Here's Everything You Need To Know About The Hottest Teacher On Gossip Girl

Attention, Upper East Siders: There’s a new Gossip Girl in town, and with it comes all the juicy drama, over-the-top parties, and super-rich, super-messy teen antics you know and love from the original. The series has just begun, but some of the ridiculously gorgeous main characters have already become major standouts, including one extremely handsome classics teacher. If the early episodes have left you wondering who plays Rafa Caparros on Gossip Girl, get ready to meet Jason Gotay.

HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot takes place nine years after the events of the original show, introducing viewers to a brand-new generation of Constance Billard/St. Jude’s students. While half-sisters Julien Calloway (Jordan Alexander) and Zoya Lott’s (Whitney Peak) complicated relationship often takes central stage, the new series also features a large, diverse ensemble of characters. But while they may be more socially conscious than their OG GG counterparts, they’re no less scandalous. For example, one of Julien’s friends, Max Wolfe (Thomas Doherty), has turned his sights toward a new guy: Rafa, one of the teachers at school.

Although Max says he’s “of age” and therefore about to consent to any kind of sexual encounter they have, Rafa insists he doesn’t sleep with his students. However, a future tryst doesn’t seem to be off the table, since Rafa tells Max they are free to hook up after Max graduates and is no longer a student. When he leans in to tell Max exactly what happens after graduation in Episode 2, it’s clear their tense relationship will only continue to simmer (and perhaps turn into more) in future episodes. Ahead of all the drama, let’s break down everything there is to know about the scene-stealing Gotay:

Jason Gotay’s Past Roles

Before Gossip Girl, Gotay had a busy Broadway career. He alternated the lead role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and played Randall in Bring It On: The Musical. Gossip Girl is Gotay’s first major TV show role, but he’s also appeared in Peter Pan! Live on the small screen.

Jason Gotay’s Social Media

Gotay’s Gossip Girl character may be in the middle of a student-teacher fiasco, but IRL, his life seems pretty delightful. His Insta is full of glamor shots (from photoshoots to brunch hangouts), Gossip Girl behind-the-scenes content, and travel pics galore. But the highlight has to be all the actor’s adorable photos with his mom and his fiancé Michael. My heart!

Jason Gotay Facts

Like Gossip Girl OG Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), Gotay grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and studied at a prestigious Manhattan school (Professional Performing Arts High School) in hopes of making a name for himself someday. “For me, it was two trains and a bus,” told Playbill of his high school days. “It was me getting up at crazy hours to get to school on time an hour-and-a-half away. I was rehearsing at school til late hours… I knew what I wanted, and I went after it so aggressively.”

While he has a theater background, Gotay has also spoken about how being in front of the camera is a unique but welcome change from being onstage. “I feel as though my character work is coming from the same place... but our mediums are so different,” Gotay recently told Get Out! magazine. “Of course, the live element of performing onstage is something I greatly miss, but it feels exciting to not be onstage pretending that I am in certain locations, but actually being [there].”

New episodes of Gossip Girl hit HBO Max on Thursdays.