Blake Lively has been an internet sensation for a while now, for reasons that have little to do with her acting career: People seem to adore the blonde beauty for her cute relationship with husband Ryan Reynolds, her daring fashion on the red carpet, and her close friendship with mega-star Taylor Swift.
But seemingly overnight, Lively has been subject to the volatile whims of cancel culture: Search her name on Google and you'll find a plethora of articles slandering the once-revered actress.
How did someone with a “very large and very loyal fanbase” end up embroiled in the latest Hollywood scandal?
Blaze Media's resident film critic Lauren Chen breaks down the sudden furor swirling around Livly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VomDgrkGMUs– YouTubeLearn more
“It seemed like overnight the public's perception of Blake Lively did a 180-degree turn, so I did some deep diving to understand exactly what had happened and discovered it all has to do with her latest film, It Ends With Us,” explains Lauren, which is based on Colleen Hoover's hit novel.
For those unaware, “It Ends With Us” is a controversial subject due to its themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse, and “regardless of Blake Lively's involvement, “It Ends With Us” was always going to be controversial.”
According to reports from social media and multiple online sources, readers are “divided on how well Huber's It Ends with Us handles the theme of domestic violence. Many feel the story glamorizes an abusive relationship, while others praise it as a tale of breaking a harmful cycle, just as the title suggests.”
“This has always been a tricky issue for anyone working on the film, and unfortunately for Blake Lively, her behavior on the press tour for this film has convinced at least some people that she doesn't take issues of domestic violence seriously,” Lauren said, adding that some have compared Lively's comments about the film to those made by her co-star, Justin Baldoni, the film's director and producer.
For example, in an interview, Baldoni said, “If the real Lily Bloom were to sit in this theater and maybe make different choices than the ones that were made for her. She might see herself on screen and make some different choices for herself. That's why I made this film.”
Compare that to what Lively said when asked at the New York premiere of “It Ends With Us”: “What was your dream when you were a kid?”
“To wear Britney Spears' Versace dress,” the actress coyly replied, pointing to a vibrant vintage gown that Spears actually wore in 2002.
“There's something different about the atmosphere,” Lauren says, grimacing.
This is just one of several examples that show the stark contrast between Lively's recent comments and those of Baldoni.
In the highly controversial video, Lively promotes the film by saying, “It Ends With Us is in theaters now, so grab your friends, put on your floral outfits and go see it.”
“So many people took issue with the video,” Lauren said, noting that critics accused Lively of “trying to make a Barbie movie.”
“Women were wearing pink to go to the Barbie movie, and she was like, 'Put on some floral clothing and go see this movie,' like, this is a movie about domestic violence,” Lauren sighed, sympathizing with Lively's critics.
In addition to the “insensitive” marketing, Lively said:[tie] She launched her own hair care line in promotion of the film,” sparking further backlash.
Overall, people are upset that “Blake's behavior on the press tour doesn't really line up with what's actually in the movie,” Lauren says.
But the scandal doesn't end there.
There are also rumors that Lively and Baldoni are at odds. Extreme Odds.
According to one article Home page“Lively, Sklener, Jenny Slate, Isabella Ferrer and Alex Neustadter have dominated the coverage, while Baldoni is not featured or tagged in any of the posts, sparking numerous comments questioning his whereabouts.”
“While Baldoni appears to be promoting the film solo, the rest of his co-stars and cast members have held joint events,” Lauren said, adding that “none of his co-stars or the book's author Colleen Huber follow Baldoni on social media.”
However, Blake Lively's defenders speculate that the sudden online attacks against Lively may have been motivated by a desire for revenge on Baldoni's part, as he has been described as difficult to work with.
“Some people have suggested that Justin's nasty behavior on set has alienated the other cast members, and the backlash against Blake Lively was actually engineered by Justin and his team to deflect negative attention from himself,” Lauren explains.
This is just a rumor for now, but Baldoni said, “In fact, [hired] This is the same crisis management PR firm that represented Johnny Depp during the Amber Heard scandal.”
“It's true that since Justin started working with this crisis PR team, some of Blake Lively's old controversies have started to hit the headlines again,” Lauren said, pointing to the actress' past scandals, including her and Reynolds' wedding venue being a former farm, Lively's old comments about using the word “transgender,” and Lively's rudeness to a reporter during a 2016 interview.
Whether or not Baldoni is involved in digging up the actress' past controversies, one thing is clear: Blake Lively is now canceled.
For more on the scandal, check out the clip above.
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