Did Penn Badgley and Blake Lively date?​

Penn Badgley and Blake Lively are both popular actors who worked in Gossip Girl together. They dated for a few years.

Badgley is an American actor, producer, and musician. He was born on November 1, 1986, in Maryland, United States. He began his career at a very young age; he was just 11 years old when he moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. He made his acting debut with the TV show Will & Grace (1999) and made his film debut in The Fluffer (2001). His breakthrough role was as Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girls (2007-2012). He gained more popularity with the role of Joe Goldberg in You (2019- present). His other notable works include The Young and the Restless (2000-2001), John Tucker Must Die (2006), Easy A (2010), and Here Today (2021).

Blake Lively is an American actress born on August 25, 1987, in Los Angeles, California. Lively grew up around Hollywood as both her parents worked in the industry. She even appeared in Sandbag (1998), which was directed by her father. She made her acting debut with The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in 2005. Her breakthrough role was as Serena van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl (2007-2012). Her notable works include New York, I Love You (2008), The Town (2010), Savages (2012), The Age of Adaline (2015), A Simple Favor (2018), and It Ends with Us (2024).

Did Penn Badgley and Blake Lively date?

Yes, Penn Badgley and Blake Lively dated in real life. Their relationship began in 2007, when they were working on Gossip Girl, where they played on-screen love interests, Dan and Serena. The chemistry between their characters translated into a real-life romance, making them one of Hollywood's popular young couples at the time. In a 2013 interview with Elle, Penn said, "I don't know if I can distill it into a sentence, or even articulate it. 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.”

However, they broke up in 2010 and kept working together on the show without any reported issues. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Blake shared how she felt when she was dating Penn. She said, "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." The show’s co-producer and writer shared in an interview with Vanity Fair that they both even hid their breakup.

He said, “The shocking thing was, I found out on the set of the season 2 finale that Blake and Penn had broken up months before. 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.”

Who are they dating now?

Penn Badgley began dating singer and doula Domino Kirke in 2014. The couple married on February 27, 2017, in a courthouse ceremony in New York. They had two wedding celebrations. In an interview with HeyMama, Kirke shared the reason behind it. She said, “My first wedding was more of a civil ceremony with about 40 people that were able to join us in a pinch. The second one was more planned. 200 people came from all over the world. It just felt necessary to have both."

In August 2020, they welcomed their 1st child together, a son, James. The couple announced in February 2025 that they were expecting twins. Kirke announced it on her Instagram and wrote, "Babies #3 and #4 coming this Summer! Talk about a PLOT TWIST! Spontaneous twins are beyond magical. Can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be on this ride with @pennbadgley."

Blake Lively began dating actor Ryan Reynolds in 2011. The couple met on the sets of Green Lantern, in which they both starred. Their relationship progressed quickly, and they got married on September 9, 2012, in a private ceremony in South Carolina. Ryan thanked Blake for being his support system during his speech at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. He said, "You are the best thing, the best thing that has ever happened to me — second only to this star …You make everything better, absolutely everything in my life better. You've made me the father of my dreams when I thought I only had fun uncle potential."

Lively and Reynolds became one of Hollywood's most beloved couples, known for their playful banter and public displays of affection. They have 4 children together: 3 daughters, James (born 2014), Inez (born 2016), and Betty (born 2019), and a son, Olin (born 2023). During her speech at the American Cinematheque Awards, Lively shared how her husband is a dedicated family man. She said, "And now I am his home, and our girls are his home. And just like that 19-year-old boy [who used to commute home to Canada], he races home, whether it's from across the globe or a meeting across the street, he is hard-wired to get home. If he came home from set not in his wardrobe, we would be very concerned."