Domino Kirke is pushing back hard against accusations that she made her husband Penn Badgley stop filming sex scenes, as reported [1] by Page Six.
In a Monday Instagram video, Kirke directly addressed the messages she still receives about the actor’s decision to limit intimate scenes.
“I continue to get DMs about this thing that happened about three years ago, when my husband decided that he didn’t want to do intimacy scenes anymore,” she began.
Her response made clear that the choice belonged to Badgley, not to her.
Kirke explained the extent of the boundary Badgley wanted to establish in his acting career.
“Meaning, he didn’t want to have sex. He didn’t want to kiss. He didn’t want to do any of that, which was really major in his industry because that’s the thing they want you to do the most.”
The 42-year-old noted that viewers have come to “expect” Badgley to appear in intimate scenes because of the characters he has played over the years.
That expectation, however, did not make Kirke responsible for his personal preference.
Kirke had a blunt message for people who continue to contact her about the matter.
“I want to say, to those of you who still DM me about my husband deciding to do this for himself and his mental health, get over it.”
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Rather than pressuring Badgley to make the decision, Kirke said she welcomed it.
She described his choice as an example of “relational hygiene” and said it encouraged her to create more boundaries in her own professional life.
“When he decided he didn’t want to do this anymore, I was super happy for him, very proud of him,” she gushed. Kirke said she understood how significant the decision was within his industry.
Kirke also emphasized that her identity and career extend beyond her marriage to the “You” actor. She works as a doula and noted that she is “not just Penn Badgley’s wife.”
Her professional work, she explained, includes helping other people establish their own limits. “I also do things like support people in making these kinds of decisions for themselves and their careers.”
Badgley first generated headlines over the issue in 2023, when he said he no longer wanted to participate in intimate scenes.
At the time, he cited his relationship with Kirke as one of the reasons behind that preference.
“If you have a partner, and you want to be with your partner, and you have to [be intimate] with another person, frankly for me, it’s just not my desire,” Badgley said on “Andy Cohen Live” in February 2023. He also said filming sex scenes “involves all kinds of objectification.
The position was not an absolute refusal. Badgley, 38, later clarified that avoiding intimate scenes was a preference rather than a definite prohibition, leaving room for exceptions when his work required them.
One notable exception came during the fifth and final season of his Netflix series “You.” The season premiered in April 2025 and included several intimate scenes featuring Badgley.
“I had to throw that out the window,” Badgley admitted during an interview with People last year. His participation in those scenes reflected the flexibility he had already acknowledged when clarifying his position.
Kirke and Badgley began dating in 2014 and married at a New York courthouse in February 2017. They welcomed a son in August 2020, who is now 6, followed by twin boys in September 2025.
The couple has kept their children’s names private.
Kirke’s latest comments similarly drew a firm boundary around responsibility for Badgley’s career decisions, rejecting the continued suggestion that his preference originated with her.