Blake Lively subtly referenced her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni at the Time100 Gala.
“I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum,” the “It Ends With Us” actress — who was honored on the magazine’s “Most Influential People of 2025” list — began an impassioned speech at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Thursday.
She continued, “What I will speak to, separately, is the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today.”
Lively, 37, directed the audience’s attention to her mother, Willie Elain McAlpin, who also attended the lavish Hollywood event, describing her as an “eternal optimist.”
She then revealed her mom was a victim of “the worst crime someone can commit against a woman.”
The “Gossip Girl” alum said McAlpin, 77, concealed “her raw and undeserved shame” throughout her entire life, but she was asked to share her mom’s story because “if we name it, we change it.”
“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,” Lively further explained.
The “Age of Adeline” star did not go into specifics about what happened to McAlpin but credited another woman for sharing her own story of survival on the radio — which in turn saved her mom’s life.
“The woman painfully and graphically shared how she escaped,” Lively shared, “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.”
The “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” star — who is suing Baldoni for sexual harassment and claims he launched smear campaign against her — added, “Never underestimate a woman’s ability to endure pain.”
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Lively also took a moment to thank “every man,” including her “sweet husband,” Ryan Reynolds — who was also present — for being “kind and good when no one is watching.”
She added, “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.”
Earlier in her speech, Lively praised her fellow Time100 honoree Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman was covertly drugged and raped by her husband, Dominique Pelicot, on numerous occasions.
Quoting the survivor, the “Another Simple Favor” star — dressed in a glamorous Zuhair Murad gown — said, “It’s not for us to have shame … it’s for them.”
Reps for Baldoni did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment on Lively’s statements.
Lively’s poignant speech comes as she is seeking justice from Baldoni, 41, whom she claims made inappropriate sexual remarks when they worked together on “It Ends With Us,” including referencing his past porn addiction, and made her and multiple other women on set uncomfortable.
The Wayfarer Studios co-founder has denied the allegations and is countersuing Lively, Reynolds and their publicist, Leslie Sloane, for defamation, extortion and other claims in a $400 million lawsuit.
Lively has slammed Baldoni’s lawsuit as being retaliation for her speaking out and asked a judge to throw out his case. The court has not yet made a decision on that request. A trial date was set for March 2026.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
