Domino Kirke, Penn Badgley's Wife, Is Her Own Powerhouse

Photo credit: Sylvain Gaboury - Getty Images
Photo credit: Sylvain Gaboury - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

The world may now know Penn Badgley as serial-stalker Joe Goldberg from Netflix's drama series You, but to Domino Kirke, he's just her "fuzzy baby."

Although Badgley's most publicized relationships include actresses Zoë Kravitz and Blake Lively, the former Gossip Girl star has actually been married to Kirke since 2017, keeping their relatively low-key relationship from the limelight. Meanwhile, Kirke is her own powerhouse, having recorded music with industry legends like Mark Ronson and cofounding the doula service Carriage House Birth.

To find out more about Kirke, read on.

She's expecting.

Badgley and Kirke recently announced that they're expecting their first child together. She reflected on her pregnancy journey as a doula and mother of one in a touching Instagram post.

"On the road again... pregnancy after loss is whole other thing," she captioned a photo of her belly. "After two miscarriages in a row we were ready to call it. I stopped trusting my body and started to accept the fact that I was done. As a birth attendant, I've seen and heard it all. It takes everything I've got to detach lovingly from the losses I've been present for and be in my own experience. When I was pregnant at 25, I knew nothing. I had no community. I dove in blissfully unaware about birth and its mysteries. Now, with 10 years worth of experience to pull from, I treasure my birth community and the knowledge I have. You're already teaching us how to stay in the day in a way we've never had to, little one. Thank you."

She has some famous family members.

Among her famous relatives are sisters Jemima Kirke, who starred in Girls, and Lola Kirke, who acted in Gone Girl and the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle. Patriarch of the family, Simon Frederick St. George Kirke, is a drummer for the band Free and Bad Company.

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Flannel anyone? #tbt

A post shared by Domino Kirke-Badgley (@domino_kirke) on May 30, 2019 at 7:51am PDT

She cofounded Carriage House Birth.

Kirke works as a doula, or someone who assists a family before, during, and after birth. She cofounded her Brooklyn-based doula agency, Carriage House Birth, in 2012. The business expanded to Los Angeles two years later. Amy Schumer, who gave birth last May, was one of her high-profile clients.

"Men are cool and whatever but women are fucking warriors and capable of anything," Schumer wrote on Instagram. "I was lucky enough to get to have a doula. Her name @domino_kirke @carriagehousebirth what do doulas do? I don't totally know But what she did was make me and Chris feel totally secure and supported throughout my pregnancy and the birth process. I really recommend getting one if you can."

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Ok here’s my post baby annoying post and my takeaway from pregnancy. Women are the shit. Men are cool and whatever but women are fucking warriors and capable of anything. I was lucky enough to get to have a doula. Her name @domino_kirke @carriagehousebirth what do doulas do? I don’t totally know But what she did was make me and Chris feel totally secure and supported throughout my pregnancy and the birth process. I really recommend getting one if you can. Doctor Brill and all the nurses and pediatricians at Lenox Hill and all the other hospitals i spent time in this year, thank you for everything. I did Pilates with strong women and went for walks. I threw up violently and felt sick mostly every day of my pregnancy. Hyperemesis is real and it’s awful. But fuck, what they say is true. The second you give birth it’s gone. @hgmoms has the best research I found on the condition The only thing that helped me with my nausea was products from @thelordjones I learned that globally 1 in 5 births take place without the assistance of a skilled birth attendant. @everymomcounts is a great place to donate $250 equips a midwife with a bag of medical equipment needed to provide care to hundreds of women and babies in Guatemala. All my friends. Friends I’ve had for 30 years or people who encouraged me to “keep going” or telling me “it will be worth it”. Thank you. Every woman I encountered is so willing to help and advise you and I felt all their strength. And you were right. Thank you ladies from my family. Chris, Gene and of course Tatiana #titsleaking #wearingadiaper

A post shared by @ amyschumer on May 11, 2019 at 11:13am PDT

She also makes music.

It seems that Kirke takes after her dad's musical abilities. Though she's been making music since she was a teenager, she released her debut album, Beyond Waves, in 2017.

Her hubby gave her an encouraging shout-out on his Twitter, writing, "@DominoKirke has released a gorgeous record that will stand the test of time."

She also previously collaborated with Mark Ronson, a prominent producer in the industry, as well as toured with artists like Lily Allen and Gang of Four.

She has a 10-year-old son.

Young Cassius Kirke is her son from a previous relationship with musician Morgan O'Kane. In an interview with Hey Mama, she talked about what it was like dating while being a single mom.

"I was sort of getting used to being a single mom, maybe a little too used to it," she said. "I had a really good thing with my kid and we were like this little team. Penn and I were dating, but it wasn't nearly as serious as it is now, of course. I didn't think marriage was in the cards for us. So I was sort of just chugging along, surviving, and getting through the days, and I think the difference now is that I'm really living."

The family of three were recently spotted attending the 2019 US Open together.

Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images
Photo credit: Gotham - Getty Images

She and Penn had two weddings.

The first wedding took place at a Brooklyn courthouse, with post-ceremony festivities held at the Brooklyn restaurant Maison May.

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✨Married✨

A post shared by Domino Kirke-Badgley (@domino_kirke) on Feb 27, 2017 at 3:03pm PST

A few months later, they kicked it up a notch with a grand outdoor wedding upstate. Attendees included A-listers like Heidi Klum and Zac Posen.

It's obvious Penn really adores Domino, or Dom, as he calls her.

Although Badgley has kept his marriage relatively out of the spotlight, he isn't afraid to gush over how much he loves his wife on social media.

For her birthday, he wrote a list of the reasons why he adores her. "Happy birthday, Dom," the Instagram caption began. "A super-brief review of your invisible qualities: A truly radiant soul, you seem to spark alight almost everyone you meet, like a 99% success rate. It's really impressive, and quite mysterious. You encourage others to be honest, and brave, and gentle, and expansive. Your great capacity for empathy is obvious, something anyone can get warm by like a glowing stove. Your desire to be of service to others is miraculous. It is in your DNA. In pictures as a very young child, you exude it—a great care and sweetness; an invitation. You make others happy by you. For me, it is a joy to witness you when you are happy. For you, I always hope to be a source of joy. I'm really glad we're married."

And in 2018, Badgley revealed the secret to their romance during a rare candid interview with People. "I don't think I could truly value human love until I developed divine love," he said. "[Domino and I] very much had a romantic beginning, and I think that you discover in marriage that what sustains a marriage for decades—there are less and less people who can tell us this—but I think it has something to do with [divine] love."

Penn and Dom were first romantically linked in 2014.

Though we don't know exactly when they first started their relationship, we know that they were definitely already going strong by the summer of 2014.

"They've been dating for awhile. They have a number of mutual friends. It is a very mature and free relationship," a source told Us Weekly at the time. "Domino is a great girl for him, being a musician. Their interests align."

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📸 by @indigosparke

A post shared by Domino Kirke-Badgley (@domino_kirke) on Nov 19, 2019 at 11:56am PST

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