Penn Badgley’s recent reprisal of Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s final installment of You and Blake Lively’s ongoing legal drama with Justin Baldoni have caused a 2023 interview comment from him praising his former co-star to resurface online. This has ignited widespread curiosity and speculation amongst fans, who are wondering what Badgley said about Lively. The two actors, who had dated in the past, also romanced each other on-screen on Gossip Girl.

So, here’s everything to know about Badgley’s past comments on Lively, which are circulating online again.

The Easy A actor gave an interview in 2023, where he discussed a myriad of topics pertaining to his career. During this discussion, he was asked about his Gossip Girl days, resulting in him sharing an anecdote about his past relationship with Blake Lively.

Penn Badgley, who had experienced a “dark undercurrent” in his life during his time on The CW series, mentioned to Variety how that experience was not because of substance abuse. Citing Lively’s contribution in helping him, he stated, “Blake didn’t drink, and I think our relationship in some ways saved me from forcing myself to go down that road.”

Badgley and Lively, who dated between 2007 and 2010, maintained a stable professional relationship following their breakup. In a 2013 Elle interview, the former stressed that he and The Age of Adaline star were “ultimately professional” when asked about whether he found it difficult to work with her following their split and her marriage to Ryan Reynolds.

Moreover, in the conversation with Elle, Badgley said that their relationship was part of a “six-year endurance test” involving their work on Gossip Girl, and that it helped them get through the show’s filming process. “I mean, like anything valuable, it was good and it was bad and it was a learning experience,” he stated.

Despite the stable professional relationship, Blake Lively and Penn Badgley eventually lost touch with one another. In a 2015 Huffington Post interview, he noted that there was an “amicable silence” between them.

Additionally, Lively revealed in a 2017 Vanity Fair interview that the two had kept their relationship and break-up private. Meanwhile, Penn Badgley has not yet commented on Blake Lively’s legal drama with Justin Baldoni.