Scandals Blake Lively Wishes You Would Forget

Blake Lively has appeared in one of the biggest teen dramas of the '00s, worked with directors Oliver Stone, Woody Allen, and Ben Affleck, and built a business empire that includes everything from hair care to fizzy drinks, not to mention the fact that having married wisecracking A-lister Ryan Reynolds (who has his own share of media moments he can't erase), she's also one half of Hollywood's most dominant power couple.

However, the Californian's reputation has undoubtedly soured in recent times thanks to the drama surrounding the shooting of the box office smash "It Ends With Us," and in particular, her uncomfortable working relationship with its director Justin Baldoni. And ever since all the allegations of workplace misconduct and lawsuits have started flying around, Lively's past has been raked over for other evidence of scandal. From co-star beef and misjudged wedding venues to awkward fan encounters and almost too many mean-girl interviews to mention, here's a look at 14 times she made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Blake Lively's apparent mean girl energy first publicly surfaced during her stint on The CW's hit teen drama "Gossip Girl" as It girl Serena van der Woodsen, and the truth about Blake Livery and co-star Leighton Meester is far different from their on-screen chemistry.

In 2008, New York Magazine alleged that the pair avoided each other "like the plague," with their fellow castmates forced to take sides as a result. And the tensions were visible in a recently resurfaced clip which saw Lively take a swipe at Meester at a "Gossip Girl" panel. Appearing to insinuate that the latter was born in jail, the former remarked (via Daily Mail), "Well, some of us started in a cage," while waving her hand in the direction of her reported nemesis. When the quip fell flat, Lively responded, "Come on, it was a joke! Lord have mercy."

Although neither party has admitted to a feud, Lively's publicist didn't exactly quell the rumors at the time, telling Wetpaint (via Harper's Bazaar), "Blake and Leighton have never been best friends, and never professed to be. Blake goes to work, does her job, and goes home." And the evidence has since stacked up further for the fact that while Meester follows two former "Gossip Girl" co-stars on Instagram, neither one is Lively.

In 2012, the regularly shady Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds said "I do" in front of their nearest and dearest two years after they first met on the set of superhero flop "Green Lantern." Unfortunately for the happy couple, the happy occasion was marred by their problematic choice of wedding venue.

Indeed, despite the fact that they were in a position to get hitched pretty much anywhere in the entire world, the lavish living Lively and Reynolds to walk down the aisle at a South Carolina plantation, a place synonymous, of course, with slavery. And it took eight years for the pair to recognize the error of their ways.

Yes, in 2020, Reynolds apologized for their insensitivity, telling Fast Company, "It's impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy." A few months previously, the Hollywood power couple had pledged $200,000 to the NAACP legal defense fund, announcing on Instagram (via NBC News), "We want to educate ourselves about other people's experiences and talk to our kids about everything, all of it ... especially our own complicity."

Just two years after getting married to Ryan Reynolds on a South Carolina plantation, Blake Lively was once again accused of romanticizing slavery due to a piece on her now-defunct lifestyle website Preserve titled "Allure of Antebellum."

The actor's name wasn't attached to the text which celebrated (via Refinery29) the "magnetic sensibility" and "innate sense of social poise" of the women of the pre-Civil War South, many of whom would belonged to the slave-owning class. However, Lively did reportedly style the accompanying photos which attempted to update the fashions of the 1800s for the modern age.

Understandably, Lively and her team faced a huge backlash for the piece's tone-deafness, with Vox writing, "While pointing to the fashion sense of the time and place and explaining where design aesthetic comes from is perfectly fine, assigning persona and romanticizing the slave owners strays into a sphere of ignorance and casual racism."

Okay, so the viewpoints of Armie Harmer might not be viewed quite as credibly as they were before his cannibal-rumored fall from grace. Nevertheless, his 'Blind Items '-style talk on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2017 is still being taken as gospel by those who are firmly in Justin Baldoni's corner.

While guesting alongside Chelsea Handler on the Bravo show, Hammer was asked who he found to be the biggest diva during his four-episode spell on "Gossip Girl" in 2009. "Let me just say that was a tough show to film and I didn't end up actually filming all of the episodes I was supposed to because it was such a tough filming," he answered cryptically (via Daily Mail). "It was also like, 'Get him out of here."'

Blake Lively's name then came up when Andy Cohen stirred the pot further, asking who played his love interest on The CW series. And when Handler chimed in, "Sounds like she was the problem," a slightly flustered Hammer responded, "No, no, that's not what I'm saying.'" This refusal to flat-out deny such talk suggested that the culprit had been discovered.

Blake Lively didn't exactly endear herself to the expectant mothers of the world in 2014 when she claimed that pregnancy cravings were essentially fake news. Indeed, while being interviewed on the red carpet by Extra's AJ Calloway, the actor argued that the concept was just a lie to excuse unusual eating habits.

"It's the perfect way to get what you want," Lively reasoned (via Yahoo! News). "You want chocolate ice cream at midnight? You have a 'craving'!" The baby talk began when Calloway pointed out the Californian's baby bump, revealing that his own wife was just two months away from giving birth and that he'd been rubbing her feet whenever requested.

Lively also didn't buy that sore feet is a side effect of pregnancy, arguing that Calloway's other half was simply taking advantage of the situation. Inevitably, the discussion resurfaced in the wake of the "It Ends With Us" controversy, with those in the star's corner defending the comments as an example of her dry humor and those against her claiming that they were a sign of privilege.

Having worked with Harvey Weinstein on several occasions, Blake Lively was inevitably asked for her opinion on the litany of sexual harassment allegations that eventually landed the movie mogul in jail. And although "The Shallows" star didn't go as far as defending the future convict, she didn't exactly condemn him, either.

Indeed, while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, Lively seemed far more interested in expressing her shock over the scandal. "That was never my experience with Harvey in any way whatsoever," the actor remarked about the lengthy list of fellow Hollywood stars who'd come forward with damaging stories about Weinstein. "I do believe in humanity enough to think that this wouldn't have just continued," she added. "I never heard any stories like this — I never heard anything specific — but it's devastating to hear."

Lively first worked with Weinstein alongside Michelle Obama at a 2013 White House workshop panel that aimed to inspire a future generation of film talent. Accompanied by husband Ryan Reynolds, she happily posed for photos with him at the Time 100 Gala shortly before he was so publicly exposed. Lively also reiterated how she'd previously believed the Miramax boss was a good guy on "Good Morning America" (via HuffPost): "I never had experiences like this with Harvey myself. I only had positive ones with him, but that goes to show where you don't always see what goes on behind closed doors."

In the midst of all the "It Ends With Us" controversy, an eight-year-old clip of Blake Lively being interviewed during a press junket for Woody Allen's film "Cafe Society" went viral. And it didn't exactly help to quash all the mean girl rumors.

The footage starts with Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa offering her congratulations to Lively on her little bump — the actor had just announced she was pregnant with her and Ryan Reynolds' second child. Instead of expressing gratitude for the sentiment, the Californian abruptly fired back, "Congrats on your little bump." Not only was the reporter not pregnant, but she also later revealed that she'd had trouble conceiving.

Flaa later admitted that she'd been afraid to upload the footage, which she titled "The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job," at the time over fears that her access to Hollywood stars would be restricted. But she felt compelled to show the world the encounter in 2024 following a discussion with a colleague about the issue of censorship. "I think a lot of journalists have had interviews like the one I had with Blake Lively, but they never talk about them and they don't make them public, because they're afraid to," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Blake Lively's conduct on the promotional circuit was also questioned by another revealing interview clip, this time unearthed from 2017. While discussing the thriller "All I See Is You," the actor was innocuously asked (via Daily Mail) by a DP/30 reporter what kind of parts she'd like to take on over the next half-decade.

But for some bizarre reason, Lively appeared to take the question, "Do you feel free to try everything" as a personal affront, and accompanied by an eye roll, she responded in a combative manner, "What does that mean?" Visibly flustered, the poor interviewer then tried to clarify that he was simply wondering whether she'd be prepared to try something new, quipping, "I mean, apparently, you're not gonna sing if you [don't] think you could sing.'"

After remarking that she did indeed sing in what she was promoting, Lively then questioned whether the reporter actually watched the movie. "We're gonna give you a pop quiz at the end," she then added, prompting some viewers to theorize that the Californian was always looking for a moment to be triggered.

It's fair to say that Blake Lively didn't cover herself in glory at the 2024 premiere of "It Ends With Us" thanks to her reaction to a fan gift that contrasted wildly with that of a co-star.

After being handed a pink friendship bracelet while walking down the red carpet, Lively swiftly handed it to a member of her team before telling the fan that although she was thankful, she wasn't going to try it at that very moment. "I'm going to put it here because it doesn't go with my outfit, but I will wear it later," the Californian said (via The Independent), referring to her Tamara Ralph gown.

That same fan then got a far more positive response when they presented Isabela Ferrer with an identical bracelet. "Thank you! Oh my God, I'm going to put it on," the actor remarked. Many of the two million viewers who saw the interactions on TikTok commented on how Lively was far less grateful and expressed their skepticism that she ever saw it again.

In 2016, Blake Lively appeared as Veronica Hayes in Woody Allen's romantic drama "Cafe Society." Of course, while promoting the film, the actor was inevitably asked about the continuous serious allegations made against its director. But she often seemed ill-prepared on how to respond. There were times when she appeared to explicitly defend him.

While speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Lively remarkably argued that Allen was a force for good when it came to the opposite sex. "It's very dangerous to factor in things you don't know anything about," she said about all the controversies. "I could [only] know my experience. And my experience with Woody is he's empowering to women."

Lively also admitted to Vulture that she hadn't read the damaging The Hollywood Reporter piece on Allen written by son Ronan Farrow. While she also expressed her disapproval when the Cannes Film Festival's master of ceremonies Laurent Lafitte remarked in front of the auteur himself (via Teen Vogue), "You've shot so many of your films here in Europe and yet in the U.S. you haven't even been convicted of rape."

In early 2024, Blake Lively joined in with all the memes, jokes, and conspiracy theories about Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales who at the time had been missing from public action for several months apart save for a badly Photoshopped family snap.

Referencing the latter, the "A Simple Favor" star uploaded a mock photo of herself advertising her beverage Betty Buzz which, among other anomalies, gave her a massive thumb. Unfortunately for Lively and everyone else who'd made light of the latest royal drama, the reason for Middleton's prolonged absence from the spotlight was later confirmed to be a cancer diagnosis and the treatment she subsequently underwent.

A horrified Lively soon issued an apology on an Instagram Story (via Variety) for her insensitivity, writing, "I'm sure no one cares today but I feel like I have to acknowledge this. I made a silly post around the 'photoshop fails' frenzy, and oh man, that post has me mortified today. I'm sorry. Sending love and well wishes to all, always."

In August 2024, Blake Lively launched a new range of hair care products under the name of Blake Brown. Nothing wrong with that, you may think. After all, actors are always trying to show off their entrepreneurial skills. But the Californian did so at a time when she was always promoting a film about domestic violence.

Indeed, the adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel "It Ends With Us," in which she starred as protagonist Lily Bloom, premiered in the same month. And so, when Lively started talking about her latest business venture during the film's press tour, including on its red carpet premiere, she was accused of trying to capitalize on a serious issue.

Lively also tried to fly the flag for her other brands around the same time, too, sending out a promotional email about how her Betty Buzz drinks can be used to make "It Ends With Us"-inspired cocktails (one such recipe also included her husband Ryan Reynolds' Aviation Gin). In the star's defense, the box office smash was supposed to hit theaters several months earlier, meaning that she'd originally planned to put at least some distance between the projects. However, that didn't stop her detractors from sticking the knife in, with one Reddit user arguing (via Mirror), "I think it's disgustingly tacky to take something as serious as DV and use it to promote your hair products. This isn't some cute romcom."

Amid all the "It Ends With Us" controversy, one X user recalled a Blake Lively interview with Elle 12 years earlier in which the actor used what is now considered a slur against the transgendered community. They then posted an image of the offending quote which read (via Page Six), "I hope to have a few girls one day. If not girls, they better be tr***ies. Because I have some amazing shoes and bags and stories that need to be appreciated."

Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time that Lively had used the term. While insisting that there was no rivalry between herself and "Gossip Girl" co-star Leighton Meester in 2008, she told Nylon (via OUT), "You read the gossip magazines and everybody is dating everyone, everybody hates everyone, everybody's had tons of plastic surgery and we're actually men and tr***ies. You don't listen to the rumors."

And then a year later, Lively complained (via E! News) that she felt "like a tr***y" while commenting on her appearance in The CW's teen drama, adding, "I've got this long hair and lots of clothes and makeup on. I just feel really big a lot of the time, and I'm surrounded by a lot of tiny people. I feel like a man sometimes."

As well as being called out for several resurfaced interviews from yesteryear during the backlash of 2024, Blake Lively also came under fire for a highly uncomfortable chat conducted during the "It Ends With Us" press tour itself.

On this occasion, it was Jake's Takes journalist Jake Hamilton who bore the brunt of Lively's diva-like antics when he asked (via SheKnows) her a perfectly valid question relating to the domestic violence tale: "If someone understands the themes of this movie, comes across you in public, and they wanna really talk to you, what's the best way for them to be able to talk to you about this? How would you recommend they go about it?"

Lively instantly seemed to trivialize the subject matter, questioning whether Hamilton was advocating for her to share her address, telephone number, and even her coordinates. "I could just location-share you," she continued. "I'm a Virgo, so like, are we talking logistics, are we talking emotionally?" The Californian did later answer the query more seriously, but by then the damage was done.