Leighton Meester Said She and Husband Adam Brody Want Their Daughter to Understand Her Privilege

Leighton Meester is keeping it real with her kids, especially when it comes to their privilege. Sure, you may know the actress best for her work as the snobby, uber-wealthy Upper Eastsider Blair Waldorf from the hit CW show Gossip Girl, but Meester didn't grow up like her on-screen persona. Now, she's hoping to teach gratitude to her and her husband, Adam Brody's, kids, especially their 8-year-old daughter Arlo.

"We live in such a bubble," Meester told E! News in a recent interview. "And we obviously are really happy and grateful to give her everything that we never had growing up. But we also want her to understand that not everyone grows up like that." 

The actress also opened up about her own childhood and how her family didn't always know where their next meal was going to come from. "We relied on food stamps and welfare," she told the outlet. "And especially towards the end of the month, but sometimes throughout the month, we either couldn't go grocery shopping or put food back on the shelves before checkout. We really had to do what we could to make ends meet." 

Now that the star and her husband Brody (who headlined one of the network's other popular early aughts shows, The O.C.) live a comfortable life, Meester is working with the nonprofit Feeding America to give back. "I think it's just all about setting an example," she said of partnering with the organization while teaching her kids to be thankful for all they have. "When we sit around the table, we always talk about what we're grateful for and what the best part of our day was and just give thanks to our food." 

"She knows sort of in a child-friendly way, that there are different ways that people are growing up," Meester said, referring to Arlo. "So I hope that she can take that in, but mostly just to be grateful for everything that she has."