Penn Badgley is one of pop culture’s most recognizable and popular actors. He first rose to fame for his role as Dan in Gossip Girl, but it is as the charming serial killer Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s You that Badgley has really made his mark. He’s found a whole new fan base, earned critical acclaim, and gained access to even more exciting opportunities in the years since You debuted. One of those ventures is his podcast, Podcrushed, which launched in 2022. Badgley clearly enjoys the process of creating episodes for his podcast, and in a recent interview with Elle, the actor opened up about who his dream podcast guests would be.
Penn Badgley launched his podcast in May 2022
When Badgley launched Podcrushed in May 2022, many might have thought that the subject matter was a bit unusual for the handsome star. The podcast, according to the Associated Press, deals entirely with the awkwardness of adolescence. The podcast features listener-submitted stories about their teen experiences, which are then read by Badgley during the first half of each episode. The second half of each podcast episode features Badgley chatting with a guest, usually a celebrity, as well as his fellow podcast creators.
“I just became really enchanted with the stories,” Badgley told the Associated Press. “Recalling that period of time for me, that was when I moved to LA and started becoming an actor professionally. I do find myself reflecting on that time a lot, the sense of self that I developed since then because of the things I experienced and witnessed.”
Penn Badgley opened up about his top choices for podcast guests
Badgley’s podcast is still going strong, nearly a year after it first launched. He’s also heavily involved in curating Podcrushed, and has developed a “wish list” of stars whom he would like to interview on the pod. In a recent round of “Ask Me Anything” for Elle UK, Badgley opened up about three celebrity guests whom he would love to welcome on Podcrushed.
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“Kendrick Lamar would be my top (choice),” Badgley said. “Kendrick would be one. Well, there’s D’Angelo, he’s been my number one for like 20 years but he’s a bit of a recluse and I wouldn’t ever try to get him on…and I don’t know how that would be, but I mean, such a sensitive soul. I would love to have him on. Third, Lauryn Hill.”
Penn Badgley is a talented musician in his own right
It makes sense that Badgley seems to have such an interest in musicians — he’s actually one himself, even though most people know him best as a television star. The actor developed a love for music early, writing songs when he was a teenager. Around the time of his Gossip Girl stardom, he formed a band with several close friends. The group, known as MOTHXR, has toured all around the world, according to Insider.
Badgley told Cosmopolitan that he started the band as a “passion project” but that he was gratified when he realized there was a real interest in the group’s music. “There’s a reason for us to take this out of the realm of us just being really into it, and seeing if we can share it,” he said. “What does sharing music mean? It means playing it for people.” Badgley also plans on remaining involved with the music industry: “We’ll all be making music for the rest of our lives, and we’re certainly going to record more as a band that we have and we’re gonna release more.”
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