Actor Penn Badgley and Dr. Nura Mowzoon speak on navigating social change at CMU
Central Michigan University hosts actor Penn Badgely, most known for his roles in "Gossip Girl" and "You," along with Arizona State University psychotherapist Dr. Nura Mowzoon in Plachta Auditorium, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2025. Mowzoon and Badgely dove into the interactions of media and social interaction. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
Plachta Auditorium was packed to the brim with students, faculty and community members for the recent Speaker Series event. The crowd outside the auditorium was buzzing, attempting to get a peek inside and riding the adrenaline high of getting to meet the famous speakers before the event started.
Actor Penn Badgley, known for his roles in "Gossip Girl" and "YOU," and Arizona State University professor and psychotherapist Dr. Nura Mowzoon visited Central Michigan University on Nov. 20. They discussed how to navigate life in the age of media and to have difficult conversations within immediate circles and the wider population.
Badgley spent years playing a psychopathic character on Netflix's "YOU," but at these events, he's offering up a deeper perspective, opposite of what people are used to seeing him in.
During the presentation, Badgley and Mowzoon put questions up on the projector screen and asked the attendees to respond to them, creating a back-and-forth conversation between the speakers and the attendees.
Actor Penn Badgely takes the stage at Central Michigan University continuing his tour for his series "Can We Talk" with Dr. Nura Mowzoon in Plachta Auditorium, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2025. Badgely went into detail unpacking the interplay of media and social interaction. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
“When there’s a moment where none of us are sure what is going to be said or what’s going to happen, and there’s a turn and you can just feel a unifying moment of appreciation,” Penn Badgley told Central Michigan Life.
“I think there’s something beautiful when somebody really shares from the heart, and something you can tell they’re nervous to share, and you sort of feel the audience envelope them with support in that moment,” Mowzoon said.
While the conversations were sometimes difficult, there was an overwhelming agreement from students and other attendees that navigating them can be easier if you have a support system.
“I don’t think we’re saying anything in these talks that isn’t already known or heard; it’s just that if you organize it in a certain way, suddenly you can understand it and feel it differently,” Badgley said.
Prior to the event, a handful of current students and staff members got the opportunity to meet Badgley and Mowzoon. One of them was Junior Kylie Delre. She said the subject matter of the event was relatable.
“This is a really great way to bring students together about important topics," Delre said.
Residence Hall Director Eva Steepe agreed.
“It’s a really cool opportunity, and it’s really cool to have somebody who is so well known and such a big part of important pop culture,” she said.
