Penn Badgley Says He Was Molested by 'Gossip Girl' Fans

Penn Badgley poses with his You co-stars John Stamos and Elizabeth Lail while attending a PaleyFest panel on Sunday (September 9) in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The 31-year-old actor stars in the new Lifetime series and he’s no stranger to being the star of a popular series. He says that he was molested by overzealous Gossip Girl fans back in the day.

“I think as an actor you can become an object of desire, which is something women are already accustomed to more or less around the world — I’ve definitely been, I mean, I don’t want to sound sensationalist, but I’ve literally been molested — just in the literal sense of the word — by many people in the moment,” Penn said in an interview with The Daily Beast. “Because that’s what they do.”

Penn acknowledged during the interview that he is privileged as a white man, but cited Terry Crews as an example of experiences that happen to men.

UPDATE: Penn released a new statement to clarify the original comment.

FYI: Elizabeth is wearing an A.L.C. dress.