Cardi B and Penn Badgley's Friendship Just Reached a New Milestone Thanks to You Season 4

Find out how Cardi B ended up sharing a scene with Twitter pal Penn Badgley on You season four, more than a year after they forged a Twitter friendship.

By Corinne Heller Feb 10, 2023 10:07 PMTags
Watch: Cardi B Hilariously Celebrates Her "You" Musical Cameo

Hello, you. You're gonna like this killer tribute to Cardi B.

More than a year after forging a Twitter friendship with You star Penn Badgely, the rapper was given a subtle shoutout in the Netflix series, which returned Feb. 9. On the first episode of the new fourth season, Joe Goldberg (Badgley) dismembers a body as Cardi's song "I Like it," featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, is played in the background.

Though the smash hit was admittedly not the first choice for the scene for showrunner Sera Gamble, she told Netflix site Tudum, "One of the fun things about producing this show is sometimes an artist will hear what the scene is about and just say, 'No.'"

Seeing how Cardi is also a fan of You, the decision to ultimately use one of her tracks was a no-brainer. "Like, who's written a song that we love? And also gets the joke of the show and the tone of the show?" Gamble said. "Who understands that we're not trying to say anything about their song by scoring the blood spatter hitting Joe's face?"

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And Cardi appeared appreciative of the musical tribute. The same day the series returned, she changed her Twitter profile picture to a photo of Badgley's character staring out a window.

In October 2021, the Cardi and Badgley formed an online friendship after he complimented her "authentic relationship" with social media during an event for You. "OOOOMMFFFGGGGGG HE KNOWS ME !!!" the rapper later responded, posting a video of the actor's comments. "OMMMGGGG!!!!!! Yoooo like I'm famous famous."

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The two stars later changed their Twitter profile pictures to feature each other. Even Netflix's official handle approved of the budding friendship, temporarily swapping their bio to read: "Petition to get Cardi B to guest star in Season 4 of You," which prompted the hip-hop artist to pitch a plotline featuring herself.

The following November, Cardi shared on Twitter a mock letter from Badgley's character. "Hello, You…My stalking and killing may make me a certified freak, seven days a week, but it also brought me to…you," it began, referencing her song "WAP" with Megan Thee Stallion. "Cardi B, you have a way with social media. You're meaningful. Substantive. I just like you. You're authentic and nuanced…just as you are with your music. You keep me on my toes, the ones that are left, at least. You can't be caged in, and it's refreshing."

In addition to the letter, Cardi B also received a piece of swag—a hat bearing the words, "Hello, You…"

"Can't wait to see you slaying in this hat, but I certainly hope you don't disappear," the letter read. "Au Revoir, Joe Goldberg."

Gamble told Tudum of having Cardi as a fan, "Whenever someone tells me that an artist I admire has watched the show, I just get very excited. We all were so happy to hear that she liked it and not at all surprised that she and Penn were getting along on Twitter."

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