Rise to Fame
The CW offered him Dan Humphrey twice. He turned it down the first time, and they came back. That reluctance tracks. Gossip Girl made him a teen idol playing the one character who was never meant to fit in. As Brooklyn's 'lonely boy' among Manhattan elites, he was the audience surrogate in a show that didn't really like him. The role ran six seasons and gave him name recognition he couldn't shake. He spent the next few years making films nobody saw, then landed Joe Goldberg in You and went viral for arguing with fans who found his serial killer charming.
In the Spotlight
Five seasons of You wrapped in April 2025, and the show did exactly what Badgley wanted: it ended Joe Goldberg's romantic antihero status. He spent years fighting back against fans who found the serial killer charming, going viral for tweeting 'He is a murderer' at someone who called Joe dreamy. The final season (which he executive produced) put Joe in prison for life after being shot in the genitals, a deliberate deconstruction of the character's appeal. Whether the internet cooperated is another question.
Side Notes
Converting to the Baha'i Faith in 2015 is not a typical Hollywood move, but Badgley has never been particularly interested in the typical Hollywood move. He fronted Brooklyn indie band MOTHXR before You put him back in front of cameras, and he credits his faith with preparing him for marriage to Domino Kirke, herself a musician and doula and daughter of Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke. The couple have three sons together. His middle school embarrassment podcast Podcrushed has run since 2022, which is either a rebrand or just something he finds funny.