Blake Lively has spoken out about being named one of TIME‘s 100 most influential people. The actress, who has been embroiled in a tumultuous legal battle with Justin Baldoni for several months, posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, thanking the magazine and civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill for the opportunity.
“It’s an honor to be acknowledged on the @time 100 list for 2025,” Lively wrote. “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 added, “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.”
Lively shared additional thoughts in her Instagram Stories, calling the inclusion “profound.” “Not just to be included, but to have a voice,” Lively wrote. “It’s a fortunate thing, when it should be a given.”
Ifill wrote a short essay for TIME about Lively, which noted that she doesn’t know Lively from Gossip Girl or the red carpet. “The Blake Lively I know is a philanthropist and a student of our country’s most intractable problems,” Ifill wrote.
She continued, “I admired immediately her curiosity, and her sincere work to understand the conditions that shape this country. I remember an early conversation in which she expressed frustration that so much of our nation’s history was not part of the instruction she had received as a student. Her commitment to filling those gaps—and becoming the most fully informed and prepared citizen—is what I appreciate most about her. 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.”
Lively has been involved in a high-profile legal battle with Baldoni, her director and co-star in It Ends With Us, since December. It kicked off when Lively filed a legal complaint that alleged Baldoni engaged in sexual misconduct on set and hired a PR firm to discredit her during the film’s summer 2024 release. Baldoni denied and countered the allegations with a $400 million suit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist alleging they defamed and extorted him. He also sued the New York TImes, which broke the story of Lively’s legal action.
In February, Lively asked the judge presiding over her lawsuit against Baldoni to strengthen the case’s protective order on confidential filings, citing “violent, profane, sexist, and threatening communications” she’s received since the suit was filed. In response, Baldoni’s reps said he and his co-defendants have been given anonymous threats as well, saying, “We do not condone dangerous rhetoric targeted toward anyone no matter the situation.”
www.rollingstone.com
#Blake #Lively #Shares #Appreciation #Surreal #TIME #Honor
