Badgley's first credit was voice work for the video games "Mario Golf 64" and "Mario Tennis 64" in 1999 and 2000. His first screen acting credit was on an episode of "Will & Grace" and he subsequently appeared on shows such as "Daddio", "The Brothers García", and "What I Like About You". His first noticeable role was as Phillip Chancellor IV on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless", from 2000 to 2001. He was nominated for a 2001 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Daytime Series for his work.