Who Is Domino Kirke, Penn Badgley's Wife and the Cofounder of a Pregnancy Care Center?
Penn Badgley, musician and star of Gossip Girl as well as the popular series You on Lifetime, has been quiet about his love life in recent years. He has quietly been with Domino Kirke since 2014 and rarely comments publicly about his wife. So who is Kirke, and what do we know about their relationship?
Penn Badgley, best known as Dan from Gossip Girl and Joe from You, has stayed quiet about his love life in recent years. He most famously dated his Gossip Girl costar Blake Lively and Zoe Kravitz—but in 2014, Badgley settled down with Domino Kirke, and rarely says anything in public about his now-wife (the two married in 2017). Kirke, a doula and singer, has more than one showbiz connection—she's also the sister of Jemima Kirke.
Here's what we do know about the low-key couple, who are expecting their first child.
In an Instagram post in early February, Kirke opened up about her two losses that had preceded her current pregnancy. "It takes everything I’ve got to detach lovingly from the losses I’ve been present for and be in my own experience," she wrote.
She also posted two photos to her Instagram Story that referenced the pregnancy—one showed her glowing and visibly pregnant in overalls, and the other showed her and Badgley in bed with their "first baby," their rescue pup.
Kirke, who is English-American, has one famous sister you've probably already heard of: Girls star Jemima Kirke. Kirke's sister Lola is also an actress and appeared in Gone Girl. Their dad, Simon Frederick St. George Kirke, is a drummer from bands Free and Bad Company.
Kirke takes after her famous father and is a singer. As reported in Bustle, Kirke has recorded music with Mark Ronson, and her work has been featured by Lena Dunham.
For her last album release in 2017, Beyond Waves, Badgley was sweet and supportive on social media:
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.@DominoKirke has released a gorgeous record that will stand the test of time https://t.co/FXzOCQkQLAAugust 31, 2017
Kirke doesn't talk much about her private life on social media, but she does talk about her work as cofounder of Carriage House Birth, which provides various services for pregnant women. Vogue called her a "triple threat": musician, mom, and doula.
Nobody knows exactly how they met, but Us Weekly spotted the pair first in July 2014. "They've been dating for awhile. They have a number of mutual friends. It is a very mature and free relationship," according to a source at the time. "Domino is a great girl for him, being a musician. Their interests align."
The couple don't pose for red-carpet photos very often and aren't often snapped together on the street (Badgley has said he's not a fan of social media, and clearly prioritizes his privacy.) Kirke mentions Badgley only sparingly on her social media, occasionally making sweet posts for events like Badgley's birthday:
In a civil ceremony at a Brooklyn courthouse, Kirke and Badgley married in front of family and friends. Badgley's bandmate Darren Will posted a sweet photo, calling them "a couple beautiful people."
A post shared by Darren Will (@smileoutofhell)
A photo posted by on
Kirke's sister Lola shared a sweet shot of the sisters and Cassius, Domino's son from a previous relationship.
A post shared by Lola Kirke (@lolakirke)
A photo posted by on
Sister Jemima also got in on the action, to hilarious effect:
Congratulations ya shitheads! @PennBadgley and @DominoKirke it's all downhill from here. In a good way!February 27, 2017
Technically, the couple had two celebrations, according to Badgley: The quiet courthouse wedding, and one enormous reception, courtesy of Kirke's mother.
In a rare interview on the subject, Badgley told People that his path to spirituality led him to Kirke. “I don’t think I could truly value human love until I developed divine love,” he said. “[Domino and I] very much had a romantic beginning, and I think that you discover in marriage that what sustains a marriage for decades—there are less and less people who can tell us this—but I think it has something to do with [divine] love.”
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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.
Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.
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