Kelly Rutherford Gives Update On Her ‘Quiet’ Life Years After Tumultuous Custody Battle

Nearly a decade after her bitter, headline-generating custody battle came to a close, Kelly Rutherford seems to be relishing her time out of the spotlight.

The “Gossip Girl” actor gave fans an update on her “very quiet” life in Monaco as part of an interview with Travel + Leisure published Monday. Her comments were brief but telling.

“It’s actually quite peaceful,” Rutherford told the magazine while attending the 2024 Monte-Carlo Television Festival. “It’s the opposite of what everyone thinks it is, for me at least. It’s a place you can come and really just be quiet.”

She noted: “In the wintertime, it’s very quiet, very private, and very peaceful. It’s like the Hamptons in the summer versus the Hamptons in the winter.”

Rutherford, a Kentucky native, is best known for her portrayal of Lily van der Woodsen, the mother of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), on the teen drama series “Gossip Girl,” which ran from 2007 to 2012.

Three years after “Gossip Girl” went off the air, however, Rutherford was thrust into the center of a media firestorm when a judge granted sole custody of her two children, Hermés and Helena, to her ex-husband, Daniel Giersch.

Giersch, a German citizen, was barred from returning to the U.S. as his work visa had been revoked prior to the ruling. At one point during the court battle, Rutherford stopped her children from boarding a Monaco-bound plane after a six-week U.S. visit, prompting Giersch to accuse her of abduction. As her legal fees mounted, she declared bankruptcy.

In recent years, Rutherford has been primarily focused on non-Hollywood projects, though she never formally retired from acting and still maintains a U.S. residence. According to IMDb, her recent credits include supporting roles on “Dynasty” and in the television movie “All My Husband’s Wives,” as well as the French series “Escort Boys.”

In February, Rutherford told People that she and her children enjoyed “a great relationship” in spite of their tumultuous past.

“I mean, a lot of people haven’t gone through what I’ve gone through, but they still have challenging relationships with their kids,” she said. “But at the same time, you heal, you grow. You look at the lessons that came from it. You look at how your kids have grown up, and how they’re doing so well, and you’re thankful for that.”

As for her day-to-day routine in Monaco, she told Travel + Leisure this week that it was mostly laid-back.

“I just walk the dogs, hang out with the kids, and run errands,” she said. “If there’s a gallery opening or something like that, I’ll go just to see. But it’s mostly just quiet time here for me.”