• Blake Lively attended the TIME100 Gala with her husband, Ryan Reynolds
• At the gala, the actress spoke for six minutes about topics such as womanhood and assault
• “I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum,” she said, opting to speak about “the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today”

Blake Lively alluded to her legal battle with Justin Baldoni at the TIME100 gala.

The actress, who was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people, spoke for roughly six minutes at the annual event held at Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York City on Thursday, April 24.

During her speech, Lively, 37, said it was “surreal and deeply significant” to be an honoree “in a time where the most valuable currency seems to be anger, it feels like an act of defiance to commune and celebrate all the good that is alive in the world.”

Lively said being called “influential” was “a significant responsibility,” adding, “How we use that matters. Who and what we stand up for, and what we stay silent about, what we monetize versus what we actually live, matters.” 

“I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum,” she said, opting to speak about “the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today.”

Lively said her life was “influenced most” by her mother, Willie Elaine McAlpin, who she said was the “survivor of the worst crime someone can commit against a woman.”

“My mom never got justice from her work acquaintance who attempted to take her life when she was the mother of three young kids years before I was born,” she said.

The honoree said her mom credited a woman whom she heard speaking about a “similar circumstance” on the radio for saving her life.

“The woman painfully and graphically shared how she escaped. And because of hearing that woman speak about her experience instead of shutting down in fear and unfair shame, my mom is alive today. She was saved by a woman whose name she’ll never know,” said Lively.

She referred to womanhood as a “pact that privately we must show others how to survive, literally or spiritually.”

“We don’t let our daughters know, but one day we break their hearts by letting them in on the secret that we kept from them as they pranced around in princess dresses that they are not and will likely never be safe at work, at home, in a parking lot in a medical office, online — in any space they inhabit physically, emotionally, professionally,” she said.

Lively referred to the “superpower of female triumph” as a “basic human right,” adding, “Never underestimate a woman’s ability to endure pain.”

She ended her speech by thanking “every man, including my sweet husband [Ryan Reynolds], who are kind and good when no one is watching.”

“And to all the communities across the gender, age, political, geographical, and racial spectrum who fight every day just to be safe, I see you,” she said.

Lively’s “last two years” remark alludes to the ongoing legal battle she has with her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni. Production on the Colleen Hoover adaptation began in May 2023. It was released in August 2024.

In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign. Among others named in the suit were Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios.

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Baldoni denied the allegations and countersued Lively, Reynolds, and others such as their publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm Vision PR, Inc., for $400 million, alleging civil extortion, defamation and more.

A trial date set has been scheduled for March 2026.

Megyn Kelly brutally called out Blake Lively at the Time100 gala after the actress was honored as one of the magazine’s “Most Influential People” of the year.

“It’s a ridiculous joke,” the political commentator told the Daily Mail on the red carpet at Thursday’s event in NYC. “She shouldn’t be here. She has no influence over anything.”

Kelly went on to claim that Lively “launched a fake MeToo allegation” against her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.

“She’s lived to regret doing it because virtually every allegation she has made has fallen apart,” the media personality further claimed.

“And so for her to be honored for doing that, to try to ruin a man over absolutely nothing, is a scandal,” Kelly, 54, added.

“Obviously, [Time is] looking for big stars to come here and generate pages on their magazines, but that was very wrong.”

The journalist also joked that she was hoping to get a selfie with Lively and Meghan Markle from a distance since they both “provided [her] with so many hours of content” for “The Megyn Kelly Show.”

“I have a feeling [Lively is] going to be avoiding me,” Kelly quipped. “I won’t be avoiding anybody. I’m good.”

The “Gossip Girl” alum, 37, arrived on the red carpet at the Time100 gala wearing an off-the-shoulder Zuhair Murad gown.

She attended the event with her husband, Ryan Reynolds — who spoke at the Time100 Summit on Wednesday — and her mom, Elaine.

The “Another Simple Favor” actress was recognized as a “philanthropist and a student of our country’s most intractable problems” on the prestigious list earlier this month.

“She and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, reached out in 2019 to make a contribution to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund,” civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill wrote in a statement celebrating Lively.

“I had been getting a few of these calls, as our work fighting against voter suppression and police brutality was receiving national attention. I’m always curious about the kind of research famous people do before they make that cold call to offer their support. The ones I have remained in relationship with are those who, like Blake, really did their homework.”

Nonetheless, Lively faced online backlash for being honored amid her contentious legal battle with Baldoni.

While their trial is scheduled to begin in March 2026, some people have already taken sides.

“Blake Lively is not ‘influential’ – she’s a manipulative, conniving bully,” wrote one social media user in response to the “Age of Adaline” star’s recognition.

“Only in Hollywood can being a liar land you on a ‘Most Influential’ list,” another commented.

Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in December 2024, alleging he sexually harassed her on set.

She also claimed the “Jane the Virgin” alum, 41, and his team orchestrated a smear campaign to tarnish her reputation.

Baldoni denied the allegations and subsequently filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and their publicist, Leslie Sloane, for alleged defamation and extortion.

Pamela Anderson might dress differently now than how she did in the ’90s and 2000s, but the Baywatch star is glad to know that her fashion during those eras has made an impact.

Anderson, 57, told InStyle in an interview published April 23 that seeing stars like Beyoncé and Millie Bobby Brown replicate her looks actually makes her feel great.

Reflecting on the tributes, Anderson said these homages give her “a little bit of confidence.”

“When I was wearing these clothes, they weren’t fashionable,” she added. “And they weren’t making headlines, unless they were being made fun of.” 

In November, Beyoncé delivered an accurate tribute to Anderson in her “Bodyguard” video by wearing a version of the actress’ Baywatch swimsuit and Barb Wire corset costume. She first started teasing the looks for Halloween, sharing a “BEYWATCH” video on Instagram, as well as a “BEYLLOWEEN” carousel of all the looks.

The singer also put a twist on Anderson’s 1999 MTV Video Music Awards outfit that consisted of a pink fuzzy hat and white, waist-cinching corset top.

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In a Feb. 27 Instagram post, Brown wore a gold button-down Versace dress that Anderson previously wore in 2005, but the Stranger Things star later revealed that Anderson sent her “a whole rack of clothes” for The Electric State press tour.

During Brown’s appearance on the March 12 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, she told host Alex Cooper the jeans she wore on the program belonged to Anderson.

“I’m not lying,” she said. “She gave me these pants for the press tour and they fit.”

“The Electric State is based in the ’90s,” Brown continued. “So I was like, ‘I want everything I wear on this press tour to be ’90s archive,’ So I was like, ‘Who are the major blondes in the ’90s?’ And I was like, ‘Okay, Pammy.'”

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“She was like, ‘Oh, let me just look in my closet and I’ll pull some stuff for you,'” Brown, 21, recalled. “And she pulled me a whole rack of clothes that were just unbelievable. These dresses are timeless and ridiculous and these pants were a part of it.”

These days, Anderson styles herself and opts for clothes that make her feel comfortable in her own skin.

“I want people to be able to project onto me different characters,” she told InStyle. “Because I’m not just the wild woman in a rubber dress. That was fun, but you know, we all evolve.” 

“I think it’s really important to feel desired,” Anderson added. “But, there’s a balance, and I’m just trying to find my way. I was already so stressed out — it’s such a stressful, intimidating journey to be in these rooms with these people. And I thought, I feel humble, I feel grateful. I feel I just want to kind of mix in and be a fly on the wall.”