Ever since Blake Lively began her press tour for It Ends With Us in 2024, the internet has forced the actress under a microscope, compounded by the bombshell news that she filed a harassment charge against her co-star and the film’s director, Justin Baldoni.
While one camp has uncovered controversies in the A-lister’s past, the other has pointed out the misogyny bleeding into the discourse about Blake’s character.
Blake also filed a lawsuit against the PR company that Justin hired following the film’s press tour, with the mother of four alleging that they started a smear campaign to discredit her.
Since then, many have wondered what Blake Lively really is like. Join HELLO! as we deep dive to find out.
Blake’s co-stars speak out
© Getty ImagesBlake’s co-stars were the first to jump to her defence after Justin countersued her, detailing what she was like to work with and lauding her professionalism.
“As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” said Jenny Slate, who played Justin’s sister in the film, in a statement.
“Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her. What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”
Similarly, her A Simple Favor 2 castmate Michele Marrone came to her side after many on the internet turned on her. “It’s usually not my thing to make those kinds of videos, but I think it’s time to stand up for a person I really love and this person is Blake Lively,” he said in an Instagram video.
© Getty Images“I personally met Blake during A Simple Favor 2. We shot this incredible film together, and I felt something was wrong, and I felt the pain…We had the opportunity to talk, me and her, [and] Blake was in pain.” He continued: “Blake, I love you so much. Keep it up, and we’re going to see each other very soon.”
In her Gossip Girl days in the ’00s, rumors flew about a feud between the show’s biggest stars, Blake and Leighton Meester. However, this was quickly debunked by another GG actress, Michelle Trachtenberg, in an interview with Vanity Fair.
“It’s funny because when we were filming, there was, ‘Leighton hates Blake, Blake hates Leighton, everyone hates Blake, everyone hates Leighton, everyone hates Chace,’ and blah, blah, blah,'” she said. “It really wasn’t. We were all chill. It was cool.”
Blake’s on-screen mother in the hit show, Kelly Rutherford, only had kind words for the blonde bombshell, calling her “magical and cool“ on the Beyond the Velvet Rope podcast. “She just has such a way about her. She’s so inspiring because she’s really fearless, not afraid of anyone and very open.“
Ride or die
© GC ImagesBlake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, have many famous faces they call their close friends, including Taylor Swift, Hugh Jackman and Gigi Hadid. For Taylor, she trusts Blake implicitly and even plays her new songs before the rest of the world hears them. She has also peppered the couple’s children into her songs, with tunes like ‘Betty‘ and ‘Gorgeous‘ referencing the Reynolds brood.
As for Hugh, who starred alongside Ryan in the smash-hit film Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024, he only had kind things to say about her parenting skills and down-to-earth persona.
“These are like old-school megawatt stars,“ Hugh told Vogue. “And of course, I’ve spent many hours with them, like in pajamas just hanging out in their house with their nine hundred children and dogs and it is just as normal as can be.“
“Blake will be baking and cooking and saying, ‘Let’s make pizza,‘ and then the next thing you turn around and there she is – this incredible star,“ he continued. “It’s astonishing to me.”
Despite her star power, he revealed that she is actually quite reserved. “She says she’s shy,“ he told the publication. “And I believe that. I think there’s a shyness there. I’ve seen it before. Nicole Kidman and others have it. There’s a shyness, and it leads into this ability to morph and shape-shift.“
© Getty ImagesFor her part, Gigi called Blake the “most beautiful, effortlessly cool, witty, fun, fashionable, creative, caring bonus sister“ in the Vogue article.
Blake has remained close to her Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants co-stars, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn over the years, and the trio spoke out in her defence.
“As Blake’s friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,“ they wrote in a joint Instagram statement.
“Throughout the filming of It Ends with Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.”
They added: “Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding. We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment. We are inspired by our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others.“
Blake’s take on motherhood
© Axelle/Bauer-Griffin, GettyOne thing that her friends and family can agree on is the fact that Blake is an excellent mother.
“She could be on a phone call with, it doesn’t matter, the freaking pope, and if her kid walks into the room, she’s gonna give one hundred percent of her attention to her children,“ said Colleen Hoover, the author of It Ends With Us. “As a mom, I just really fell in love with that part of her.“
Her Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants co-star, Amber Tamblyn, told Us Weekly how they bring their children together for playdates and love to spend time together.
“[They are] filled with a lot of delicious, cream-filled donuts and…catching up on all the time we haven’t seen each other,“ she said. “I think that’s the way all girlfriends are.”
The girl of Ryan’s dreams
© GettyBlake and Ryan are one of Hollywood’s most powerful couples, with their hilarious and affectionate banter and brood of gorgeous children winning hearts the world over. Ryan has never failed to gush about his wife and gave her a sweet shout-out when accepting The People’s Icon Award.
“Quite frankly, you’re my heart, you’re my hope, you’re my happiness,“ he said. “I joke that my family exhausts me, but in reality, you give me more strength than any man could possibly deserve.“
Ryan has stood by his wife’s side throughout her It Ends With Us controversy and was even named in Justin’s lawsuit against Blake.
A controversy-filled career
© Getty ImagesBlake has had her fair share of controversies in the past, including her wedding at a slave plantation in South Carolina, her alleged romanticization of the Antebellum South in a photoshoot, and rumored feuds with her co-stars.
More recently, an interview clip from 2016 went viral during Blake’s press tour for Café Society, where she appeared to act rude towards the journalist. The actress was visibly pregnant in the video, and the interviewer congratulated her “on her little bump”.
“Congrats on your little bump,“ Blake quipped, despite the journalist not being pregnant. She later revealed that she had struggled with fertility and took the comment personally.
“It’s true that the comment hurt me because I was never able to have kids myself, but of course, Blake did not know that, so I can’t blame her for the pain that I felt,“ she later told Business Insider. “It actually took me a while to get over the experience,“ she added. “I have met moody celebrities, but nothing like this interview.”
During the It Ends With Us press tour, Blake also came under fire for promoting her haircare brand while failing to focus on the darker themes of the film, particularly domestic violence.
