After their split, Penn Badgley and fellow Gossip Girl star Blake Lively continued to appear on the program together.
All eyes are on Penn Badgley for the final series of You, but prior to the Netflix show the actor found fame on Gossip Girl – where he dated one of his fellow co-stars. Back in 2007, Penn became a familiar face across the globe thanks to his role as Dan Humphrey in the teen drama, which followed a group of students at the esteemed Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Alongside Penn, 38, the show boasted an A-list cast including Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick and Taylor Momsen. Another famous face on the show was Blake Lively, who starred as Serena van der Woodsen, and dated Penn between 2007 and 2010.
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The show, meanwhile, didn’t come to an end until 2012, meaning Penn and Blake continued to co-star for two years after their split. Over the years, the former couple have opened up on their time together – and some of Penn’s comments have recently resurfaced as series five of You makes its way onto our screens.
Back in 2013, he spoke to Elle about the realities of working with Blake following their split and described themselves as being “ultimately professional” despite going their separate ways.
He responded, “We were very much absorbed in the show, which itself was a six-year endurance test,” when asked what their split had taught him. Our relationship aided us in getting through it. Like anything else, it was valuable both in terms of both the quality and the quantity and it provided lessons.”
Meanwhile, Blake told Vanity Fair in 2017 that she and Penn were initially “afraid” about the reaction their relationship would get, and chose to keep their romance largely away from the public eye.
We once expressed concern about how our personal lives, which overlapped with our professional lives, might be perceived by our bosses, she said.
You could never do that, according to a producer on the show, who also told the publication. I’m not even familiar with how they did it. They kept it to themselves, a sign of how talented they are as actors. because they were unable to relate the show to their personal drama.
More recently, during an interview with Variety in 2023, Penn explained that his time on Gossip Girl was “fun and fast-paced”, but admitted there was a “dark undercurrent” as he navigated his time in the spotlight.
He admitted that Blake had “saved” him in some ways when asked by the publication if that included any substance abuse in the interview. I never had a problem with substance, he said to be honest. I don’t think Blake and I ever had a relationship, but we did, in some ways, prevent me from having to go down that path.
Both Penn and Blake have since gone on to marry other people. In 2012, Blake said ‘I do’ to fellow actor Ryan Reynolds and the pair now share four children together.
Penn, on the other hand, has been married to singer Domino Kirke since 2017. In a sweet Instagram post shared in November 2024, Domino gushed over her beau and joked that he had “only aged a little bit” since the start of their relationship in 2014.
As they prepare to welcome twins over the summer, the couple, who already have two children, will move from a family of four to a family of six.
Doting mother Domino shared the exciting news on social media by stating, “Babies #3 and #4 coming this Summer!” Talk about a PLOT TWIST! Beyond magical, spontaneous twins exist. We are stunned. We are awestruck. I can’t imagine anyone else for whom I’d rather ride with @pennbadgley #handsoffthewheel #monoditwins.
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Source: Mirror
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