Blake Lively was once one of showbiz’s most celebrated stars, thanks to her role as Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, as well as her off-screen persona, which fans praised for being witty and humorous.
However, public sentiment toward her shifted after she sued It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, alleging he made unwanted s**ual advances and fostered a hostile work environment.
Highlights
- Blake Lively faced criticism after a Met Gala video allegedly showed her mistreating staff while they handled her long gown's train.
- Lively attended the event just hours after settling her legal dispute with It Ends With Us, co-star and director Justin Baldoni.
- Some viewers felt her Met appearance, shortly after the resolution, showed a lack of reflection and a hurried attempt to move on with her life.
As part of the evidence presented by Baldoni, Lively was shown taking both creative and public control of the film alongside her famous husband, Ryan Reynolds, and friend Taylor Swift. Many considered the move unfair.
Public perception of Lively appears unchanged, as she was filmed directing an assistant at the Met Gala in a manner that some viewers deemed inappropriate.
Blake Lively faced flak for what was perceived as diva-like behavior at the 2026 Met Gala
Image credits: Getty/Taylor Hill
Lively made a splash on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in an archival Atelier Versace gown from the brand’s 2006 collection.
The dress featured three-dimensional architectural elements, all inspired by 18th-century Venetian Rococo paintings to honor the evening’s Fashion is Art dress code.
It also came with a 13-foot-long train.
Videos of Lively at the Met showed four helpers trying to unfurl her train as she began her walk.
But as one of the men helping her lifted her voluminous skirt, she suddenly turned over her shoulder and held out her hand to direct the helper to lower the fabric and let it drag behind her.
A social media viewer highlighted Lively’s expression at the moment and joked, “No one has looked more like they were about to CC HR on the red carpet” than she did.
The text over the clip read: “The dress said couture, the energy said, ‘per my last email.’”
Image credits: Getty/Matt Crossick - PA Images
“Horribly nasty woman,” another said about Lively, while a third asked, “Why wear such a dress that you can’t walk up stairs in and need helpers if you can’t be civil about it?”
“Just another example of Lively being a mean girl,” added the next.
The actress’s supporters, however, rose to her defense and said her behavior wasn’t anything to blink at.
“Stop trying to demonize women for clicks,” one advised, while a second simply stated, “Y’all are overreacting.”
“There were a lot of women wearing dresses that they couldn’t walk in and ordered helpers to help with, but the majority only looked at Lively,” a third claimed.
Blake Lively attended the Met just hours after settling her legal battle with Justin Baldoni
Image credits: Getty/Michael Buckner
Lively first filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department on December 20, 2023.
The following day, she filed a lawsuit against his Wayfarer Studios — which produced It Ends With Us — along with his publicist, Melissa Nathan, and others, accusing them of enabling inappropriate behavior on set and of launching a smear campaign against her after she spoke out.
Baldoni denied Lively’s allegations and filed a $400 million countersuit while also naming her husband, accusing them of defamation and extortion.
Image credits: XOQueenEsther
Image credits: Getty/BG048/Bauer-Griffin/MEGA
Baldoni’s team claimed that Lively allowed her husband to make changes to the film’s script without his permission and sidelined him in the film's promotion.
In June 2025, Baldoni’s claims against Lively were dismissed.
In April 2026, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims, including her s**ual harassment allegations.
At last, only Wayfarer and TAG PR were left to face the claims.
Image credits: Instagram/blakelively
The case was scheduled to go to trial on May 18, but a settlement was reached before then, on May 4.
Attorneys for both Baldoni and Lively issued a statement on Monday announcing the resolution, with no money exchanged.
They said It Ends With Us “is a source of pride” for both their clients and that they stand for “raising awareness and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors.”
Domestic violence, for those unversed, was the main theme of Lively and Baldoni’s movie, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestselling novel of the same name.
Met viewers accused Lively of pretending the last two years of her life did not happen
Image credits: Instagram/blakelively
Queen Esther, an X handle dedicated to disseminating UK royal news, called Lively’s Met Gala appearance “surreal” but “not in a good way.”
She claimed the moment made it seem as though Lively was trying to reclaim the spotlight after causing significant “damage” to Baldoni’s reputation.
“Whether people want to admit it or not, that whole situation left a mark. On him, on the project, and on how people see her now.
Image credits: Instagram/blakelively
“What makes it worse is the timing. Walking into one of the most visible events in the world right after everything wrapped up just feels off. There’s no reflection in that. No pause. No sense that any of it actually mattered beyond something to get past.”
The user concluded her message by calling Lively’s decision to attend the 2026 Met “tone deaf.”
“She should’ve never received an invite,” a second noted in their criticism of Met Chairperson Anna Wintour.
“Yeah, what was Anna thinking?” asked a third.
A Lively fan, meanwhile, called her a “survivor” and justified her walking the Met Gala carpet with her head held high, saying “she didn’t do the a**sing. She shouldn’t have to pay for it.”
"She's a white woman with blond hair. She will always be fine," a netizen said
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