Back in 2011, there was some overlap between Zoe Kravitz’s relationship with Penn Badgley and her relationship with Michael Fassbender. I choose to think Zoe is kind of a free-love hippie chick who simply couldn’t be tied down by one man, at least at the time. I think her thing with Fassbender was ending (messily) and she decided to start up with Penn at the same time. That was summer 2011. By the fall, Zoe and Fassy were done and she and Penn were getting much more serious. In an interview a few months ago, Penn described falling in love with Zoe and how it was “earth-shattering”. In one of Zoe’s interviews, we learned that she and Penn were living together in a huge loft in Williamsburg. And now they’re OVER. Which is sad.
Penn Badgley and Zoe Kravitz have ended their nearly two-year relationship, multiple insiders confirm to Us Weekly exclusively. The Gossip Girl actor, 26, and the After Earth actress, 24, were first linked in the summer of 2011. “It is all good between them,” a source says of the exes. “It wasn’t a sad breakup.”
The couple, who shared an apartment together in New York City, are focused on their careers for the time being. “It just wasn’t working,” the source reiterates. “It really did end on good terms, though.”
Badgley — who earned raves for his portrayal of Jeff Buckley in Greetings from Tim Buckley — recently wrapped production on Parts per Billion, costarring Josh Hartnett, Rosario Dawson and Teresa Palmer. Zoe — the daughter of rocker Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, who divorced in 1993 — next appears in Mad Max: Fury Road, costarring Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Tom Hardy. She is currently filming Divergent in Chicago, based on the popular young adult novel of the same name.
“They are at two different stages in their careers,” a source says of Badgley and Zoe. “They just didn’t have time for each other.”
Badgley previously dated his Gossip Girl costar Blake Lively from 2007 to 2010. Zoe was linked to her X-Men: First class costar Michael Fassbender and dated fellow actor Ben Foster.
Call me crazy, but I really did think this was a genuine love match and I thought it was going to last. Zoe gave Penn some hipster cred, and Penn seemed to adore her. They were well-matched and living together, seemingly building a life together. And now this. So sad.
…What if Zoe and Robert Pattinson started happening?! OMG. Now I want that happen. I also wonder if Zoe and Fassbender might go another round – his current girlfriend Louise Hazell looks so much like Zoe, it’s crazy.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
Aw this kinda bums me out. I’ve always had a fondness for Penn and I thought these two were really cute together 🙁
Ah, young love…such a fickle thing.
I’m not sure about a Fass and Zoe reunion. On one hand they were a pretty sexy coupling but on the other, kinda gross/creepy given the age difference. Zoe and Pattison = Cheekbone Explosion. Could be fun to see….
I don’t really think free loving hippy chics are right for Rob. He seems like a guy who would be much happier with your average girl next door type. KStew was sort off a hipster and he always seemed miserable with her.
I would love to see him with Emma Watson. I think they’d be a cute Brit coupling.
Oh please no. He seems nice, and she’s just so. No. Cedric and Hermione are not meant to be together.
…who are Cedric and Hermione? Is that a Harry Potter reference?
I know Emma from nothing but I think the two are both rather..plain. I think it would work.
@TheOriginalKitten
Who are Cedric and Hermione?! FOR SHAME. SMH….:)
Boo! I feel uncool 🙁
I’ve never seen Potter or Twi-Hard or Hunger Games series…I’m an old fogie like that!
Do not put HP in the same category as Twilight, please! Muggles, muggles everywhere.
don’t watch the movies!! the books are soo much better! (HP *not* twilight*)
@TheOriginalKitten – I really think it was sort of a ‘you had to be in a certain age group when they first came out‘ thing, especially w/Harry Potter. (I was in middle school when the books first started coming out, so was the right age to get ‘pulled’ into it, so followed it to the end).
I never read or saw Twilight, either. I avoided it completely, actually xD I guess it was too popular with ‘fangirls’ too fast, or something.
And I’m completely with jess, when it comes to HP, read the books. I never liked the movies at all, the books were great, though. ^__^
I don’t think so. I was an adult when I started reading them. My mother, who is a librarian, suggested them to me. All of my friends have read them, as have most of my older sister’s friends and my mother’s friends. Even though Harry Potter is ostensibly for children, the books are so well written that people of all ages love them. The movies are fun but don’t even come close to the magic of the books. They are incredibly well written.
Twilight on the other hand… Ugh. The storyline was catchy but the writing was terrible and the storylines became more and more disturbing. Plus Bella started out as likeable and became a whiny, annoying brat. Those books were not well written.
I think Stephen King actually made a comment on the difference between the two series’ being the quality of the writing.
It bums me out too, though I’m not surprised. Their relationship seemed… open. Penn had a big interview on Salon a few weeks back and after reading it I thought – they’re each other’s current phase. This will end.
Nooooo! I really loved them as a couple! They seemed so natural with each other. What a shame.
I was just thinking about what beautiful babies they would make…CHEEKBONES!
Side note- how is she getting so many big acting roles? She’s horrible.
She was pretty decent in Yelling to the Sky…if you haven’t seen in go check it out on netflix 🙂
Told ya they wouldn’t last, so much for that earth shattering love!
Yeah, she’s not the best actress out there; I cringed during her XMFC scenes but she’s a beautiful girl.
They break up after 2 years (and cohabitating), and it’s “not a sad breakup”? Either that’s false, or they’re pretty shallow people. I’ve had amicable breakups, but they’re always sad, if the relationship was genuine.
While I definitely see what you’re saying and agree when it comes to normal people, I think it’s a little different with actors. Their lives are such a whirlwind that I think they just kind of drift apart due to scheduling conflicts. By the time they actually get around to breaking up, they’re no more than ‘fond’ of each other, you know?
Also remember this is the US Weekly exclusive version, given to the mag by one of their publicists. Of course they are going to say it is not sad, that it is amicable, that they are focusing on their careers, etc etc.
We don’t know what REALLY went down.
I’m more interested in a Pattinson hook up tbh. I’m sorry but I’m losing the lady boner for Fass.
She was slamming it with tbh. The guy exudes zero sex appeal, what a climb down from Fassy. I know guys found his declarations of love cute, me, I found them desparate and snivelling. Ok, I really didnt like them together.
She needs a manly man. Like Fassy or Idris, even Gosling. I could very reluctantly see her with Pattinson. But Bradley Cooper needs to keep his creepster eyes of this queen (coz you just know hes already circling here like some starved vulture).
The last part of your comment had me scream with laughter – “circling her like some starved vulture” LOL
Fassy seems to be a bit of a ladies man. I won’t get into the other rumours because I don’t know if they’re true, but he’s developed something of a bad boy rep. He doesn’t seem like the kind of “real man” I’d want, at least not for more than a fortnight. 😉
Maybe more like a starved emu…
Meh. At 24 and 26 the are practically children. Live it up for a few years before settling on The One.
Ugh how weird?! I was just randomly thinking last night how I hope they never break up lol and how sad it would be if they did.
Oh oh oh poor little rick girl all alone. Please! Don’t feel bad for celebrities, they are gorgeous, rich and have whatever they want at their disposal.
Feel sorry for me. My ex husband cheated on me. Got divorce and its been 2 years and I can’t find a guy that wants to date me. On top of that, iam unemployed, now that’s sad.
…….yeah that DOES sound pretty sucky………….
@Gorda I’m so sorry :-(( I hope things get better for you.
Yes celebs are gorgeous and rich.. but they’re not superhuman. They still have feelings and hardships like the rest of us. Fame and beauty don’t ensure happiness.
zoe looks like norah jones imo
Norah is much prettier to me. Zoe looks like a budget version of her mother.
Zoe looks like her father, which is not a bad thing.
I think Lenny’s genes are dominant in Zoe, actually.
And since Lenny is one of my free passes, I tend to find Zoe incredibly beautiful.
Everyone’s mileage varies on that one.
I agree – she is absolutely beautiful.
And in case she wants my opinion, she should keep her hair short – it shows off her perfect bone structure.
I think they were a cute couple, sorry to hear it didn’t work. Breakups are usually sad for one of the people and a huge relief to the other. At least it has been so in my experience. Well good luck to both of them! They seem like good people and I am sure they will both find much success in their lives.
Penn doesn’t really do it for me in pictures, but he was so unbelievably adorable as Woodchuck Todd that I can’t help but love him.
She’s beautiful and she seems nice enough, but sometimes you just can’t help hating the pretty girl that everyone’s in love with 😉
Break-ups are always sad though… They seemed to match quite well.
I agree! Whenever I see him in candids, I think, hunh, I thought he was hot?? The I’ll see him in a movie and I’m in like all over again. He must be one of those dudes that needs movie magic to really shine.
+1 I don’t usually find him attractive in pictures, especially during his Brooklyn boho phase. He’s too thin and frail looking, and a little too short to be my ideal type. His hipster persona can be irritating at times, and I couldn’t stand his character on Gossip Girl. But every time I see him on screen, there’s something about him that makes me forget all of that. I think it’s his voice. And his eyes. And he has a strong but vulnerable way about him that I find appealing.
Haha, glad I’m not the only one. Most people seem to either hate him or love him. But I’m like: Pictures? No thanks. Big screen? Yes please! <3
I know this is a horrible thing to say, but they look so dirty in all pictures. Like they could use a good bath.
I was thinking the same thing. They both look…greasy? They’re attractive people, they just need to clean it up a little
I’ve heard so many rumors about Penn and Shawn Pyfrom, so who knows if this was ever real.
Pretty sure it was real. It seemed like one of the most real Hollywood relationships, to be honest. That doesn’t mean there isn’t bisexuality here or that Penn didn’t have a relationship with Shawn beyond friendship, of course. But I highly doubt that Zoe / Penn were just for PR.
I don’t think so. I’m not that familiar with Sean so he could be gay for all I know, but Penn had an online presence before Gossip Girl and his posts were those of a typical horny teenage boy (they’ve since been erased after fans discovered them.)
Penn and Blake were seen all over town just like Penn and Zoe. It’s pretty hard to hide your sexuality with social media being what it is today, and Penn doesn’t seem like someone who would try.
What do you mean “online presence”? Where? On what sites?
He used to post forums under the handle ‘PFunk’ pre-GG fame. His posts were re-posted to forums I used to read. Maybe ONTD still has some archived.
I didnt want to be the one to bring it up but I also wondered about the gay thing. I doubt Zoe would beard and for someone with a lower profile than hers at that. But those gay rumors are very believable so I figure hes a Zoesexual? I know I am!
Either way she can and should do better than him.
Damym! Has it been two years already!
I’ve been obsessin’ over Fassy for two years! I need rehab!
People actually thought they would last? Wow.
“It just wasnt working”???? I dont buy it. He was just gushing about her and being madly in love. I bet she ended it.
She comes from money and he doesn’t. She seems to run with a faster crowd than he does. She said she had to “strike while the iron was hot” and seems to be angling for roles big budget movies, while he was just talking about taking a break until he finds something he really feels passionate about after the critical praise for his performance as Jeff Buckley. I’d guess she called it off, too.
Might be the only one but I am not crazy about Zoe. She always looks so…unkempt and hipsterish to me. I don’t see the appeal about her at all. I love Penn but I think he needs a break from relationships.
take a shower, p-funk.
To me, both Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet are very good looking people. And Zoe kind of looks like both parents, I don’t think she is as attractive as either of her parents. And I agree, that she can’t act.
Lisa Bonet hasn’t been good looking in years Lenny is sexy but I wouldn’t say he is very Good looking. Zoe is cute
Ahhhhhhhhhhh shucks.
Zoe has a great bod! Very nice skin and a gorgeous face… Loved her in After Earth and Yelling to the Sky she is on a roll
Penn, um, er he looks great on film 😉
Omg she’s gotten SO much better at acting! In After Earth she made me cry, plus she was GORGEOUS. That indie she’s about to film is ace
I know right?!? I am reading Divergent now and I’m glad she’s playing Christina ^^ Next year will be crazy good for her 🙂
Totally forgot she dated Sharkbender 🙂 If Kaiser approves of them getting back together I guess I wouldn’t be against it. lol
High-waisted jean shorts???
I lived through the 80’s. High-waisted jean shorts were quite popular then…please God, don’t let them come back in fashion…
I’ve never seen an offspring, especially one who is already an adult, who looks so much like both her parents.
Whoops, on edit, it occurs to me that Frances Bean looks like both her parents, too.
Well a couple months ago on this site i said i’d eat my hat if these two were still together in two years after those ridiculous declarations of love….looks like my hat is safe!
This actually bums me out a little bit. I thought they were great together.
That’s sad. I think they were really cute together.
I am not surprised that they broke up. They just seemed more like friends than two people who was supposed to be so in love, and like I said before Zoe needs to find a man who knows who he is and does not need her as a acting muse and to get hippy cred. They are better off as friends.
This blows; they seemed so good together.
I just found out about Zoe filming Divergent last week. It’s a Hunger Games type series of a post apocalyptic future of the USA and I was surprised to learn she is playing the character she is playing (not the main character). Don’t know about her acting skills, never seen her act.
Penn and Zoe made more sense together than Blake and Penn (though they were also cute). But Blake isn’t very hippie/free spirited and it seems Zoe is more Penn’s type?
They were so cute together.