Blake Lively’s former relationship with Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley is back in the spotlight, just as she finds herself entangled in a legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni.
Lively and Badgley, who played on-screen couple Serena van der Woodsen and Dan Humphrey in the hit CW series Gossip Girl, dated privately for three years during the show’s early run. Their real-life romance was a well-kept secret at the time, despite the intense public interest surrounding the show.
Now 38, Badgley is married to singer Domino Kirke, while Lively, 37, tied the knot with actor Ryan Reynolds in 2012. Despite moving on personally and professionally, the history between Lively and Badgley continues to capture fans’ attention—especially with Badgley preparing for the final season of his popular Netflix thriller You.
In a 2017 interview with Vanity Fair, Lively opened up about the pressures of keeping their breakup private while filming. “I remember being worried about how our personal relationship might affect our work,” she said. “But then we realized that’s what the producers wanted—they wanted us to date, to wear the same clothes as our characters, to embody the show off-screen too. It was all part of the story they were selling.”
Gossip Girl executive producer Joshua Safran also reflected on their low-key breakup. “I found out on the set of the season 2 finale that Blake and Penn had broken up months before,” he revealed. “They kept it hidden from everyone, which is impressive. That kind of discretion would be nearly impossible now. It speaks to how professional they were—they didn’t let personal matters bleed into their work.”
The renewed interest in Lively’s past comes at a complicated moment in her present. The actress is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director in the upcoming film It Ends With Us. While details of the case remain under wraps, a source close to the situation revealed that Lively has “no regrets” about filing the lawsuit.
As Lively focuses on her current legal battle, echoes of her past—particularly her private romance with Badgley—continue to stir public curiosity, adding another layer of intrigue to the star’s already headline-making life.
