# Jessica Szohr
**Jessica Szohr** (full name Jessica Karen Szohr; surname pronounced "soar", born 1985) is an American actress best known for playing Vanessa Abrams on [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw) teen drama *Gossip Girl* (2007 to 2012) and Lieutenant Commander Talla Keyali on the science fiction series *The Orville* (2019 to 2022). She began her career as a child model in Wisconsin before moving into television acting in 2003.[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) • [2](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Jessica Karen Szohr, born 1985 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) |
| Breakthrough role | Vanessa Abrams on *Gossip Girl* (The CW, 2007 to 2012), credited over 77 episodes[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) • [3](https://www.fernsehserien.de/jessica-szohr/filmografie) |
| Promotion to regular | Originally cast for a three-episode guest arc; promoted to series regular after the season one episode "The Blair Bitch Project" in April 2008[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1221906/) • [5](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/teen-vogue-cover-girl-jessica-szohr) |
| Notable films | *Piranha 3D* (2010) as Kelly Driscoll, *The Internship* (2013) as Marielena, *Ted 2* (2015) as Allison[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) • [6](https://www.thetvdb.com/people/330752-jessica-szohr) |
| *The Orville* | Lt. Cmdr. Talla Keyali, 20 episodes from 2019 to 2022; announced as a series regular on February 12, 2018[7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/43471/jessica-szohr) • [2](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) |
| Podcast | Host and producer of *XOXO with Jessica Szohr*, a *Gossip Girl* rewatch and interview podcast launched in 2022 with iHeartRadio[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) • [8](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jessica-szohr-xoxo-podcast-gossip-girl-interview) |
| Personal life | Married hockey player Brad Richardson in August 2024; their daughter Bowie Ella was born in 2021[9](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Jessica%2BSzohr-471210/biography) • [10](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/jessica-szohr/) |
## Early life and modeling
Szohr was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, which she has described as a "family-oriented small town", and is of Hungarian and Black ancestry. She began modeling at age six, and her first national campaign was for Quaker Oats at age ten; later print work included Kohl's, Crate & Barrel, Mountain Dew, Sears, Jockey, and JanSport.[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) • [11](https://www.sidewalkstv.com/interview-jessica-szohr-on-sidewalks-tv-2011-video/) While in school she played soccer, served on the student council, and ran a small cleaning business with a friend whose clients included her own teachers.[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr)
She graduated from Menomonee Falls High School a semester early and moved to Los Angeles with her mother at age 17 to pursue acting.[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) • [10](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/jessica-szohr/) She had enrolled at [Columbia College Chicago](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-college-chicago) intending to become an interior designer, but her agent persuaded her to try pilot season auditions instead.[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr)
## Gossip Girl
Szohr's screen debut came in 2003 with a guest part on the ABC comedy *My Wife and Kids* and a role in the independent film *Uncle Nino*. Guest appearances followed on shows including *That's So Raven*, *Drake & Josh*, *What I Like About You*, and *Joan of Arcadia*, and she played lab technician Samantha Barrish in three episodes of *CSI: Miami*.[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) • [11](https://www.sidewalkstv.com/interview-jessica-szohr-on-sidewalks-tv-2011-video/) Steady attention came with the recurring role of Laura on the ABC dramedy *What About Brian* in 2006 and 2007.[12](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Jessica-Szohr/)
**How she was cast.** Szohr has recounted that she learned of the *Gossip Girl* role through a friend at an agency and, at a barbecue attended by the show's creators, made an impression without any discussion of work; days later she auditioned on the Warner Brothers lot and flew to New York within a week.[13](https://www.buddytv.com/exclusive-interview-jessica-szohr-of-gossip-girl/) Vanessa Abrams, Dan Humphrey's childhood friend from Brooklyn, was written for roughly three episodes, but the character clicked with viewers and Szohr was promoted to series regular in April 2008.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1221906/) • [5](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/teen-vogue-cover-girl-jessica-szohr)
Vanessa became one of the show's most discussed characters. Szohr told *Teen Vogue* in 2022 that she took the fan criticism of Vanessa as a sign she had done her job: "Some of the stuff that was written was cringe-worthy and was annoying. So if I annoyed you and you cringed at Vanessa then I was doing my job." She also described Vanessa as a relatable figure in a cast of wealthy [Upper East Side](https://www.edgepedia.org/upper-east-side) teenagers, a character who worked for her money.[8](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jessica-szohr-xoxo-podcast-gossip-girl-interview) In May 2011 it was confirmed that she would not return for the fifth season, and she came back for a cameo in the series finale, "[New York, I Love You XOXO](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-i-love-you-xoxo)", broadcast December 17, 2012.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1221906/)
## Film work
While on *Gossip Girl*, Szohr appeared in supporting film roles including *Fired Up!*, *Tower Heist*, and *I Don't Know How She Does It* (all 2009 to 2011 releases), and took the starring role of Kelly Driscoll, a local girl caught up in a spring-break horror scenario, in [Dimension Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/dimension-films)' *Piranha 3D* (2010).[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) • [6](https://www.thetvdb.com/people/330752-jessica-szohr) Filming for *Piranha 3D* began in June 2009, and the role required her to work underwater; she told the *New York Daily News* that filming was difficult because she was "not the best swimmer".[1](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) Later films include *[Two Night Stand](https://www.edgepedia.org/two-night-stand)* (2014), *10 Cent Pistol* (2014), *Lucky in Love* (2014), *Club Life* (2015), *The Internship* (2013) as Marielena, and *Ted 2* (2015) as Allison.[14](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2022915/filmography) • [6](https://www.thetvdb.com/people/330752-jessica-szohr)
## The Orville and later television
[Seth MacFarlane](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-macfarlane), creator of *The Orville*, approached Szohr with the role of Talla Keyali in January 2018, and her casting as a new series regular was announced on February 12, 2018.[2](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) As Talla, a Xelayan officer, she replaced [Halston Sage](https://www.edgepedia.org/halston-sage)'s character Alara Kitan as Chief of Security aboard the USS *Orville*, first appearing in the season two episode "All the World is Birthday Cake".[2](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr) She played the part across 20 episodes from 2019 to 2022, including the show's third season, *The Orville: New Horizons*.[7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/43471/jessica-szohr)
Between her two signature series, Szohr built a string of television credits: a recurring role as Nessa on *Shameless* (2011), Laura Melvin in *Kingdom* (2014), Gretchen Polk in the [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) medical drama *Complications* (2015, ten episodes), a guest role in *Twin Peaks: The Return* (2017) as Renee, and appearances in *CSI: Cyber* and *Men at Work*.[15](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jessica-szohr/) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/43471/jessica-szohr) In 2022 she starred as Stella in the Hallmark-adjacent television movie *Designing Christmas*, a role she discussed with TV Insider in terms of channeling an HGTV host.[12](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Jessica-Szohr/)
## XOXO podcast
In 2022 Szohr launched *XOXO with Jessica Szohr* with iHeartRadio, a podcast combining interviews with *Gossip Girl* cast and crew and episode rewatches. Producers first approached her with a rewatch format, but she pitched an interview-style show instead, partly so she could record from home in Canada, where she had moved with her partner.[8](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jessica-szohr-xoxo-podcast-gossip-girl-interview) The first episode featured an interview with the show's creators, [Josh Schwartz](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-schwartz) and Stephanie Savage, and she has said the project became a way to revisit and reappraise the series and the fan reaction to her character a decade on.[8](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jessica-szohr-xoxo-podcast-gossip-girl-interview)
## Personal life
Szohr dated her *Gossip Girl* co-star [Ed Westwick](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-westwick) from 2008 until their split in early 2010, a relationship that received regular tabloid coverage.[12](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Jessica-Szohr/) She later became partners with professional hockey player Brad Richardson, and the two made the relationship public in 2019.[16](https://www.thelist.com/1627599/what-happened-jessica-szohr-vanessa-abrams-gossip-girl/) Their daughter Bowie Ella was born in 2021, and the couple married in August 2024.[9](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Jessica%2BSzohr-471210/biography) • [10](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/jessica-szohr/) She was pregnant during filming of *The Orville* third season and missed nearly a month of shooting.[2](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr)
## References
1. [Jessica Szohr, Gossip Girl Wiki (Fandom)](https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr)
2. [Jessica Szohr, The Orville Wiki (Fandom)](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Szohr)
3. [Filmografie Jessica Szohr, fernsehserien.de](https://www.fernsehserien.de/jessica-szohr/filmografie)
4. [Jessica Szohr, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1221906/)
5. [Jessica Szohr Plays it Cool, Teen Vogue (2009)](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/teen-vogue-cover-girl-jessica-szohr)
6. [Jessica Szohr, TheTVDB](https://www.thetvdb.com/people/330752-jessica-szohr)
7. [Jessica Szohr, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/43471/jessica-szohr)
8. [Jessica Szohr Talks "Gossip Girl" Podcast, Vanessa Backlash, and Why the Show Was a Hit, Teen Vogue (2022)](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jessica-szohr-xoxo-podcast-gossip-girl-interview)
9. [Jessica Szohr Bio, Filmweb](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Jessica%2BSzohr-471210/biography)
10. [Jessica Szohr News, Us Weekly](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/jessica-szohr/)
11. [Interview: Jessica Szohr on Sidewalks TV, Sidewalks Entertainment](https://www.sidewalkstv.com/interview-jessica-szohr-on-sidewalks-tv-2011-video/)
12. [Jessica Szohr, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Jessica-Szohr/)
13. [Exclusive Interview: Jessica Szohr of 'Gossip Girl', BuddyTV (2008)](https://www.buddytv.com/exclusive-interview-jessica-szohr-of-gossip-girl/)
14. [Filmography: Jessica Szohr, elCinema](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2022915/filmography)
15. [Jessica Szohr, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jessica-szohr/)
16. [Jessica Szohr: What Happened To The Gossip Girl Star?, The List](https://www.thelist.com/1627599/what-happened-jessica-szohr-vanessa-abrams-gossip-girl/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Sp to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license