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cover art for Penn Badgley, CRUSHMORE: Essays on Love, Loss, and Coming-of-Age

Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books™️

Penn Badgley, CRUSHMORE: Essays on Love, Loss, and Coming-of-Age

Season 25, Ep. 42

As featured in People, E! and BuzzFeed! Actor, director, producer, podcaster, and bestselling author Penn Badgley joins Zibby to discuss his debut essay collection, CRUSHMORE: Essays on Love, Loss, and Coming-of-Age, which he wrote with his podcast co-hosts. Also available on YouTube.


Penn reflects on the origins of his podcast show and why adolescence is such a powerful entry point into storytelling. He opens up about his insecurities (from curly hair to fame itself), sharing what it’s like to grow up on camera and how celebrity shapes and distorts identity. They also dive into middle-school angst, the cultural impact of the selfie, the pressures of visibility, and the parts of fame most people never see. He also speaks vulnerably about miscarriage, marriage, and becoming a father of twins.


Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4rKqZ3O


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(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)

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