Some fans are not happy with Ed Westwick after the Gossip Girl star teased a major announcement, only to reveal that he was selling face masks. Yep, some fans thought his surprise was going to be that the cast was reuniting or returning for the upcoming reboot, but when he revealed it was all a ploy to promote his new face masks, people quickly started slamming him online.
For those who missed it, the 32-year-old, who famously played Chuck Bass in the series, sent the internet into a frenzy when he posted a black photo with the letters “XOXO” on it to Instagram on Sunday, June 14.
“Got a little something for you… Tomorrow, 1 P.M…. Hint… XOXO,” he captioned it.
Naturally, fans quickly started to speculate that it had something to do with the iconic CW show, since “XOXO” was how the title character signed off her daily blog posts. But when 1 P.M. rolled around, many fans were left disappointed.
“I think we could all agree the world could use some hugs and kisses right now. Help me raise money for @kickitout to combat racism and discrimination for everyone who plays, watches or works in football by shopping my collection with @represent,” he wrote in another post. “Let’s all work together to make a difference!”
Fans can purchase the face masks, which say “XOXO” on them, for $14.99 each, or three for $34.99.
After coming under fire, the British star responded in a lengthy note posted to his Instagram Stories.
“For those of you that are upset about teasing my collection with the design graphic to raise money for @KickItOut: I hope you can check out the charity and learn more about their mission, who they are helping and the impact it will make in our world to combat racism and discrimination,” he explained. “It is important to me to use my platform to spread love, bring awareness to various organizations and do what I can to make a difference. Love, Ed.”
“While a GG reboot would be a great distraction, this is not the time for distractions,” the actor added. “It is important we focus on the issues at hand, and do what we can to help, even if we think it’s something small.”
For those who missed it, it was announced back in July 2019 that they were bringing back the epic show, and fans could not be more excited!
Set eight years after the original show ended, the upcoming series will follow a brand new group of Upper East Siders as they’re thrown under the microscope of Gossip Girl’s social surveillance. The show will also explore how much social media and New York City has changed over the years. The show’s original creators, Joshua Schwartz, Joshua Safran and Stephanie Savage will all return to executive produce the reboot.
“It is very much dealing with the way the world looks now, where wealth and privilege come from, and how you handle that,” Joshua revealed at 2019 Vulture Fest. “The thing I can’t say is there is a twist, and that all relates to the twist.”
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