This year’s much-anticipated iteration of Gossip Girl will introduce fans to a fresh set of Upper East Siders. Set to debut in summer 2021, the “extension” (showrunner Joshua Safran promises much more than a simple reboot) will ditch the narrow demographics of the original series in favour of some much-needed racial diversity and queer inclusivity.

Lead cast members include Dazed cover stars Whitney Peak, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, and Jordan Alexander, appearing alongside Rookie founder and OG influencer Tavi Gevinson. Existing fans of the show will be happy to hear that Kristen Bell returns to narrate the scandalous goings-on of the young, rich Manhattan elite. 

The forthcoming HBO Max series will also navigate a new technological era, dealing with the added rumours and voyeurism that come with constantly having social media at your fingertips. “On social media, you’re never seeing who people really are,” says Emily Alyn Lind in Dazed’s interview with the cast. “You’re really just looking at what they’re trying to portray.” This may be terrible for dating IRL, but it proves the prescience of Gossip Girl in 2007, as well as providing plenty of opportunities for intrigue in the update.

Of course, the new faces have attracted a fair share of buzz – and, yes, gossip – themselves, since they were first revealed on the iconic steps of the Met in November last year. Already, superfans of the original show have slid into their DMs with questions on the inspiration for their roles, and suspicions about the new identity of Gossip Girl (read their answers here).

Now, the stars have provided extra insight as they respond to gossip blasts about themselves. Who’s always late? Who’s the most like Gossip Girl IRL? Who’s set for a fall from grace like Little J? Find out in the video below.