Hilary Duff reflects on scandalous “Gossip Girl ”threesome scene: 'My mom's going to call me after this one'

Ryan ColemanFri, March 6, 2026 at 4:19 AM UTC

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Hilary Duff as 'Gossip Girl' character OliviaCredit: Giovanni Rufino/THE CW

Hilary Duff is still somewhat synonymous with her peachy-keen protagonist on the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire. But just a few years after that show wrapped, she stepped into one of the most scandalous characters of her acting career.

"Probably the threesome was the most standout moment," Duff said, while reflecting on her recurring role on the third season of Gossip Girl in an interview published by Harper's Bazaar on Thursday.

Penn Badgley, Hilary Duff, and Jessica Szohr on 'Gossip Girl'Credit: The CW

Duff played with her own public perception in the role of Olivia Burke, a famous actress who quickly takes a shine to Penn Badgley's Dan Humphrey. After Duff wrapped the scene in which Olivia, Dan, and Jessica Szhor's Vanessa Abrams engage in a ménage à trois, Duff said she thought, "Oh, my mom's going to call me after this one."

Though Duff only appeared on the frothy teen drama for a single season, she says the character has followed her.

"I was in Paris not too long ago and my bag got lost. I went up to the lady who worked at the airline and she's like, 'Are you on Gossip Girl?'" Duff shared, responding to the attendant, "'Yes. Love that's how you know me.'"

Gossip Girl's six seasons on The CW are replete with such shocking scenes, ranging from the sexual to the violent to the downright upsetting (thinking of the time when both Dan and Blake Lively's Serena were dating their teachers).

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But Olivia, Dan, and Vanessa's threesome remains in the running for the title of Gossip Girl's most shocking moment. The scene proved so controversial that it sparked protests before it even aired in 2009.

After The CW began airing racy promos teasing the upcoming scene, conservative advocacy group The Parents Television Council, now The Parents Television and Media Council, put pressure on the network's local affiliates to pre-empt the episode.

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"Will you now be complicit in establishing a precedent and expectation that teenagers should engage in behaviors heretofore associated primarily with adult films?" asked PTC president Tim Winter in a statement at the time.

The PTC did not get their wish, letting Duff add another iconic moment to her storied career.

You can watch Duff's full interview with Harper's Bazaar above.

on Entertainment Weekly

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