Penn Badgley weighed in on sexual misconduct allegations against comedian and actor Chris D’Elia, his co-star in the most recent season of the Netflix show “You.”
In an interview published on Sunday in the Los Angeles Times, Badgley was asked about the numerous women who have come forward in the last week with allegations against D’Elia and whether or not they’ve “caused you to think more about those themes of toxic masculinity.”
“Systemically, it needs to be addressed. Individually, it needs to be addressed. Am I the person to address all of those things? You know — it did affect me deeply. I was very troubled by it. I am very troubled by it,” Badgley said of D’Elia’s alleged actions. “I don’t know Chris. I know that, if there’s anything we need to do in this age, it’s to believe women.”
Th actor went on to say that while he believes individuals accused of sexual misconduct “need to be brought to justice as much as that is possible,” he thinks the “policies that underwrite every given system — the practices, the regulations, the laws that underwrite every one of these systems which act as a haven for the individuals that take advantage, namely white men” need to change.
“The idea that a show like ours would indirectly, unwittingly be a haven for people who are abusive is disturbing. It’s very disturbing. What does it take to change that? Because it’s not just vetting individuals,” Badgley told the Times. “There needs to be a change in culture and attitude so that that kind of behavior is so clearly reprehensible, it’s so clearly, like, anti-human.”
D’Elia starred opposite Badgley in “You” as both a comedian and pedophile, leading many to note the irony when allegations surfaced that he had sexually harassed underage girls over the course of several years. The comedian has insisted that “all of my relationships have been both legal and consensual” and that he “never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point.”
In a statement to TMZ last week, D’Elia said, “I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point.
“All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me,” D’Elia went on. “That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle. That’s MY fault. I own it. I’ve been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better.”
This week, D’Elia was dropped by his talent agency (CAA); his manager, 3 Arts Entertainment; and his comedy gig booking agent, William Morris Endeavor, in response to the allegations. He does not face any criminal charges.