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Penn Badgley admits he ‘struggled' while dating Blake Lively during ‘Gossip Girl'

Xoxo, Gossip Girl. Penn Badgley was asked about his relationship with ex-girlfriend and former 'Gossip Girl' co-star Blake Lively on Wednesday's episode of 'Call Her Daddy.' Host Alex Cooper asked Badgley, 38, if he was 'able to separate' his 'actual job from reality' at the time that he was dating Lively, 37, in real life while their respective characters, Dan and Serena, were dating on the show. Advertisement 11 Blake Lively, Penn Badgley in 'Gossip Girl.' THE CW 11 Penn Badgley on 'Call Her Daddy.' Call Her Daddy 'I mean, that's a great question because it was the struggle,' Badgley replied. Advertisement 'When you do a television show, you're doing it constantly,' the 'You' star explained. 'Because of the nature of that show and the celebrity culture at the time…' Badgley continued, recalling that he was frequently asked in interviews about 'dating advice' back then. 11 Penn Badgley on 'Call Her Daddy.' Call Her Daddy 11 Penn Badgley being interviewed by Alex Cooper on 'Call Her Daddy.' Call Her Daddy 11 Blake Lively, Penn Badgley filming 'Gossip Girl' in 2012. WireImage Advertisement 'I think I've been on one date in my life,' he shared. '[I] spent most of my time just sort of either in a relationship or not, and I remember just the feeling of not knowing. You feel like you're constantly — even though no one may be actually asking you to do this — you feel like you're constantly needing to prove yourself in some manner. Otherwise, what are you doing?' The 'Easy A' star continued, 'What starts to happen when you're in this one role for a long time, the aspect of celebrity being a huge part of it. There is not enough separation for anybody. You're seen as this person, you're called their name out on the street. You also constantly have to be that person at work.' 11 Penn Badgley, Blake Lively in 'Gossip Girl.' THE CW Badgley also noted that since he was in his early 20s at the time, he 'didn't have the emotional maturity to understand, to differentiate myself just in terms of self-worth.' Advertisement 'What people seemed to think of Dan seemed to be what people thought of me,' he said. 'Now I had enough sense, enough intelligence, enough self-worth [that] I wasn't losing myself. But it bothered me.' Badgley starred on 'Gossip Girl' from 2007 to 2012. He dated Lively from 2007 to 2010. 11 Penn Badgley, Blake Lively at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards. WireImage 11 Blake Lively, Penn Badgley attend the 2009 Angel Ball to Benefit Gabrielle's Angel Foundation. Jamie McCarthy Badgley said on an episode of his 'Podcrushed' podcast last year that he and Lively — who is now married to Ryan Reynolds and in a major legal battle with Justin Baldoni — stayed friendly as co-stars after their split. 'I'm pretty sure we were exes for nearly half of the run of the entire series,' he said. 'We were always very professional. We had to do all kinds of nutso stuff. Having a fake marriage by the end of it. I don't even think, in my memory, there was not one bit of strangeness. It wasn't even a thing.' 11 Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in a selfie. Blake Lively / Instagram 11 Penn Badgley and his wife Domino Kirke at the Giorgio Armani RTW Spring 2025 fashion show in Oct. 2024. WWD via Getty Images Advertisement In 2023, Badgley told Variety how he experienced a surge in fame basically overnight because of the show and his and Lively's romance. 'Beyond our relationship, I don't think anybody was going to be interested in me publicly,' Badgley shared. 11 Blake Lively, Penn Badgley filming 'Gossip Girl' in New York in 2010. FilmMagic Advertisement Looking back on his 'Gossip Girl' years, Badgley said he saw them as 'fun and fast-paced' but also a 'dark undercurrent that would bottom out in my later 20s.' Badgley has been married to singer Domino Kirke since 2017. They have a 4-year-old son, James, and are also expecting twins due to arrive this summer.