"She was incredibly quick to laugh" - Penn Badgley remembers Gossip Girl costar Michelle Trachtenberg; calls her death 'surreal'

The Gossip Girl alum, Penn Badgley, opened up about her late co-star Michelle Trachtenberg at the premiere of the Netflix show, You's fifth and final season. Badgley remembered his late co-star Michelle, who passed away on February 26, 2025. At the premiere of You's final season, which took place on April 23, 2025, Badgley talked about Michelle's unexpected death and told E! News that her passing was:

"Really surreal, really saddening."

The You star, while remembering Michelle, added:

"What I remember of her is she was incredibly quick to laugh. She was really joyous. We all have our ups and downs, our lights and shadows, but she had this — I mean, she was mature, but she had this childlike, joyous laugh."

Penn, while sharing that Michelle had a "really pure heart", also mentioned that it had been over ten years since they met each other. Trachtenberg, 39, was found dead on April 26 at her New York City apartment. According to the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, her death was ruled as natural and resulted from complications of diabetes mellitus, as confirmed to People magazine on April 16, 2025.

Gossip Girl co-stars pay tribute to Michelle Trachtenberg

It wasn’t only Penn Badgley who mourned Michelle’s loss—her fellow Gossip Girl co-stars, including Blake Lively, Ed Westwick, and Chace Crawford, also took to social media to pay tribute to the late actress.

Blake Lively took to Instagram to pay her tribute to Michelle. She shared a picture of her and Trachtenberg on her Instagram Story at the time, on which she wrote:

"This was the first day I met Michelle. She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%. She laughed the fullest at someone's joke, she faced authority head on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work, she was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself."

Ed Westwick opened up to People Magazine about Michelle and said:

"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Michelle but I remember a talented, sharp, funny and warm soul. Thinking of her and the family. So sad."

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Whereas Chace Crawford shared a picture of himself and Michelle on Instagram with a caption that read:

"Michelle was one of a kind. I remember her coming on set for the first time and just absolutely owning it. She was a force of nature and just so so unapologetically funny and magnetic.. remembering those years with a big smile. Just a terrible loss. Love you."

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