Penn Badgley, star of the Netflix thriller series YOU, has reacted to a recent Fox News clip that shows the host baffled and confused as a result of the show’s name. Badgley, who played Dan Humphrey in the original Gossip Girl series, first came to public attention when he landed a recurring role in the long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless in 2000. In 2018, Badgley would go on to assume the role of the deeply troubled Joe Goldberg, an obsessive stalker and serial killer, in YOU. The series is based on the best-selling books by author Caroline Kepnes.
Last month, Badgely returned for YOU season 3, which saw his character attempt to leave his past behind in the suburbs with his wife Love (Victoria Pedretti) and his newborn son. Proving herself a worthy match for Joe’s own murderous tendencies, trouble soon followed the couple from Los Angeles when Love murdered the pair’s new next-door neighbor, with whom Joe was becoming obsessed. More recently, the show was launched back into the headlines when Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham was left perplexed by guest Raymond Arroyo when he attempted to speak about the show. Not realizing Arroyo was referring to a show named YOU, the humorous exchange went viral as Inghram thought the guest was referring directly to her.
The exchange itself has made its own headlines across the globe, and now Badgley himself has taken to Twitter to put his own two cents in about the incident. Suggesting the exchange was scripted, Badgley says it’s “gotta be a bit” and tells fans to “watch how he waits for her to cut him off.” The official Netflix Twitter account chimed in to agree “100% a bit,” and even showrunner Sera Gamble shared his tweet saying, “I’m with Penn” and “it is our pleasure to be confusing.” Check out the posts below:
Given the ease with which the original exchange could have been avoided had Arroyo simply clarified that he was referring to a Netflix series with the title of YOU, it is pretty clear that Badgley is on the money by suggesting the entire segment was staged. The whole encounter is distinctly reminiscent of Abbott and Costello’s infamous Who’s on First? sketch, a comedy routine that has become such a cultural icon it is even coded as an Easter Egg into Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa. Though it is unlikely this exchange will enjoy the same longevity as Abbott and Costello’s classic routine, it certainly seems to have stirred up social media’s fickle attention span for a short while.
While it seems clear that it was the guest’s intent to criticize Badgley’s hit show, the viral encounter seems to be having the opposite effect and is only serving to bolster interest in the YOU season 3 amid news of its season 4 renewal. While little is known at this stage about where the show’s next season is likely to take Joe, the season 3 finale made it clear he is now intent on finding the latest object of his desire, Tati Gabrielle’s Marienne. Fans of Badgley and the show YOU will certainly not be anywhere near as confused when the much-anticipated YOU season 4 hits screens.
Source: Penn Badgley/Sera Gamble