Biggest 'Gossip Girl' Editing Mistakes, Fan Theories Caught on TikTok

The CW’s ‘Gossip Girl’ continued to be a trending topic years after the original series came to an end — find out more

XOXO, you know you love Gossip Girl— except for its continuity errors. Over the years, dutiful GG fans have watched and rewatched the original CW show numerous times. Yet, no matter how many times they watched it, certain production elements or bizarre plot points continue to stick out.

With the popularity of the video-sharing app TikTok, it’s easier than ever for fans to note moments that make some viewers wonder, “What even was this show?”

In May 2020, the first of many GG editing errors was spotted on the social media platform. One eagle-eyed user rewatched the fourth episode of season 6, titled “Portrait of a Lady Alexander.” Within the first few shots, Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively) is seen in a tight peach dress with an oversized snakeskin handbag as she sits down at a table at a restaurant.

Moments later, when she stands up again, the fan spotted an unexpected addition to her outfit: a pair of black sweatpants with a white drawstring tie at her waist. The clip quickly went viral, and many fans even commented that they never spotted this seemingly noticeable error. “I’ve watched GG six times already and never noticed,” one social media user replied. Another fan asked, “Why did I not notice this?”

The TikTok conversation continued, as fans speculated why the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star was wearing pants in the first place. One user theorized, “From my experience, if it’s cold, most actors put layers on between takes and sometimes leave them on if the shot is from the waist up.”

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only error fans noticed during their rewatch sessions. One month after spotting Lively’s sweatpants, another TikToker found an intriguing footwear choice during a separate scene. “Can someone please tell me why this actress is just only wearing one shoe?” the social media user pondered on her page, uploading a video clip from season 5.

During the third episode of the season, which was titled “Jewel of Denial,” Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) walked arm-in-arm at a formal party. As they conversed, the camera zoomed out to get a wide shot of the room, where fans noted the odd footwear choice of one background actress. In the blink-and-you-missed-it moment, viewers spotted the actress rocking only one black pump — and a bare foot where her other shoe would have been. She stands on her tiptoes to match the heel’s height.

Fans also had plenty of theories as to why this occurred: “Sometimes background actors think their part of a body won’t be in the shot so they don’t listen and get fully dressed when they say action,” one TikTok user commented.

Meanwhile, another fan speculated, “I bet her other shoe broke … they were ready to shoot … they probably told her it wouldn’t be in the shot anyway lol.”

Keep scrolling to relive some of the most iconic TikTok catches that made fans see the CW show in a whole new light: