blair in The CW's adaptation ofCecily von Ziegesar'sGossip Girlnovels. "It was ultimately what I wanted," she said of the role that made her rich, famous and forever associated with "the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite."
"It was the goal to be on something that people saw—or, before that, even to just be onsomething."
Keep reading to learn more about how Meester got her start and how much she's earned thanks toGossip Girland beyond, and what her net worth is today.
🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬
How did Leighton Meester get her start?
Meester was born April 9, 1986, while her parents were serving a federal prison sentence on marijuana-related charges, and spent her infancy with hergrandparentsin Marco Island, Fla. until her mother got released from jail16 months later.
"My family has a crazy history. Probably the craziest I've ever heard of," shetoldMarie Clairein 2012. Still, she managed to see the bright side: "It wasn't uncomplicated, but I played outside, I went to the beach. There were happy, fun times."
It was during those carefree years that Meester expressed an interest in acting. "I watched a lot of TV, and it clicked one day that these people wereacting,"she said. "It sounded like the most fun thing ever." She started doing local theater at age 9, but her professional career actually started in modeling at 11, after her mother moved the family—Meester's two brothers included—to New York City on the advice of a manager. Meester signed with the famed agency Wilhelmina and worked with brands like Ralph Lauren before returning to acting at 13 with a guest role onLaw & Order. Later, her family relocated to Los Angeles, where she attended high school and landed small roles on shows includingEntourage,24and7th Heaven.
ByDecember2006, eager to return to the East Coast, Meester auditioned forGossip Girl. "At the time, I wanted to move to New York, but I didn't have a reason or any money," shetoldThe Hollywood Reporter. "So when my agent sent me theGossip Girlscript, I thought Blair was perfect for me." The show's creators agreed, and the rest is television history.
Related:'Gossip Girl' Star Admits He's Never Rewatched the Series: 'It's Embarrassing'
Was Leighton Meester a model before acting?
Yes. By age 11, she was appearing in Ralph Lauren campaigns photographed by the likes ofBruce WeberandSofia Coppola.
What was Leighton Meester's first role?
Like so many New York–based actresses, Meester's first on-screen role was onLaw & Order. She made her debut in 1999 at just 13 years old, appearing on the long-runningNBCprocedural while attending Manhattan's Professional Children's School.
When was Leighton Meester cast inGossip Girl?
Meester started auditioning for the show in December 2006, and she was cast sometime shortly thereafter (the series premiered in September 2007). "Leighton was a blonde when she came in to read, butBlake[Lively] was the blonde, so we asked her to color her hair," co-creatorJosh Schwartzrecalled inan oral history withTHR."A risky move on her part in the middle of pilot season, but she did a sink-rinse dye job to audition as a brunette." The gamble paid off.
How much is Leighton Meester worth in 2026?
As of 2026, the most widely cited estimate places Meester's combined net worth with her husband, actorAdam Brody(The O.C.,Nobody Wants This),at around $22 million. Estimates of Meester's individual net worth—separate from her husband's finances—vary by source, but some put her personal fortuneat roughly $15 million.
Related:All About Leighton Meester and Adam Brody's Marriage
How much did Leighton Meester make forGossip Girl?
Meester's exact salary forGossip Girlhasn't been publicly disclosed, but $60,000 per episode isan unconfirmed figure that often comes up online. Whatever her salary was, she likely earned less in the first season and then saw her pay rise incrementally as the show grew in popularity. For argument's sake, if she did make $60,000 an episode across all 121 episodes of the series, she'd have earned $7.26 million by the end of the show's six-season run.
When it comes to residuals,Netflixreportedlypaid $600,000 per episodefor the rights toGossip Girlback in 2011, but the show's stars probably didn't see much of a cut. That was one of the major points of contention during the most recentSAG‑AFTRA strike in 2023: many actors believe the current system for residuals doesn't fairly compensate performers in the streaming era.
For perspective,Gilmore GirlsstarLauren Grahamonce commented on her own streaming residuals (or lack thereof),saying, "There really are no residuals on Netflix. But I've been paid in love and appreciation."
Why did Leighton Meester sue her mom?
In 2011, Meester sued her mother,Constance Meester, over a dispute involving money the actress had been sending home to support her younger brother during treatment for a brain tumor.According to court documents, Meester had been providing about $7,500 a month to help cover his care, but she alleged that her mother was using the money for personal expenses, including cosmetic procedures, Botox and hair extensions.
Constance sued her daughter in response, claiming that she "sacrificed herhappiness" to further Leighton's career and that theGossip Girlstar was breaching a binding verbal agreement by pulling her monthly allowance.
Meester's suit asked the court to declare that she was not legally obligated to continue financially supporting her mother, and a judgeultimately ruled in the actress's favor.
It's unclear where Meester's relationship with her mother stands today, but in the past she spoke warmly of her mom, which makes their falling out that much more shocking. "My mother is intimidatingly intelligent and, really, she knows everything, which is frustrating when you're an angst-y teenager,"Meester said prior to the lawsuits in 2011. "But now I appreciate her more than anything."
What did Leighton Meester do afterGossip Girl?
A lot! Since hanging up her headband, the actress has kept busy with roles in films likeThe Judge(2014),Life Partners(2014) andRiver Wild(2023), as well as TV series includingMaking History,Single ParentsandHow I Met Your Father. She also took the Broadway stage in 2014, starring inOf Mice and Men, and released her first and only studio album to date,Heartstrings, that same year.
She's been especially busy as of late: In 2025 alone, Meester landed a starring role inGood Cop/Bad Cop, a CW comedy about siblings working as small-town detectives. She also appeared in recurring roles onBuccaneers,I Love LA, andNobody Wants This, starring alongside her husband and the voice ofGossip Girlherself:Kristen Bell.
Related:'Gossip Girl' Stars Kristen Bell and Leighton Meester Had 'Twinning' Red Carpet Looks
Off-screen, Meester and Brody are busy raising their daughter,Arlo, born in 2015, and ason, born in 2020, whose name they've kept private. "There's been a lot of stuff I haven't done because I want to be with them,"she said. "I don't like being away from them. I'm sure a lot of people feel this way, but I'm especially not into it."
How much did Leighton Meester make forCountry Strong?
Meester filmed severalmovieswhile she was still shootingGossip Girl, including the 2010 musical dramaCountry Strong, in which she played an aspiring country singer oppositeGwyneth Paltrow's troubled, once-famous star attempting a comeback.
Meester's salary for the role was never made public, but it was one of her first substantial film parts during the height of herGossip Girlfame. Around the same time, she also starred inThe Roommate, aSingle White Female-inspired thriller led byMinka Kelly, andThe Oranges, the indie comedy where she met her future husband.
Related:Chace Crawford Reveals Surprise 'Gossip Girl' Reunion at Beyonce Concert
What was Leighton Meester's biggest box office hit?
Meester'spsychological thrillerThe Roommateremains herhighest-grossing filmto date among projects in which she had a leading role. Produced on a relatively modest budget of about $16 million, the 2011 movie went on to earn roughly $66 million worldwide.
How many albums has Leighton Meester put out?
The mom of two has released one studio album to date,Heartstrings. Prior to that, in 2009, she was featured on Cobra Starship's "Good Girls Go Bad," which she followed up with singles "Somebody to Love" and "Your Love's a Drug" that same year.
"I just didn't feel like I sang that well in those songs," she toldBustleof her pop tracks. "That's why I stopped doing that style of songwriting, because I didn't feel really good when I would sing it."Heartstrings, a self-written folk/indie record, was much more in line with her authentic sound.
Why did Leighton Meester quit music?
She didn't. While she hasn't released newmusicsinceHeartstrings, Meester has said she hasn't ruled out a return. "Truly, I do think that I'm going to be working more on music in the next handful of months," shetoldHarpers Bazaarin December 2025. "I really like writing and playing music, and it's therapeutic to me."
By the same token, it's not something she does to make money. "I don't want to release anything for the sake of making money because that's just silliness,"she said. "The reason I like to make music is because it's fun. If it were a pressure to have this whole other career it wouldn't be fun anymore."
How much did Leighton Meester lose in the L.A. Fires?
Meester and Brody were among the many Southern California residents affected by the devastating Pacific Palisades wildfires. In earlyJanuary2025, the couple's Los Angeles home—a five‑bedroom, six‑bathroom property they bought in 2019 for about $6.5 million—was destroyed by the blaze.
While they've kept the details of their loss private, the couple likely saw countless possessions, family memories and sentimental items destroyed—things that can't be replaced, even if insurance covers the financial hit.
Commenting on the experience,Meester said, "It's a roller coaster because sometimes it's all right, and then, sometimes, there are moments that are harder. The best thing I can do is just take it one step at a time. There are so many people who are in this position, so that's not a positive. But that being said, I am not alone."
Next:What Is Blake Lively's Net Worth—And How Are Those Lawsuits Affecting It?
This story was originally published byParadeon Jan 31, 2026, where it first appeared in theCelebssection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.