When Blake Lively stepped onto the stage at the TIME100 Gala in New York City, it should have been a night of celebration.
The Gossip Girl alum had just been named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people—an honor not handed out lightly.
But what was meant to be a moving tribute to her mother quickly became the center of a heated controversy, with many questioning the timing and motivation behind her deeply personal revelations.
Opening Up About Her Mother’s Trauma
During her speech, Blake, 37, chose to shine a spotlight on her mother, Willie Elaine McAlpin, crediting her as the biggest influence in her life.
She revealed that her 77-year-old mom is a survivor of a horrific assault by a former coworker—an experience that, according to Blake, almost cost her mother her life.
“She was a mother of three young children when it happened,” Blake shared, “and she survived because of a woman on the radio who bravely told her own story.”
That anonymous woman, she said, gave her mother the courage and clarity to escape a terrifying situation. “She was saved by someone she’ll never know.”
A Broader Message About Womanhood
Lively used her platform to highlight the often-unspoken bond between women—the quiet sharing of knowledge, survival, and strength.
“Womanhood is a pact,” she said, explaining how women pass down unspoken truths about danger and resilience to the next generation, even if it means breaking their daughters’ hearts by revealing how unsafe the world can be.
She described the “superpower of female triumph” as something that should be considered a basic human right, and called on society never to underestimate women’s capacity to endure pain.
A Subtle Nod to Her Legal Feud
Interestingly, Lively made a pointed comment early in her speech: “I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum.” That line didn’t go unnoticed.
Blake is currently embroiled in a public and bitter legal dispute with It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni, whom she has accused of sexual harassment—claims he firmly denies.
Though she didn’t name him directly, the reference was enough to reignite conversations around the case and her role in it.
Critics Slam the Timing of Her Revelation
While some viewers found Blake’s speech brave and heartfelt, others didn’t hold back.
Social media lit up with accusations that she was using her mother’s trauma as a PR strategy to align herself with survivors, especially given the backlash she faced last year for promoting a movie about domestic violence (It Ends With Us) without directly addressing the topic.
One user tweeted: “So now she’s using her mom’s trauma to be relatable? But back in August she was naming cocktails after characters in a movie about abuse?”
Others were even more scathing: “She claims to care about SA victims but couldn’t even market a DV film properly. Now she wants a Nobel Peace Prize too?”
Megyn Kelly Weighs In—And She’s Not Holding Back
Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly added fuel to the fire, openly criticizing Lively at the gala.
Speaking to DailyMail.com on the red carpet, she called Blake’s presence at the event “a ridiculous joke,” accusing her of “bastardizing Me Too allegations” in her lawsuit against Baldoni.
Kelly didn’t mince words: “Virtually every allegation she’s made has fallen apart.
And now she’s being honored? That’s scandalous.”
Ongoing Legal Drama Intensifies
The red carpet tension comes on the heels of explosive new developments in Lively and Baldoni’s legal war.
A recent filing claims that Baldoni’s former publicist allegedly conspired with Blake to leak sensitive text messages.
In response, Baldoni launched a staggering $400 million defamation suit against Blake, her publicist, and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds—all of whom have denied any wrongdoing.
He’s also suing The New York Times for $250 million over its coverage of the case.
The Look, The Glamour—and The Irony
Despite the controversy, the Lively-Reynolds family brought their A-game to the event.
Blake dazzled in a shimmering red off-shoulder gown, while her mother looked timeless in a flapper-style black dress.
Ryan kept it classic in a tux and bowtie, ever the supportive partner by her side.
Still, for many watching, the stunning visuals couldn’t distract from the bigger conversation unfolding—was Blake’s heartfelt tribute a sincere moment of advocacy, or a calculated pivot in the face of legal and public pressure?
The Bigger Question: Influence or Image?
Blake ended her speech with a broader reflection on what it means to be influential in today’s world.
“It feels like an act of defiance to celebrate what’s good in a time when anger is the loudest voice,” she said.
“How we use our influence matters—what we speak up for, what we stay silent about, what we live and what we just monetize—it all matters.”
And that’s exactly the point her critics keep circling back to: If she has the platform and the story, why now?