Netflix Fans Criticize Penn Badgley for Revealing a Significant ‘Gossip Girl’ Plot Twist

Recently, Netflix put out a crossover video where Badgley’s character, Joe Goldberg, narrates a scene from “Nobody Wants This,” a comedy series featuring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody.

While the amusing crossover pleased many fans, it also annoyed some people when Penn Badgley carelessly gave away the most important surprise from “Gossip Girl.”

Before jumping into his narration, Badgley explained the connection between “Nobody Wants This” and “Gossip Girl,” pointing out that Kristen Bell famously served as the narrator for the hit teen drama.

However, in doing so, he revealed the true identity of “Gossip Girl,” a twist that isn’t unveiled until the series finale of the show’s six-season run.

“Sorry, spoiler alert!” Badgley quickly added, before moving on to his narration.

For long-time fans of “Gossip Girl,” the slip-up was no big deal, but for those who were just discovering the show, the moment was a major letdown.

The rest of the clip featured Badgley reinterpreting a scene from “Nobody Wants This” through Joe Goldberg’s signature internal monologue, giving it a dark and obsessive twist.

As Joanne (Bell) and Noah (Brody) walk through the city eating ice cream, Joe narrates Joanne’s thoughts in the same eerie style he uses to obsess over his targets in “YOU.”

“Of all the ways to make a woman’s knees weak, I would not have expected handling ice cream to be one of them,” Badgley mused as Noah playfully asked Joanne for her cone.

As their romantic moment builds, Badgley hilariously concludes, “What I want… is Adam Brody.”

The video then cuts to Badgley smirking in front of a black screen, teasing fans with “You never thought I’d do it, did you?”

While the unexpected crossover had many fans laughing and even calling for Badgley to cameo in season two of “Nobody Wants This,” others were not amused by the “Gossip Girl” spoiler.

On Instagram, one user called out the reveal, writing, “Huge spoiler on ‘Gossip Girl’!!!!” while another sarcastically commented, “Thanks for the spoiler!!!”

Over on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, some users expressed frustration.

“Spoiler alert. Guess I don’t have to watch ‘Gossip Girl’ anymore,” one user said as another expressed, “He really told me THE SPOILER I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT. I WAS ABOUT TO START SEASON 5 THIS WEEKEND.”

However, others defended Badgley, arguing that “Gossip Girl” ended in 2012 and that most people should know the big reveal by now.

“Lmao that show is so old. Everyone watched it by now,” one fan wrote.

In addition to the “Gossip Girl” reference, some fans were quick to point out a real-life connection between Adam Brody and Penn Badgley’s former co-star, Leighton Meester.

Brody, who stars in “Nobody Wants This,” is married to Meester, who played Blair Waldorf, Dan Humphrey’s (Badgley’s) on-again, off-again love interest in “Gossip Girl.”

“Dan narrating to Blair’s husband,” one fan commented.

“And that’s Blair’s real-life husband. What kind of multiverse of madness is this?” another asked.

Badgley may be the face of one of TV’s most chilling stalkers, but that doesn’t mean he enjoys it. In fact, the “YOU” star has been vocal about his hatred for Joe Goldberg, the sadistic, obsessive protagonist at the center of Netflix’s hit psychological thriller.

Since the series premiered in 2018, Badgley has struggled with the way fans romanticize Joe, despite the fact that he’s a cold-blooded killer. “We can’t lead ourselves to believe that if Joe would simply find the right person that he would be happy, because he’s a f-cking murderer,” Badgley told Vanity Fair in 2019.

The show, based on Caroline Kepnes’ novel, first debuted on Lifetime before finding a massive audience after moving to Netflix in 2019. With its rising popularity, so did fans’ infatuation with Joe, which only made Badgley more uncomfortable.

In a 2020 interview, the “John Tucker Must Die” actor admitted that he feels deeply conflicted about the role. “I feel immensely conflicted every time, other than the period I’m acting on camera, which is between action and cut,” he shared, according to Us Weekly.

Despite Joe’s twisted nature, many viewers have glorified him, seeing him as a misunderstood anti-hero rather than a violent manipulator. This has frustrated Badgley, who has repeatedly reminded fans that Joe is not someone to root for.

The final season of “YOU” premieres on Netflix on Thursday, April 24, 2025.