<P> The following is a list of characters for The CW teen television drama series, Gossip Girl . The show is based on the popular book series of the same name, written by author Cecily von Ziegesar . The series features nine regular characters and follows the storylines of several high school students, who attend the fictional preparatory school, "Constance Saint Jude": Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), the "Queen Bee" at Constance, who is notorious for her "minions" and scheming; her best friend and The' It - Girl' of the Upper East Side, Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively); Serena's new love interest, and so - called "lonely boy" Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley); Blair's boyfriend, the' golden boy,' better known as Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford); Dan's little sister, a 14 - year - old freshman at Constance, Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen); Nate's best friend, the wealthy playboy Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick); Dan's best friend and ex-lover, the creative Vanessa Abrams (Jessica Szohr); Serena's mother, a socialite and philanthropist and frequent divorcée, Lily van der Woodsen (Kelly Rutherford), and also Dan Humphrey's father, former rock star turned art gallery owner, Rufus Humphrey (Matthew Settle). The story unfolds in the Upper East Side of Manhattan as well as Brooklyn, in New York . Momsen and Szohr left the series in season five, while Kaylee DeFer was added to the main cast, portraying Ivy Dickens, a con artist who pretends to be Serena's maternal cousin, Charlie Rhodes . The series is narrated by a seemingly omniscient character, "Gossip Girl" (voiced by Kristen Bell). </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Actor </Th> <Th> Character </Th> <Th_colspan="6"> Seasons </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> </Th> <Th> </Th> <Th> </Th> <Th> </Th> <Th> 5 </Th> <Th> 6 </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Blake Lively </Td> <Td> Serena van der Woodsen </Td> <Td_colspan="6"> Main </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Leighton Meester </Td> <Td> Blair Waldorf </Td> <Td_colspan="6"> Main </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Penn Badgley </Td> <Td> Dan Humphrey </Td> <Td_colspan="6"> Main </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ed Westwick </Td> <Td> Chuck Bass </Td> <Td_colspan="6"> Main </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Chace Crawford </Td> <Td> Nate Archibald </Td> <Td_colspan="6"> Main </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Taylor Momsen </Td> <Td> Jenny Humphrey </Td> <Td_colspan="4"> Main </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Special Guest </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kelly Rutherford </Td> <Td> Lily van der Woodsen </Td> <Td_colspan="6"> Main </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Matthew Settle </Td> <Td> Rufus Humphrey </Td> <Td_colspan="6"> Main </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Jessica Szohr </Td> <Td> Vanessa Abrams </Td> <Td_colspan="4"> Main </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Special Guest </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kaylee DeFer </Td> <Td> Ivy Dickens </Td> <Td_colspan="3"> </Td> <Td> Recurring </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> Main </Td> </Tr> </Table>

What is serena's mom's name in gossip girl