Penn Badgley on Chris D’Elia’s ‘You’ Co-Star Sexual Harassment Allegations: ‘It’s Very Disturbing’

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Penn Badgley attends the Screening Of Lifetime's "You" Series Premiere

Penn Badgley says that he โ€œbelieves womenโ€ in light of allegations of sexual harassment made against his You co-star, the comedian Chris Dโ€™Elia.

Badgley told The Los Angeles Times that he was โ€œvery troubledโ€ by the accusations against Dโ€™Elia, who appeared in the second series of the Netflix series as a comedian who drugs and assaults young women.

โ€œThe idea that a show like ours would indirectly, unwittingly be a haven for people who are abusive is disturbing. Itโ€™s very disturbing,โ€ Badgley said.

Penn Badgley and Chris D'Elia
Photo via Twitter

โ€œYou know โ€“ it did affect me deeply. I was very troubled by it. I am very troubled by it. I donโ€™t know Chris. I know that, if thereโ€™s anything we need to do in this age, itโ€™s to believe women.โ€

He continued: โ€œBut what is really important is to recognize that the policies that underwrite every given system โ€“ 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.โ€

Penn Badgley The Cinema Society & 2(x)ist Screening Of "Twelve" - Inside Arrivals
Penn Badgley at Landmarkโ€™s Sunshine Cinema on July 28, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Getty Images)

The actor also revealed that Youโ€™s producers had reached out to the teenage actors who had starred opposite Dโ€™Elia on the show โ€œjust to make sure [they] felt safe.โ€

The You star isnโ€™t the only co-star of Dโ€™Eliaโ€™s to speak out, as Whitney Cummings also addressed the allegations publicly on social media.

Penn Badgley and Chris D'Elia
Photo via Twitter

โ€œItโ€™s taken me a couple days to process the information I have learned about Chris,โ€ Cummings, 37, said online. โ€œIโ€™m devastated and enraged by what Iโ€™ve read and learned.โ€

Cummings deemed Dโ€™Eliaโ€™s behavior as โ€œpredatory,โ€ and pledged to not remain โ€œsilentโ€ on such โ€œabuse[s] of powerโ€ in the future.

Dโ€™Elia has denied allegations that he harassed teen girls online.

โ€œI 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,โ€ Dโ€™Elia said in a statement obtained by Deadline last week.

โ€œAll 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. Thatโ€™s MY fault. I own it. Iโ€™ve been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better.โ€

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