Blake Lively Dances Around It

Blake Lively made her first late-night talk show appearance (and her first interview, period, I believe) since becoming the punching bag for Megyn Kelly, Joe Rogan, Page Six, and all the other right-tilting tabloids that have inexplicably sided with the guy with a man-bun in a bizarre culture war. In this warped narrative, Lively has been characterized as a bully for standing up for herself after Justin Baldoni hired a PR crisis firm to smear her reputation.

And I’ll say it again: if you cut through all the bullshit, it’s a pretty simple timeline of events. Blake Lively demanded that Baldoni and another producer on It Ends with Us stop being creeps on set. Ryan Reynolds yelled at Baldoni for being a creep. Baldoni signed an agreement stating he would no longer be a creep. Then he hired a crisis firm to blow up Lively’s reputation to prevent her from publicly talking about the agreement he signed to stop being a creep. Lively then sued him for blowing up her rep to keep her from talking about him being a creep. And Megyn Kelly—naturally—sided with the guy who agreed to stop being a creep and threw in with the performative feminist because her audience believes men should have more leeway to be creeps in their professional dealings.

Lively appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers for a friendly interview to promote Another Simple Favor (out now on Prime Video), and they danced around the topic, as Lively can’t really talk about it due to the ongoing litigation. After spending several minutes discussing crushed ice, Lively could only say it’s been an “intense year” and that her children have been her “lifeline” through it all.

Meyers, while professing not to know everything about the situation, was only willing to press so much. “Were I to ask you about it, I imagine you’re in a situation where you can’t say much,” he said.

“Yeah. I mean, what I can say without going too into it is that this year has been full of the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life,” Lively said.

“I see so many women around afraid to speak, especially right now—afraid to share their experiences. And fear is by design. It’s what keeps us silent. But I also acknowledge that many people don’t have the opportunity to speak. So, I do feel fortunate that I have been able to. And it’s the women who have the ability to use their voice that’s kept me strong and helped me in my belief, in my fight for the world to be safer for women and girls. It’s a pretty simple thing.”

And that’s about the extent of what she was willing to say before they moved on from crushed ice to the Wrexham football team and pizza. But I’m sure the soundbite is enough to get all the right-wing tabloids in a tizzy again. “How dare she fight for the world to be safer for women and girls! Think of the men! What about the men who should feel safe to be creeps in their professional capacities without fear of consequence!”