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The Boy Is Indeed Penn Badgley in Ariana Grande’s Cat-Filled ‘The Boy Is Mine’ Video

The Boy Is Indeed Penn Badgley in Ariana Grande’s Cat-Filled ‘The Boy Is Mine’ Video
Jon Blistein
By Jon BlisteinJun 07, 2024
Jon Blistein
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Ariana Grande gives Penn Badgley a taste of his own You-style obsessive stalker medicine (crossed with a bit of Catwoman) in the new music video for her Eternal Sunshinetrack, “The Boy Is Mine.” 

Directed by Christian Breslauer, the clip stars Badgley as Mayor Max Starling, an ambitious, young political hotshot who’s come up with a brilliantly stupid idea to solve the city’s rat problem — release a bunch of hungry stray cats to eat them. Grande plays a constituent so enamored with the mayor she cooks up her own love potion for him, then dons a Catwoman-style outfit and traverses the city’s rooftops before breaking into his apartment.

But unlike You, this story has a happy ending: Just as Grande is about to inject the mayor with the potion, he grabs the vile, lifts her mask, looks upon her lovingly, and throws the bottle at the wall, exploding with a pink heart puff. The clip then switches to a charming black-and-white outro with the pair enjoying their life together with many, many cats. 

Along with Badgley, the “The Boy Is Mine” video features two notable cameos from Brandy and Monica—the R&B greats who, of course, released their own famous single, “The Boy Is Mine,” back in 1998 (Grande has described her song as a kind of reimagining of the classic track). In the video, the pair play news anchors introducing the mayor’s press conference on the rat problem. 

(And, as one last special easter egg, Grande’s former Victorious castmate, Elizabeth Gillies, is credited with voicing the rats.)

Last night, before the video’s official release, Grande performed “The Boy Is Mine” on The Tonight Show. She also spoke with Jimmy Fallon about the clip, confirming Badgley’s long-rumored appearance in the clip. “I’ve been a fan of [his] my entire life,” Grande said. “It was so amazing to work with him. Super honored to work with him.”

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