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Richard "Rick" Rhodes is a minor character in the Gossip Girl television adaption, portrayed by Andrew McCarthy. Introduced in the season two episode Valley Girls as the ex-husband of CeCe Rhodes and father to Carol and Lily Rhodes, Rick is also the grandfather to Carol's daughter, Lola Rhodes, and Lily's children, Serena and Eric van der Woodsen, Chuck Bass, and Scott Rosson.

Initially set to have a major role in the proposed Gossip Girl prequel series, Valley Girls, Rick Rhodes makes no other appearance in the television series.

Novel Series[]

Rick is not a part of the Gossip Girl series of books.

Television Series[]

Background[]

Not much is known about Rick's early life. At one point, he resided in Malibu and Los Angeles, California, where he owned and operated Rhodes Record. He also lived in New York City when his daughters were young. He was not known for being a good father, as CeCe did most of the parenting. However, he does show to care for both Lily and Carol.

Season One[]

In Pilot, Rick's granddaughter Serena van der Woodsen asks Lily if her brother Eric van der Woodsen is visiting Rick in Rhode Island. However, Eric is in rehab recovering from a suicide attempt.

Season Two[]

In Valley Girls, a young Lily (played by actress Brittany Snow) is shown in a flashback after being expelled from her boarding school in Santa Barbara. She asks Rick to meet her for lunch so she can explain what happened and is disappointed when he also asks CeCe to come. During lunch, he reveals that he convinced the school to readmit her but she instead asks to live with him. He turns her down, saying he's too busy with work and wouldn't be able to give her the time or attention she needs. Not wanting to talk about it further, he leaves the restaurant to pack for his business trip to London and warns Lily not to make the same mistakes as Carol.

Trivia[]

  • He bought Lily a horse when she was young, and she named it Rosewood.
  • His house in Los Angeles is described as huge and has a tennis court.
  • He has an account at his favorite restaurant in LA.
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