Penn Badgley’s wife Domino Kirke-Badgley is clearing up a narrative that has followed the actor since his comments about reducing intimate scenes on ‘You’.
In a new Instagram video posted September 28, Kirke-Badgley addressed the idea that she pushed her husband to step back from filming sex scenes. Her answer was direct.
“My husband decided that he didn’t want to do intimacy scenes anymore.”
Badgley first sparked conversation in 2023 when he said on his ‘Podcrushed’ podcast that he asked for fewer intimacy scenes while playing Joe Goldberg on the hit Netflix series.
At the time, the actor said fidelity in his marriage was important to him, which led some viewers to frame the decision as being driven by his wife. Kirke-Badgley is now pushing back on that reading, saying the choice belonged to Penn and was connected to his own well-being after years in the business.
“Those of you who still DM me about my husband deciding to do this for himself and his mental health, like, get over it.”
She also described the boundary as “relational hygiene”, adding that she was proud of him for advocating for himself in an industry where romantic and sexual scenes are often treated as part of the job.
The timing lands after ‘You’ wrapped its Netflix run, but the conversation around Badgley’s earlier comments clearly has not faded. For Kirke-Badgley, the point now appears simple: the decision was his, not a demand from her.