From the pilot in 2007 to the last episode in 2012, audiences were enthralled with the question "Who is Gossip Girl?," and the eventual Gossip Girl reveal caused a fair bit of confusion. Gossip Girl drew the audience into their televisions each week to find out what the Upper East Side elite was up to. As audiences know, the mystery around Gossip Girl's identity and the blogger's ultimate plan for the young and rich was very engrossing. Serena (Blake Lively), Blair (Leighton Meester), and all of their friends were only in high school, but their secrets and drama-filled lives kept people tuning in.

So, now that audiences know that Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) was Gossip Girl all along, it makes sense that the identity of the troublemaking blogger would be the official outsider. Taking a look back at all the breadcrumbs along the way, viewers missed several tell-tale signs that he was the mastermind behind friendship takedowns and wreaking havoc on the rich. Showrunners tried to throw viewers off the trail with red herrings like Michelle Trachtenberg's Georgina Sparks or Hilary Duff's Olivia Burke, but the ending put the question "Who is Gossip Girl?" to bed. It's safe to say that Dan got a pretty fitting ending, while others did not.

The Initial Gossip Girl Site Reveal Features Dan

Season 1, Episode 1, "Pilot"

He was the one who turned out to be everyone's nemesis in the end.

Gossip Girl had audiences asking "Who is Gossip Girl?" straight from the pilot — and it is the pilot that, surprisingly, reveals their identity. When viewers are first shown the pairing of Gossip Girl and the website, audiences are given a deeper look into how serious this blogger is. This is also the point where the anonymous blogger says their identity will remain a secret, but then Dan shows up on screen.

The shot quite literally turns to Dan in his apartment on his computer. Despite this clear indicator, it was such a shock to audiences when he was the one who turned out to be everyone's nemesis in the end. This idea is actually a fairly common way to foreshadow a reveal with cinematography. The same thing is done in Bridgerton's first mention of Lady Whistledown. Just as the characters wonder who she could be, the scene cuts to a shot of the very character who would be revealed later.

Dan Is At Grand Central Station When Gossip Girl Arrives

Season 1, Episode 1, "Pilot"

Everything starts with the Gossip Girl pilot episode when Serena is coming back from boarding school and is "spotted". A huge clue is given out about the "Who is Gossip Girl?" question then and there. It's a bit suspicious that Dan is the only other main character at Grand Central station at the exact time viewers first hear from Gossip Girl. Audiences are made to think that it is the first time Dan spots his major crush throughout the series, but it's known more as a major clue when looking back on the show.

After all, Dan had been watching her from afar before that. He its as much later in the series. Now, it's entirely possible that someone who isn't a main character could give the tip to Gossip Girl about Serena's arrival, as happens throughout the show. So, Dan being at Grand Central isn't necessarily an obvious clue, but it does work out in the show's favor that he's present.

Chuck Accuses Dan Of Following Him And Nate

Season 1, Episode 1, "Pilot"

The pilot episode of Gossip Girl, surprisingly, features the most clues that Dan is actually the person behind the Gossip Girl blog. Whether the creators of the show intended that or not is not clear since rumors have floated that other characters were considered to be Gossip Girl throughout the show. The pilot episode, however, makes a good case for Dan being planned as Gossip Girl from the very start.

One of the scenes in the pilot that has often been noted as not making sense for the show involves Nate, Chuck, and Dan all taking a city bus to get to school. Throughout the rest of the show, Nate and Chuck never take public transportation, so it has often been written off as a scene filmed specifically for a pilot presentation while the writers were figuring out the characters. The scene paints a great picture of Dan though.

Dan lurks not far from Nate and Chuck while the two friends chat on the bus. When Chuck notices him, he asks if Dan is following them. While Dan denies that, joking about stalking even, it is very likely that he is following them, and has been for a while. Chuck questioning him could have planted that seed in the minds of attentive viewers.

Dan Takes Serena's Phone

Season 1, Episode 1, "Pilot"

It was always so back and forth with Dan and Serena as they fall for one another, hurt one another, and then get back together. When the Gossip Girl couple first meet, however, it is clear they have chemistry. Upon meeting each other in the pilot, Serena leaves her phone at the Palace Hotel and Dan doesn't return it until the next day. It seems like he does a nice thing by returning the phone to her, but he has access to it for an entire day before he does.

Before codes and touch IDs, it is much easier for a complete stranger to gain access to a phone, which Dan does. All he has had to do is open it up and the entire contents of Serena's phone are at his disposal. The number of conversations and personal information on Serena's phone is probably a gold mine and provides an immediate clue for audiences to Gossip Girl's identity so early in the series.

Dan Avoids Talking About Gossip Girl

Season 1, Episode 1, "Pilot"

Though Dan is Gossip Girl, he makes a big show about not knowing what the blog is when Jenny mentions it to him in the pilot episode. Once the cat is out of the theoretical bag, everyone is buzzing about this mystery person and how they have so much sordid information about the lives of the Upper West Side elite. All of Dan's friends and acquaintances bring it up, and at every turn, Dan manages to keep a straight face and claims he never read the blog.

He also didn't seem to want to talk about it, which makes it seem like he's dodging the whole topic in general. Avoiding the topic is a good strategy for him. It makes the audience feel like Dan sees himself as above all of the gossip and backstabbing of the Upper East Side teenagers. He's never considered a serious suspect for the blogger early in the show because he's not really one of the elite and his complete disinterest means he doesn't rate as a social threat for someone like Chuck or Blair.

Dan Avoids Serena Outing Gossip Girl

Season 2, Episode 25 “The Goodbye Gossip Girl”

The season 2 finale sees Serena determined to out Gossip Girl, largely because she feels insulted by Gossip Girl continually targeting her. In hindsight, it makes sense that Serena is Gossip Girl’s favorite target if Dan is obsessed with her long before they become friendly.

When Serena decides she is going to out Gossip Girl, Dan and Vanessa both leave the graduation party before she does. While Serena does not have the true identity of Gossip Girl, Dan does not know that yet, so leaving early is definitely a safeguard for him.

It is also interesting to note that when Serena sends a message to meet up with Gossip Girl at a bar, Dan is actually the first person to get to the bar. He misses the reveal, but shows up for the meeting, giving the audience subtle story clues that Dan could be Gossip Girl.

Dan Defends Gossip Girl About The Car Crash That Caused Blair’s Miscarriage

Season 5, Episode 10 “Riding In Town Cars With Boys”

Dan rationalizes that Gossip Girl did not mean for the events to play out as they did, and as viewers would find out later, he would know.

The season 5 episode “Riding In Town Cars With Boys” sees Blair and Chuck end up in the hospital after a serious car crash. They are pursued by photographers and paparazzi, and the limo ends up in trouble. The reason they are pursued is because of a blast sent out by Gossip Girl.

While sitting with friends and discussing Blair and Chuck’s conditions, Serena places the blame for the accident on Gossip Girl because of the blast. Dan is the one who refutes that Gossip Girl is at fault, despite the group often blaming the blogger for the things that go wrong in their lives. Dan rationalizes that Gossip Girl did not mean for the events to play out as they did, and as viewers would find out later, he would know.

At the time, Dan did care deeply for Blair, so it’s unlikely he would intentionally place her in physical danger. He likely did not realize just what would happen after releasing the blast about Chuck and Blair’s location.

Dan Is Referenced As Invisible Multiple Times

Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”

It’s clear he has made himself adept at hiding in plain sight.

One of the fun clues is actually repeated often in the pilot episode. The point is hammered home to the audience that Dan can essentially become invisible to the Upper East Siders whenever he wants. While later in the series, that idea is used to have Dan remind people who he is, in the pilot, the audience gets to see how easy it is for him to go unnoticed by the wealthy kids.

Throughout the first episode of the show, Dan is referenced as an “anonymous loser” and “the invisible man” by his sister. Dan appears to not have a problem with either of those monikers, even joking “works for me” when she uses them. Just how invisible he can be is made perfectly clear when he accompanies Jenny on a shopping trip.

When Jenny runs into Serena and Eric while shopping for a dress, she attempts to introduce her brother to them. Dan, however, is perfectly hidden behind a rack of clothing. Serena, Eric, and Jenny all miss him at first and Dan has to actually step out from his hiding place behind the clothing racks in order to be seen by them (and the camera for the audience). It’s clear he has made himself adept at hiding in plain sight.

Dan’s Book Uses Gossip Girl’s Targets As Characters

Season 5, Episode 4 “Memoirs Of An Invisible Dan”

One of the biggest red flags later in the series for Dan’s future reveal as Gossip Girl is his book, or really, both of his novels. Both of his novels use the “friends” he has made on the Upper East Side as inspiration for the characters in his book. While those outside of their social circle might only have their suspicions about his inspirations, those within it can immediately tell which characters correspond to the real people in his life.

The fact that Dan narrows his focus on fictional character inspiration to the same people that Gossip Girl spends all of her time targeting is incredibly suspicious. Writing the blog clearly gave him plenty of practice in describing Serena, Blair, Chuck, and everyone in their social circle if everyone he knows can immediately recognize them in his writing. Though the book is in his own voice instead of the one he has crafted for Gossip Girl, it is surprising that it did not make someone like Chuck, at the very least, more suspicious of him.

Dan Shouldn't Have Been Part Of Gossip Girl's Narrative

Season 6, Episode 10, "New York, I Love You XOXO"

One of the most obvious clues to suspecting Dan is Gossip Girl all along is because he is included in the take-down of Gossip Girl. Sure, toxic friends Blair and Serena get spotlighted a lot, but to nickname Dan "Lonely Boy" and give him a reason for being recognized is huge. Gossip Girl hones in on the rich and elite, so if it wasn't Dan, why would he even be included?

Dan isn't a member of the elite and shouldn't have been on the radar since no one outside of Serena's circle seems to even know who he is. Dan, however, doesn't want to be looked at as an outsider anymore. Between his moniker and his otherness, it's no wonder he started the blog and maintained it for so long. Once Dan is accepted into Serena's group as one of them, despite his lack of wealth, all of the gossip is about that tight-knit group of people or their frenemies. Dan writes what he knows, and that includes himself.