It’s never a bad time to admire celebrities who (desperately) seem to have a little fun in their lives. So in our new column, we’re going to celebrate people who are absolutely nailing their lives right now – may they live Joy inspires all of us.
I want to address one thing in advance: this is probably the most outrageous move ever, I never actually finished the original gossip Girl. (I get it! They’re rich and hot and mean! I don’t need the multi-season kind, I can rewatch OC) So you can take me when I say I’m against the actors Trust me when Penn Badgley has no real affection or understanding. I know he’s on the show; I know he plays a cute marmot in Easy A and in You is a lunatic; I know he used to date Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively and is now married to Jemima Kirk’s cool Dura sister; but this is really where my insights end.
So, I was surprised to find myself totally hooked on his TikTok lately, where he dances with the likes of Taylor Swift and Meghan Trainor, and, I must say, really go all out. See for yourself:
I’ve always hated straight men dancing “sarcastically” to pop divas, almost with straight men who deliberately picked Rihanna or Madonna or anything from karaoke other pop singers. (Look, if you’re going to do “La Isla Bonita” or “James Joint”, you need to make a commitment, not just rock your hips and vaguely show that you’re manly, your interpretation of the song would have been Just funny! Sorry!) However, I can’t help but be fascinated by Bagley’s performance, especially because it’s so bizarre. He’s not trying to express how cooler he is than you – he just looks like a boring dad who is really having fun on TikTok.
All of Badgley’s videos are equally comical in terms of creation, but I especially appreciate his “antihero” running through his apartment and robbing Swift on his balcony “The one. Literally I have thousands of questions – who is filming this? Is it dominoes? Is it Sebastian Stan? Is this something that celebrities have to clarify with their PR, or are they just jumping out of their minds to see how the public thinks after the fact? – But in this world of toxic masculinity culture, it’s fun to see a Hollywood hit man cast straight from the center, random, cute and weird on the internet, instead of berating his assistants or having fun with Kiernan Shipp Card dating. (John Mayer, if you’re reading this, leave Sally Draper alone!) Dance, Badgley, for the love of all things divine.
