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Social media users criticized Blake Lively being chosen as one of Time100’s “Most Influential People of 2025” amid her legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
After the magazine unveiled its annual list Wednesday, some readers were shocked to see the “Gossip Girl” star included alongside Serena Williams, Ed Sheeran, Demi Moore, Snoop Dogg and other honorees.
“Wtf has she influenced people to do??” asked one X user.
“Blake lively being on this list is an insult to the rest of the recipients who actually deserve it,” declared a second netizen.
“Blake Lively is not ‘influential’ – she’s a manipulative, conniving bully,” commented a third opposer.
“Only in Hollywood can being a liar land you on a ‘Most Influential’ list,” wrote another user.
Page Six has reached out to a rep for Lively for comment but did not immediately hear back.
In a statement to the magazine, civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill praised the “A Simple Favor” star, 37, for being a “philanthropist and a student of our country’s most intractable problems.”
“She and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, reached out in 2019 to make a contribution to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund,” Ifill said.
“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.”
The attorney, 62, said she “admired” Lively’s curiosity and her “sincere work to understand the conditions that shape this country.”
Ifill claimed the actress — who infamously faced backlash for marrying Reynolds, 48, on a South Carolina plantation in 2012 — “expressed frustration” about how the US’ tragic history “was not part of the instruction she had received as a student.”
“Blake is a serious person. She’s a risk taker. And she’s committed to moving this country forward. For her children. And for mine,” she concluded.
After Ifill’s kind words, Lively took to Instagram to thank her and Time for the “honor.”
“To be written about by the great @sherrilynifill is not something I take lightly. Her work has shaped our nation. WHO SHE IS – as a human, woman, mother, leader, fighter, healer, empath, risk taker and dream maker- has shaped my heart and also my stamina to never stop believing in a future that’s better and safer for everyone,” she wrote in her post.
“Thank you @time And thank you @sherrilynifill for one of the most surreal and meaningful moments of my life in this honor. My 10 year old self is pretty blown away right now.”
The “Shallows” star is currently involved in a contentious legal battle with Baldoni.
In December 2024, she filed a lawsuit against the director for allegedly sexually harassing her on the set of their 2024 film, “It Ends With Us.”
Baldoni, 41, denied Lively’s accusations and filed his own suit against her, Reynolds and their publicist, Leslie Sloane, for defamation and extortion.
The “Jane the Virgin” star and Lively’s trial is set to begin in March 2026.
