This morning (thanks to this Pass that Popcorn Facebook post) I realized that Penn Badgley has had a hard life! And when I say hard life I mean the characters he plays, not his personal life! I don’t know the man or his actual life story. Lol
BUT I do know that he went from being Dan Humphrey to Joe Goldberg and for my fellow “You” watchers that have also seen Gossip Girl, this shouldn’t be that surprising! Here’s why I think Netflix’s You series could be a Gossip Girl spin off.
Dan Was Treated Poorly In Gossip Girl
Dan Humphrey was a little, quiet, Brooklyn boy that got a scholarship to go to a private school in Manhattan and things went downhill the moment he met his “friends”.
I truly believe Dan was a good kid! He read books, he did well in school – clearly well enough to get a scholarship for a private school in NYC, and he kept his head down, stayed to himself. He was a humble guy!
And then he met the “love of his life” Serena van der Woodsen. *insert roll eye emoji here*
If you watched Gossip Girl then you know Serena was “out of his league” but also not good for him. (As much as we wanted them to work! Lol) And well … you know how men are when they get a rich white girl! Shit gets cray!
But seriously! When Dan first got to the school, he was treated like TRASH!
Cause honestly the girls (who were rich) thought he WAS trash. Middle class man from Brooklyn? Ew! (Meanwhile homeboy was living in what us Brooklynites would call “a rich neighborhood”. Lol)
But compared to the Upper East Side that’s “earned rich” not “inherited rich” right? And y’all know how white folks feel about their inherited rich! Listen, I wrote one of my college papers for one of my marketing classes on this VERY thing! Gossip Girl and the way they portrayed the class structures.
I’m still not even sure why Dan stood around while they treated him like shit, but as a kid who grew up with no friends and hung around kids I knew weren’t my friends in Middle School because they were literally the only people that talked to me everyday, I can totally understand!
When you’re a kid, something feels better than nothing. However …


These the evil girls I’m talking about, especially that one there on the right in my favorite color.
The Girls In Gossip Girl Literally Turned A Nice Brooklyn Guy Into A Mini Stalker
Yup! Dan too was a stalker! Lol
If you watched Gossip Girl then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t seen it yet, I won’t spoil it for you. BUT I will say, it’s not one of my fave TV shows of all time for no reason. So go check it out on Netflix! (Honestly, my High School ex loved this show too. And he’s a hardcore, nerdy, gamer, who don’t care for the rom com shit. Lol)
However … Dan was a stalker … just like Joe!
And I can’t really blame him, because those girls really screwed with his head. So eh, maybe they deserved it? Lol (I mean … Dan sure thought so!)


These the “friends” Dan had. Just look at them! Smh!
Dan, Just Like Joe, Also Lived In New York
Is this really a coinky dink? Lol Or did Dan just change apartments and get a tad bit older, then film You? Lol
Come on now! They both seriously lived in the same city! Shit, someone run a background check and see how far apart the addresses are!
I’ve lived in Brooklyn all my life, and when we “moved” my folks literally went from Avenue I to Avenue H! This shit is possible! Lol


I don’t remember what they were looking at, but it could be a dead body for all we know! Look at Dan’s ass looking awkward. Lol
Closer To The End Of Gossip Girl We Realize Dan Isn’t Really As Nice As We Thought He Was
Which isn’t his fault because like I said above, the girls really made him crazy! I don’t doubt for a second that Dan was sane before he went to Manhattan. But what can I say! Money does that to you, when you’re not loved.
So at the end of Gossip Girl, we started seeing Dan’s true colors.
And once we found out who he really was, everything began to make sense. And that’s why I can easily say …


Mmmm … just look at her! This is Serena in case you didn’t know. Smh! That boy Penn got a thing for Blonde’s huh?
If You Watched Gossip Girl Then You Know Dan Humphrey Is Probably Capable Of Doing What Joe Goldberg Has Done
I mean he’s done a few of the things already!
Lied, stalked, played mind games, pretended to be good guy. (Sorry convinced everyone that he was a good guy, including himself. Lol)
Hell he even changed his name in Gossip Girl! Lol
The ONLY thing Dan didn’t do in Gossip Girl that Joe has done in You, is kill. I think! But my memory is foggy and that was years ago. So maybe he did? Lol (I’m kidding, he didn’t! Lawd! He was in HIGH SCHOOL! Imagine?) But the shit they did in Gossip Girl was pretty messed up, for High Schoolers. Lol


This 2007 photo, provided by The CW, shows cast members of the network’s new series “The Gossip Girl,” from left, Blake Lively, Ed Westwick, Leighton Meester and Chace Crawford. (AP Photo/The CW, K.C. Bailey) (THESE ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS DAN!!! GET OUT!)
And That’s Why I Think Dan Humphrey Snapped, Found A New Place To Live And Then Changed His Name To Joe Goldberg
I mean why not?
He literally changed his name in Season 2 of You. Who’s to say Joe is his REAL name? Lol It could be Dan for all we know! They’re basically the SAME person man!
Hell, if you HAVEN’T watched Gossip Girl, and you’ve gotten this far, leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. Because if all the above doesn’t make you start thinking they’re the same person, I’m gonna need you to get yo eyes checked. You may be just as blind as I am. Lol
So now tell me, do YOU think Netflix’s You series could be a Gossip Girl spin off? P.s – You is “confirmed” for a Season 3, read about that here.
P.s – Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to hit the little heart button below to let me know you liked this post! And if you REALLY liked it, make sure you hit the share button so your friends can read it as well. Comments are always appreciated and responded to. Thanks in advance! Now click around and read something else. Lol There’s lots of suggestions below!
2 comments
[…] If You Watched Gossip Girl Can You Really Blame Joe For His Madness? Here’s What I Think […]
[…] If You Watched Gossip Girl Can You Really Blame Joe For His Madness? Here’s What I Think […]