Who are Penn Badgley’s family members​?

Penn Badgley is a popular American actor and musician, born on November 1, 1986, in Baltimore, Maryland. He developed an interest in acting from a young age and joined the Seattle Children's Theatre. He later shifted to California to pursue acting at the age of 11. He made his TV debut in an episode of Will & Grace in 1999. In 2001, he made his film debut with The Fluffer.

He is best known for his roles as Daniel Humphrey in Gossip Girl (2007–2012) and Joe Goldberg in You (2018–present). Apart from that, he has worked on many shows like The Young and the Restless (2021), The Brothers García (2000-2002), Do Over (2002), etc. He has also worked in many films like John Tucker Must Die (2006), The Stepfather (2009), Easy A (2010), The Paper Store (2016), etc. Apart from acting, fans are often curious about Badgley’s personal life. His family played an important role in shaping his acting career. Let’s take a look at Penn Badgley’s family.

Who are Penn Badgley’s parents?

Penn Badgley is the son of Lynne Murphy and Duff Badgley. Duff Badgley, his father, was a news reporter and later worked as a carpenter and home builder. He once ran for governor of Washington state in 2008 as a Green Party candidate. In an interview with Vulture, his father said, “I live like a monk. I don’t have a car. I live really simply and on very little money. Early on, my lifestyle challenged Penn and influenced him. I don’t watch TV, I don’t have a TV, I don’t like TV.”

His father also shared that he watched Gossip Girl. He said, “I watched the first eleven episodes with rabbit ears. Remember when they forced people to go digital? I refused. I suffered through that. I called Penn up and said, ‘The reception really sucks.’ And he said, ‘Dad, if you’ve seen eleven episodes, you’ve seen them all.’ ” Badgley grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and Seattle, Washington. His parents got divorced when he was 12 years old, and he and his mother left Seattle and moved to Los Angeles for his acting career.

In an episode of HypochondriActor⁠ podcast, Badgley shared about the health condition he had as a premature baby. He said, “The first year of my life, well, for the first couple of weeks, I was in a NICU, because my heart and lungs would stop repeatedly throughout the day, so I was on my heart monitor.” His mother learned how to resuscitate him. He added, “[She had to do it] multiple times a day because my heart and lungs would stop. Was on the way home from the hospital, when I was released from the NICU. [The doctors] basically said, like, 'This will happen immediately, so you're going to have to [help him],' and [it lasted] until about one."

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, he shared how his parents named him Penn. He said, “It really comes from a tennis ball, that’s actually the extent of the story. I was I think about the size of a tennis ball, that’s what my mom said to my father bouncing a tennis ball and that was how it happened.”

Who are Penn Badgley’s wife and children?

Penn Badgley is married to singer Domino Kirke. Badgley and Kirke started dating in 2014 and were spotted together for the 1st time in July 2014 in New York. After that, they attended many events together. In an interview with HeyMama, Kirke talked about the time when they started dating. She said, “I was sort of getting used to being a single mom, maybe a little too used to it. I had a really good thing with my kid, and we were like this little team. Penn and I were dating, but it wasn't nearly as serious as it is now, of course. I didn't think marriage was in the cards for us."

On February 27, 2017, Badgley and Kirke got married in a private ceremony in Brooklyn, New York. Later, they had another wedding ceremony attended by family and friends. The wedding was attended by celebrities like Heidi Klum, Zac Posen, Debra Messing, etc. In February 2020, the couple announced that they were expecting their 1st child together, and their son was born on August 11, 2020.

On February 27, 2023, Kirke shared their photo on Instagram on the occasion of their 6th anniversary. In the caption of the post, she wrote, “🌹6 years🌹Thank you, @pennbadgley, for helping me understand that it's not just about the person you're marrying but the fortress of well-being that a marriage can create." On February 28, 2025, Kirke announced on Instagram that she and Badgley were expecting twins. She 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."