- Was in a relationship with actress and Gossip Girl (2007) co-star and on-screen love interest Blake Lively from 2007 until 2010. Was also in an on-again, off-again relationship with singer Zoë Kravitz from 2011 until 2013.
- Has known Blake Lively since he was eleven years old but is adamant that they didn't actually know each other well until Gossip Girl, where they became close.
- Turned down the role of Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl (2007) several times before finally accepting.
- Upon being asked how his name originated, he says his father was bouncing a Pilot Pen tennis ball in frustration while trying to think of baby names. When his mother got her ultrasound, he referred to the baby looking like the size of the tennis ball. And thus, they named him Penn.
- When asked who his best and worst on-screen kissing experience was with he said Blake Lively. It was the best because of their relationship and the worst because their characters were still together after they broke up.
- Did voice-over work for Nintendo games.
- Sings completely live in the film 'Greetings from Tim Buckley'.
- Plays guitar, bass and sings.
- In 2001 he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for his work on "The Young and the Restless" when he was age 15.
- Penn, Leighton Meester and Blake Lively are the only Gossip Girl cast members to appear in every single episode of the series.
- Penn has traveled to South America and experienced ayahuasca, the legendary vine of the souls, multiple times. Ayahuasca is a brew of psychoactive ingredients that can produce a feeling of enlightenment and spirituality when ingested. Many people say that it made profound positive changes in their lives after consumption. In October 2012 Penn took part in the 5th annual Ayahuasca Monologues which took place at Webster Hall in New York City where he described his experiences comically in front of an audience. He described his latest experience as the simplest but most profound moment of his life so far.
- Has one child: a son (born August 11th 2020) with wife Domino Kirke.
- Attended Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, Washington.
- Penn's most embarrassing moment was forgetting the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" while singing at a minor-league baseball game.
- Owns many guitars including a Gibson ES-175 and L-5, Collings C-10, two fenders: A sea-foam green Stratocaster and a Telecaster Custom. The L-5 and Collings were gifts to himself when he found out he landed the role of Jeff Buckley in 'Greetings from Tim Buckley'.
- His favorite musician of all time is D'Angelo. His favorite album is 'Voodoo'.
- Long before starring together on Gossip Girl (2007), Penn Badgley and Blake Lively were home schooled together as children.
- Has a tattoo of a feather on his right leg.
- Joked he would rather be named Penn than other tennis brands Dunlop or Wilson.
- Penn's ancestry includes Irish, English, smaller amounts of French-Canadian, German, and Scottish, and remote Dutch, Welsh, and French Huguenot; also, one of Penn's paternal great-grandfathers, Howard Duff, was an emigrant from Jamaica, and was likely of at least part African-Jamaican ancestry. Penn's patrilineal ancestry can be traced back to George Badgley, who was born, c. 1616, in Bakewell, Derby, England.
- Penn is the frontman of the Brooklyn based band, Mothxr. Originally the band had been called Mother but they found it extremely difficult to promote because it's impossible for people to google.
- Penn was accepted to the University of Southern California, but deferred admission to pursue his acting career. He has joked that he will attend when he's age 30.
- Penn's two passions in life are music and acting.
- Penn highly admires TV actresses Tina Fey and Parker Posey.
- His parents divorced when he was twelve.
- During the 2008 United States presidential election, Badgley expressed his support for Barack Obama over John McCain.
- In March 2010, The American Red Cross announced Penn Badgley as a member in National Celebrity Cabinet.
- First single, Easy, from his band Mother was released June 3, 2014 on iTunes.
- Cousin of Megan Murphy.
- Close friends with fellow Baltimore native and civil rights activist DeRay McKesson.
- Penn's band, Mothxr is composed of transplants from other bands. Jimmy Giannoppulos of Pretty Good Dance Moves, Lolawolf and Reputante. Simon Oscroft of No. Darren Will of Rathbourne and Lakis Pavlou of Drowners.
- While in a relationship with former girlfriend Zoë Kravitz he met band mate Jimmy Giannopolous, who is also in Zoe Kravitz's band Lolawolf.
- Son-in-law of Simon Kirke, former drummer with British rock bands Free ("All Right Now") and Bad Company ("Can't Get Enough").
- Is an only child, however he has an older half-sister named Jen from his mother's second marriage.
- Brother-in-law of Jemima Kirke and Lola Kirke.
- Penn's mother once drove him 50 miles to appear in a community production of Music Man.
- For a time Penn's acting coach was Harold Guskin, author of the acclaimed book "How to Stop Acting" (2003).
- Good friend of Shawn Pyfrom.
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