You fans are losing it over the hilarious Gossip Girl references in season 4

16 February 2023, 17:39

Penn Badgley interviews Joe from You

By Sam Prance

You season 4 appears to have multiple references to Penn Badgley's past performance as Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl.

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You season 4 is officially here and fans are screaming over the not-so-subtle references to Gossip Girl throughout the show.

Ever since You debuted in 2018, fans have made comparisons between Joe Goldberg and Dan Humphrey from Gossip Girl. Not only does Penn Badgley play both characters but both Joe and Dan have an obsession with books and class. They're also prone to falling in love with rich girls and, while Dan may not be a murderer, he does stalk people just like Joe does.

Now, You appears to be leaning into the Joe/Dan similarities by referencing Penn's iconic past performance on season 4.

You fans are losing it over the hilarious Gossip Girl references in season 4. Picture: Netflix

Earlier this week (Feb 14), a TikTok went viral in which a fan pinpoints a moment in episode 2 where Adam and Joe are at the art exhibition and Adam says to Joe: "I never took you for a gossip." Penn then smiles sheepishly seemingly acknowledging the reference while staying in character as Joe. The video has now been viewed almost 500,000 times on TikTok.

There are more scenes that appear to reference Gossip Girl though. At the end of episode 1, Joe asks "Who am I?", a nod to Gossip Girl's infamous "And who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell" catchphrase. On top of that, Joe's stalker calls him a "loner by nature". Is anyone getting "Lonely boy" flashbacks?

In episode 2, Joe also lies that he's a writer doing research to write a book about the rich. Of course, Dan actually wrote a book about the rich in Gossip Girl. Coincidence? I think not.

Check out all the Gossip Girl references in You season 4 in the slideshow below.