Billy Baldwin Is Serena's Home-Wrecking Father on Gossip Girl

Find out how Mr. van der Woodsen causes trouble for our favorite Upper East Siders

By Kristin Dos Santos, Jennifer Godwin Jan 20, 2010 5:00 AMTags
Kelly Rutherford, Billy Baldwin, Blake LivelyFrazer Harrison/Getty Images; Jeff Vespa/Getty Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

UPDATE: The CW now confirms this casting news, saying that Billy Baldwin will play Serena's father later this season. His first episode will be April 26 and Gossip Girl returns March 8.

__________

The CW officially isn't commenting, but an inside source confirms EW.com's report that Billy Baldwin is in talks to play Serena van der Woodsen's (Blake Lively) absentee father in a few episodes of Gossip Girl later this season.

Plus, we've learned that the arrival of Baldwin's William van der Woodsen isn't just going to wreak havoc on Serena's life. His return has implications for another blonde we love, and it's not OK! Here's what we're hearing about this troubling twist:

It seems that daddy-o's past relationship with Lily Rhodes van der Woodsen Bass Humphrey (Kelly Rutherford) is going to be a big part of the character's plot line, and we're even hearing that he'll be coming between Lily and Rufus (Matthew Settle). Grumble, grumble.

This kind of turmoil is to be expected on a show like Gossip Girl, but it still bums us out a little. Now that we think of it, the only way that Billy Baldwin can make it up to us is to reveal that Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is somehow Serena's uncle.

Do you approve of the casting of Billy Baldwin as Serena's father? Are you happy that all her hard work being a tabloid-friendly party girl is finally paying off (um, sort of)? Hit the comments!

(Originally published Jan. 19, 2010, at 6:44 p.m. PT)

__________

Check out our Fashion Spotlight: TV's Gossip Girls gallery.