Blake Lively made an appearance at the Met Gala on Monday night, after news of her settlement with Justin Baldoni went live earlier in the day.
Lively walked the carpet at the starry New York event in an archival 2006 Atelier Versace multi-colored and layered pastel gown, inspired by Venetian Rococo paintings and Baroque churches. She has previously attended the prestigious benefit gala, and made her return after four years for the 2026 “Costume Art” edition, hours after announcing her lengthy legal battle with Baldoni would not go to trial.
Lively first accused Baldoni, her director and co-star on the film “It Ends With Us,” of sexual harassment in 2024, alleging that he retaliated with a digital smear campaign. Baldoni responded with a lengthy defamation lawsuit in federal court and also went after the New York Times for posting messages with his publicists in which they orchestrated a smear campaign against Lively. Both of his cases were thrown out in the early stages.
Last month, Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of Lively’s 13 civil claims, including all claims for harassment. The ruling left three claims — retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract — to be decided by a jury.
The pair released a joint statement on Monday, saying, “The end product – the movie ‘It Ends With Us’ – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind. We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”
Leave a Reply