Penn Badgley Is 'Very Troubled' By Allegations Against Co-Star Chris D'Elia - Says Producers Reached Out To Teen You Actress

Penn Badgley is speaking out about the horrifying allegations recently made against his You co-star, Chris D’Elia.

Speaking on The Los Angeles Times podcast Can’t Stop Watching on Monday for an upcoming episode, the 33-year-old explained he felt “very troubled” by the claims D’Elia was “grooming” and soliciting nude photos from underage girls.

Sharing that the irony of the alleged actions mirroring those of the comedian’s on-screen character wasn’t lost on him, he explained:

“I also am thinking about how to somehow not—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. 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.”

The Gossip Girl alum continued:

“It did affect me deeply. I was very troubled by it. I am very troubled by it. I don’t know Chris. I know that if there’s anything we need to do in this age, it’s to believe women.”

For those who haven’t seen the Netflix series, Penn stars as the charming murderer Joe Goldberg, who befriends Henderson, a comedian who sexually assaults young women who come to him for professional guidance.

While on the podcast, the Joe portrayer also shared the accusations prompted producers to speak with 17-year-old actress Jenna Ortega, who played opposite D’Elia’s character in season 2 “to make sure she felt safe.” He also noted they’re doing what they can to ensure all actors “can feel safe and sound” on set despite the dark subject of the series.

He continued:

“I also know there’s a lot that I cannot speak to, obviously. And I think the one thing that I can speak to that is maybe relevant for listeners now is that individuals of course need to be brought to justice as much as that is possible. Right? One thing that our culture tends to do quite systematically and methodically is to revel in identifying villains so that the system can remain evil. … Ideally there would be less of those individuals.”

D’Elia has yet to react to what Badgley had to say, but did break his silence on the claims after they were brought to light on Twitter:

“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. 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.”

D’Elia’s denial aside, a police investigation absolutely needs to be opened so these allegations involving minors are taken seriously.

[Image via Instagram/C.Smith/WENN.]