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.
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 was also asked what their split had taught him, to which he replied: “We were very much caught up in the show, which itself was a six-year endurance test. Our relationship was a part of that and helped us through it. I mean, like anything valuable, it was good and it was bad and it was a learning experience.”
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.
“I remember there was one point where we were just afraid of how our personal lives overlapping our work life could be perceived by our bosses,” she said.
A producer on the show also told the publication: “They kept the breakup hidden from the crew, which you could never do now. I don’t even know how they did it. They kept it from everybody which is a testament to how good they are as actors. Because they did not want their personal drama to relate to the show.”
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.
In the interview, he was asked by the publication if that included any substance abuse – at which point he admitted that Blake had ‘saved’ him in some ways. He explained: “To be honest, I never struggled with substance. Blake didn’t drink, and I think our relationship in some ways saved me from forcing myself to go down that road.”
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.
The pair, who are already parents to two children, are set to go from a family of four to a family of six as they get set to welcome twins over the summer.
Sharing the exciting news on social media, doting mum Domino wrote: “Babies #3 and #4 coming this Summer! Talk about a PLOT TWIST! Spontaneous twins are beyond magical. We are stunned. We are in awe. Can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be on this ride with @pennbadgley #handsoffthewheel #monoditwins.”
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