Leighton Meester maintained that her parents gave her a normal upbringing and, despite their criminal past, are good people with experience that has only made Leighton Meester more open-minded and non-judgmental, "It made me realize that you can't judge anyone—especially your parents—for what they've done in their past, because people change." Leighton Meester jokes, "Look, I could've turned out a lot worse."