Daniel Randolph Humphrey is a fictional character in the bestselling Gossip Girl novel series. He is one of the central male characters in Gossip Girl, where he is portrayed by Penn Badgley. Dan Humphrey is the son of Rufus Humphrey and has a younger sister, Jenny Humphrey. Dan's mother, Alison Humphrey, is absent for the majority of the series. Dan and his family live in Brooklyn, the alternative of the old-money and conservative Upper East Side. He attends St. Jude's Preparatory School for Boys on the West Side as a scholarship student. His life changed dramatically when his father, Rufus Humphrey, married the wealthy Lily van der Woodsen, moving the family to the Upper East Side.