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About UsAdvertiseInvestor RelationsJobsNewslettersEditionUSUKAustraliaBrasilCanadaDeutschlandIndiaJapanLatamCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAccessibility StatementAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapBuzzFeed NewsReporting on what you care about. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing.BuzzFeed TastySearch, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!BuzzFeed GoodfulSelf care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life.BuzzFeed Bring MeObsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!BuzzFeed As IsSomething for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity.TV and Movies·Posted 7 minutes agoKristen Bell Was Almost Cut From "Gossip Girl" And, XOXO, I'm Actually Shocked
"That's part of the show, and we just have to ride with it."
by larryfitzmauriceBuzzFeed Staff
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The original Gossip Girl is, obviously, iconic.
Andrew Eccles / CW Network / courtesy Everett Collection
One of Gossip Girl's essential elements is Kristen Bell's omniscient narration as the titular "Gossip Girl."
Phillip Faraone / FilmMagic / Getty Images
Yes, we know that Bell wasn't really "Gossip Girl." No, we're not going to spoil who was, out of respect for people who haven't seen the show yet. Yes, they exist!
So it's shocking to find out that the show's creators almost cut her narration entirely — shocking, but true.
Cw Network / courtesy Everett Collection
The series' creators, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, revealed the fresh factoid on Jessica Szohr's Gossip Girl podcast, XOXO With Jessica Szohr.
David Giesbrecht / Everett Collection
Schwartz explained that, when the show was screened for test audiences, the audience's score "would drop" every time Bell's voiceover came on.
Cw Network / courtesy Everett Collection
"People were into it, and then like, 'Who's this voice that's coming in and distracting me?'" he explained. "Do you lose the voiceover? We can't. That's part of the show, and we just have to ride with it."
Cw Network / Courtesy Everett Collection
The other issue: When Bell was cast as the voiceover on Gossip Girl, she also had a prominent role that required voiceover as the titular sleuth on Veronica Mars.
Robert Voets / Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection
"We had some reluctance of did we feel comfortable having two shows on the same network with the same voiceover?" Savage explained. But in the end, it all worked out. "When she recorded it, she created an entirely different character with just her voice than how she read Veronica Mars."
Giovanni Rufino / CW Network / courtesy Everett Collection
And that's how history was made! XOXO, Gossip Girl.
Jim Spellman / Getty Images
Listen to the entire episode here.
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