Leighton Meester More Tolerant After Mother's Prison Sentence 9/25/08

Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester has broken her silence since revealing she was born in a halfway house while her mother served prison time - insisting the experience has made her more 'open-minded'.

The actress admitted earlier this month (Sep08) she was born in a halfway house in between her mother's federal prison stays, following a conviction for her involvement with a drug ring that smuggled shipments of marijuana into the United States from Jamaica.

Meester was raised by a relative while her mother completed her sentence. She was released in 1986 after serving 16 months of a 10 year sentence.

And the actress insists they've grown closer as a result of her mother's tumultuous past.

She tells U.S. magazine Us Weekly, "It makes me very nonjudgmental and open-minded. And I think it just makes me appreciate the things that I have now.

"She's always there for me no matter what. I swear, that woman knows everything."