Penn Badgley defends Joe Goldberg's divisive You season 5 ending

28 April 2025, 12:43

By Sam Prance

What happens to Joe Goldberg in You season 5? The ending has divided fans and now Penn Badgley has spoken out.

Penn Badgley has opened up about Joe Goldberg's controversial You season 5 ending and what he really thinks of it.

It's official. After five seasons of terrorising women all around the world, Joe Goldberg's story is over. Set back in New York, You season 5 acts as the final instalment of You and it's every bit as dramatic as you would expect. Not only is Joe forced to deal with his past while married to Kate but he also has a new love interest in the form of Bronte.

Some fans have called the ending "perfect", while others have complained that it was "disappointing". Now, You star Penn Badgley has defended Joe Goldberg's ending from critics and revealed why he thinks it's "so rewarding".

• Read more: How many people has Joe Goldberg killed? Full list of Joe's murders in You
• Read more: You season 5 ending: Here's what happens to every character

WARNING: You season 5 spoilers below

How does You season 5 end?

In the final episode of You, Bronte/Louise tricks Joe into believing that she's in love with him. Joe then flees New York with Bronte and they stop off at a house. The couple start having sex and Bronte then grabs a gun from under her pillow and turns it on Joe. The pair grapple to the point where Joe thinks he's drowned Bronte in a lake.

However, Bronte then reappears and shoots Joe in the groin before he's arrested by police. Joe is convicted for the murders of Beck, Love Quinn and multiple other characters. He is sentenced to life without parole for first degree murder on several counts and Bronte says: "One things clear, Joe Goldberg will never be free again."

In the final scene, we see Joe receive sexual fan mail from women while in prison. In his last voiceover, Joe says: "Maybe we have a problem as a society. Maybe we should fix what's broken in us. Maybe the problem isn't me. Maybe, it's you."

While some fans loved how the show wrapped up, others criticised it. Check out some of the reactions below.

Defending the ending with Deadline, Penn argued: "It’s so rewarding. Hats off to our producers this season - Marcos Siega and Jason Sokoloff - they made sure we had the extra time and money that you usually never have at the end of the season. So it was like a movie. It was really a lovely experience, ironically, though it looks horrific."

Explaining why Joe didn't die in the box, Penn added: "The box is kind of obvious, the box is actually where he’ll put anybody, but he only puts women in the bedroom, so that’s where his most dangerous work is. It was important for him to be seen, finally, as a sexual predator.”

As for why Bronte shot Joe in the balls, Penn said: "It does become a question of, ‘What do we do with people like Joe?’ It is a carceral question, a question of justice, of transformative justice as it's referred to sometimes, vengeance, retribution.”

He ended: "Torture? Uh, okay, same thing. Prison? Eh, feels a bit not enough. So what do you do? Take his balls."

What do you think of Joe's ending in You season 5?

Read more about You here:

• Who is Bronte in You season 5? Her true identity and big twist explained
• You season 5 bosses reveal scrapped storyline for Jenna Ortega's Ellie
• You season 4's huge Joe plot twist was foreshadowed in season 1
• What did Joe say to Lady Phoebe in You season 4? Fans criticise plot hole
• Does Joe Goldberg die or get caught? You season 5 ending explained

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