Leighton Meester gets to look at Adam Brody’s perfect face (and incredible facial hair) every day, and now she gets to work with him, too.
As reported by Variety, Meester has been cast in Netflix‘s Nobody Wants This season 2 and will portray Abby, a parenting influencer who went to middle school with Joanne (Kristen Bell) and who Joanne can’t stand. Let the drama begin.
This is not only super exciting since Meester and Brody are married with two kids, but it’s also great news for Gossip Girl fans. As one X user posted, “blair waldorf having beef with the voice of Gossip Girl is so full circle.”
Nobody Wants This was number one on Netflix when it came out in October 2024, and there was no question it would get renewed for a second season. I didn’t think the show could get any better, but Meester’s casting makes me even more excited to see part two of Joanne and Noah’s realistic love story.
Meester and Brody have acted together before. Of course, when Blair Waldorf and Seth Cohen fall in love and get married, that’s the only thing that can happen. I don’t make the rules. Besides playing everyone’s favorite wealthy and stylish teen who is sweeter than she first appears, Meester also played stressed-out mom Angie D’Amato on the criminally underrated ABC sitcom Single Parents, which aired from 2018 to 2020. Brody guest starred as Angie’s ex Derek, an immature musician who is also the father of her son. They also co-starred in the 2023 thriller River Wild. Thankfully, Noah is much more together than Derek. Meester is a sharp comedic talent and she’ll no doubt bring a lot to her role.
The couple is so supportive of each other that it’s no wonder Meester is guest starring on her husband’s show. In an interview on Andy Cohen Live in Dec. 2024, Brody said, “Any opportunity is an opportunity for both of us.” He also said, “we’re each other’s biggest fans.” Excuse me, are people allowed to be this cute?!
Since Meester is playing a mom influencer in Nobody Wants Us season 2, I’m wondering if her presence in Joanne’s grown-up life will spur some discussions about whether she and Noah want to start a family. They’re already wondering if they can stay together because of their religious differences, and marriage and kids would definitely complicate matters. It would be great to see a nuanced conversation about this topic on a TV show, especially since so many couples in their 30s have to deal with the big burning question of whether they’ll have a baby. Even those who have always known that they want kids can be absolutely terrified by the prospect, and it would be cool to see Noah, who seems like he could fall into that category, explore that.
It’s been over a decade since Gossip Girl concluded and everyone found out the true identity of the harsh character Bell voiced, and although many would say that ending didn’t make sense, it’s a total gift to have Bell and Meester together again. This time, Meester is playing the villain and Bell is the more likable one. Still, it’ll be hard not to watch Nobody Wants This season 2 and not expect Bell to say “XOXO” at the end of all their scenes.
