• Norwegian entertainment reporter Kjersti Flaa says her 2016 interview with Blake Lively left her “traumatized” and “in shock”
• Flaa — who was subpoenaed in the Lively vs. Baldoni case — says she’s “disappointed” the settlement means she won’t testify
• It Ends With Us actor Adam Mondschein is also speaking out, disputing Lively’s claims about the film’s birthing scene
• Ryan Reynolds posted a Mother’s Day tribute calling Lively “fearless” as she attempts to move on publicly
• Sources say Justin Baldoni is weighing a tell-all, suggesting the drama is far from truly over

Nearly a decade after it happened, that Blake Lively interview is still causing damage — and the journalist at the center of it wants people to know exactly how bad it really was.

Kjersti Flaa, the Norwegian entertainment reporter whose 2016 sit-down with Lively became one of the most talked-about moments of the entire It Ends With Us legal saga, is speaking out in detail about what went down that day — and she’s not holding back. “It was a really traumatizing experience,” Flaa told Page Six in an exclusive interview Monday. “I was just in shock.”

The interview in question took place during the press tour for Café Society, where Flaa was sitting down with Lively — who was pregnant at the time — and co-star Parker Posey. When Flaa congratulated Lively on her “little bump,” the actress fired back with a pointed, “Congrats on your little bump.” Lively was pregnant. Flaa was not. And Flaa has since revealed that she is unable to have children, making the comment land even harder than it appeared on camera.

It didn’t stop there. When Flaa tried to pivot and ask about the film’s costumes, Lively shot back, “Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes” — and then proceeded to turn to Posey and have a full conversation between themselves, effectively freezing Flaa out of her own interview.

“I was just sitting there like, ‘Oh,'” Flaa recalled. “I didn’t really understand all that. And then when I asked the next question about the costumes, [they] turned to each other and just ignored me. That’s when I started feeling like, ‘Oh my God. They’re actually doing this.'”

Why Flaa Didn’t Walk Out

Flaa said she was acutely aware of the power dynamic at play and felt she couldn’t react — even as the situation became increasingly humiliating.

“As a journalist, you always have to take the high road,” she said. “So when I was sitting there, I couldn’t react to what they were doing to me in a sense of like leaving or talking back to them or doing anything like that, because I knew if I did, then I would never get opportunities like that again.”

The fear of being blacklisted was real. “Not that I necessarily wanted to interview Blake again, but, you know, she has a publicist, and then they talk and then they blacklist you. That’s how it works, right?” Flaa said. “So I just sat there and then I started getting more and more frustrated and angry and upset and all these emotions because I was like, I couldn’t believe they were actually doing it.”

She added that she was “publicly humiliated” by the bump comment specifically — and that Lively never once reached out to make it right. “Blake had every opportunity to right this wrong because she clearly knew very well that this interview existed and got out there and nothing happened,” Flaa said.

From Viral Clip to Courtroom Subpoena

The interview sat relatively dormant for years before resurfacing in 2024 — right in the middle of the firestorm surrounding Lively’s lawsuit against It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni. Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni fired back with a $400 million countersuit accusing Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds of defamation, extortion, and orchestrating a smear campaign against him. Both sides denied wrongdoing.

Flaa was subpoenaed by Lively’s team, and Lively’s lawyers later moved to block Flaa from testifying entirely — arguing the jury would “draw adverse conclusions about her character” based on the viral clip. Baldoni’s team pushed back, calling Flaa’s testimony “highly relevant” and denying any role in amplifying the video.

Flaa says she had receipts. “I was the only person who had access to the analytics and could see what really happened to that video,” she told the Daily Mail. “YouTube shows you where all the traffic is coming from. I was going to reveal a lot of things that I’m sure they were not happy about.”

She never got the chance. On May 4, Lively and Baldoni reached a last-minute settlement — two weeks before the case was set to go to trial. No money changed hands. A source told Page Six that both the magistrate and the judge had been encouraging the parties to reach an agreement to avoid what was shaping up to be a long, drawn-out trial.

Flaa is openly disappointed. “I was looking forward to it. I was looking forward to telling my side of the story and support what I believe very strongly is the truth here,” she said. She also had a theory about why Lively pulled the plug: “She knew she had a weak case. I think she was advised by everyone to let it go. It would have been so humiliating for her to lose and you never want to look like a liar in front of a jury.”

For what it’s worth, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman made a similar argument, telling TMZ that Lively settled because she “was scared to take the witness stand” and that a trial “would have exposed her lies.” Lively’s legal team, meanwhile, called the settlement “a resounding victory,” arguing that by settling, Baldoni and the individual defendants now face personal liability for “abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate” their client.

The scorecard heading into settlement was complicated. Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit was tossed in June 2025. Last month, the judge threw out 10 of Lively’s 13 allegations — including sexual harassment, conspiracy, and defamation. Lively’s team is now pursuing legal fees, though a judge recently rejected a request to file additional supporting documents before ruling on the matter.

The Birthing Scene Dispute

Flaa isn’t the only one stepping forward with a competing account of events. Adam Mondschein, the actor who played OBGYN Dr. Dunbar in It Ends With Us — and who is a longtime friend of Baldoni’s — is pushing back hard against Lively’s characterization of the film’s birthing scene.

In Lively’s complaint, she described the scene as a “violative birthing scene for which he cast a friend” and alleged that Mondschein’s “face and hands were in close proximity to her nearly nude genitalia,” calling it “invasive and humiliating.” She also implied Mondschein was unqualified for the role.

Mondschein, who holds a master’s in fine arts from UCLA and has at least ten acting credits on IMDb, takes serious issue with that. “She’s pretending to have a baby, but she’s fully covered,” he told Page Six. Lively was wearing a prosthetic belly, a hospital gown, and black shorts during filming. “There’s nothing to see. Nothing to look at,” he said.

As for what he was actually focused on? “I’m holding a real baby off screen, covered in raspberry jelly and cream cheese” before lifting the infant into frame. “Even in the scene that you see that made it into the film, you see me smiling at a baby. The cutest baby whose parents are there in the room with the crew.”

Mondschein also disputed that Lively had no power in the room that day. “She’s a producer. She inserted herself in every creative decision,” he said. “Nothing happened that she wasn’t in charge of. She came into the room as the most powerful person in the room. She is not a wilting flower. She is very confident and firm.”

He’s been defending Baldoni publicly across multiple platforms — including an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored — and told Page Six that Baldoni’s original intention in taking on the project was to shine a light on domestic violence. “He was going to usher forth her book to a whole new audience… he wanted these conversations about domestic violence, the responsibility that men have to have this conversation, not just the victims, not just the women. And so that was his whole drive.”

Sources close to Baldoni tell Radar Online that he’s now weighing a tell-all to share his side of the story publicly. Mondschein said his friend “really wants to tell his story, and he deserves to be heard.” Another source added, “Justin feels vindicated by how much of the case changed before settlement talks began.”

What Happens Next for Blake

Hours after the settlement was announced on May 4, Lively showed up at the Met Gala in a colorful archival Versace gown from 2006, carrying a custom Judith Leiber bag featuring her children’s artwork. The move raised eyebrows across the board.

Flaa, for one, was not impressed. “It’s mind-blowing to me that she would [attend the Met Gala despite everything going on],” she told the Daily Mail. “I think she wanted to clog the internet with stories about her at the Met Gala and what she was wearing, it was an attempt to try to drown all the negative news.” She went further: “In her reality, she still cannot believe that people don’t like her. That’s why she went to the Met Gala… She really truly believes this… that’s the tragic thing in all of this.”

Baldoni’s attorney Freedman also weighed in on the Gala appearance, telling Entertainment Tonight: “I don’t know that it was the wisest choice. If that’s what she needs to heal, then more power to her.”

Lively’s own attorney Sigrid McCawley pushed back on the criticism, telling ET that the appearance was deliberate and defiant. “That’s exactly what Blake is intent on doing. We wouldn’t want any woman in that position to be silenced. They should be out living their life,” McCawley said, adding that Lively “was incredibly brave to stand up for herself in that moment.”

Ryan Reynolds, who was in Bermuda competing in the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix with his BONDS Flying Roos SailGP team while Lively attended the Gala solo, made his feelings known the following Sunday with a Mother’s Day tribute on Instagram Stories. He shared photos of the two of them together — hugging in ponchos by a waterfall, sitting side by side in Adirondack chairs — and wrote: “I appreciate this mother beyond measure. She is kind. She is fearless. She’s the absolute love of my life — and to our four little kids, she’s the life of their love.”

Reynolds’s rep had previously told Puck that when it came to his wife, Reynolds “feels like he wasn’t angry enough” — and that he “passionately believes in and will stand up for the basic right to a safe workplace free of harassment and retaliation for his wife and others. Then, now, and always.”

As for Flaa, she’s not ruling out a Lively comeback — but she has a very specific prescription for it. “My advice to her would be to stay low for a couple of years if she wants a chance to come back and do anything in Hollywood again,” the reporter said. “She is toxic and right now the public is not ready to take her back.”

Lively and Posey’s reps did not respond to requests for comment.

The post Blake Lively Reporter Says She Was ‘Traumatized’ by 2016 Interview appeared first on Cream.

• Blake Lively attended the 2026 Met Gala hours after settling her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios on May 4
• Her attorney Sigrid McCawley says the appearance was about “standing up and not being silenced”
• Both sides are claiming victory — Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman says she settled because she was “scared” to testify
• The legal fight isn’t fully over: Lively is pursuing damages and attorneys’ fees under a California anti-retaliation law
• Reports suggest Taylor Swift has distanced herself from Lively, and Anna Wintour had to intervene to get her into the Met Gala

Blake Lively showed up to the 2026 Met Gala in an archival Atelier Versace gown dripping in custom Lorraine Schwartz diamonds — and she did it the same day she settled one of the messiest celebrity lawsuits in recent memory. Now, her lawyer is explaining exactly why.

Attorney Sigrid McCawley addressed the timing directly in a video interview with Entertainment Tonight on Thursday, May 7, pushing back on the idea that the appearance was a calculated PR move. “Blake is focused on exposing the digital retaliation campaign here that was weaponized against her,” McCawley said. “As part of that, it’s about standing up and not being silenced, right? Moving on with your life, moving forward, and that’s exactly what Blake is intent on doing. She was incredibly brave to stand up for herself in that moment and for others in the workplace and she’s going to continue to pave that path of being really bold and brave in this moment.”

Lively, 38, and Justin Baldoni, 42, announced their settlement on May 4 — two weeks before their case was set to go to trial on May 18. The dispute had been building since December 2024, when Lively sued Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of their 2024 film It Ends With Us, as well as orchestrating a smear campaign against her after she raised those concerns. Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a $400 million defamation countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds — a suit that was dismissed entirely by Judge Lewis J. Liman in June 2025. Last month, the judge also dismissed 10 of Lively’s original 13 claims, including every sexual harassment charge, classifying her as an independent contractor rather than an employee during filming.

The joint statement released by both sides struck a measured tone after nearly two years of open warfare. “The end product — the movie It Ends With Us — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,” it read. “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”

Both Sides Are Claiming the Win

The ink wasn’t even dry before both legal teams were racing to frame the outcome on their own terms.

Lively’s attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson called it “a resounding victory,” pointing to the fact that Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties waived their right to appeal and acknowledged that Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard.” “By admitting that Ms. Lively’s concerns ‘deserved to be heard,’ the defendants have ended once and for all the fiction that Ms. Lively ‘fabricated’ claims of sexual harassment and retaliation,” they said in a statement. “From day one, Blake Lively’s mission was clear: expose and hold accountable those who weaponize smear campaigns and retaliatory lawsuits to intimidate and silence survivors. That mission continues.”

Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman wasn’t having it. In a statement, he said the settlement was “a win and total victory” for the Wayfarer parties, noting that the court had already thrown out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims before she “voluntarily dismissed the rest.” “In our view, they settled because they knew they were going to lose in court,” Freedman said.

Then Freedman went further — significantly further. Speaking to TMZ, he claimed the real reason Lively settled was fear. “Part of the reason Blake settled is because she was scared to take the witness stand at trial. She did not want to face cross-examination by anyone because that would require her to tell the truth,” he said. He alleged she lied about instructing Sony to destroy the dailies and lied about telling It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover to unfollow Baldoni — a claim he said Hoover herself confirmed in her deposition. “Bottom line,” he added, “Blake filed a claim for $300 million and she ended up with nothing. If this is a resounding victory, what does a defeat look like?”

Lively’s team fired back in four words: “I guess he’s no longer ‘ecstatic’ about the settlement” — a pointed reference to comments Freedman had made earlier praising the deal.

In a separate Entertainment Tonight interview, Freedman was asked about Lively’s subsequent move to seek additional damages and didn’t hold back. “I think it’s impossible for Ms. Lively to take responsibility for any part of her actions,” he said. “If one can’t see themselves, one can’t honestly, realistically, look at their part in things, it makes for a troubled existence.”

Baldoni himself confirmed he did not sign a nondisclosure agreement as part of the settlement — a detail that leaves the door open for him to speak publicly. According to insiders, he’s already planning a major sit-down interview and is allegedly working on a book about what happened behind the scenes during the production. He has also relocated from California to Nashville with his wife Emily and their children.

The Legal Battle Has a Round Two

Despite the settlement announcement, this case is not over.

Court documents filed May 7 show Lively is now pursuing damages and attorneys’ fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1 — a 2023 law passed in the wake of the #MeToo movement specifically designed to protect sexual misconduct accusers from retaliatory defamation lawsuits. Because Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against her was dismissed, Lively’s team argues she qualifies as the “prevailing defendant” and is entitled to compensatory damages tripled, punitive damages, and legal fees.

“What this law does is it focuses on providing survivors with a path to be able to not be silenced, to go back after the person who wrongfully sues them for defamation,” McCawley explained to ET. Her team also addressed the widely reported claim that the two sides collectively spent around $60 million — with some insiders putting the real figure north of $100 million — on the litigation. “Certainly any battle like this is expensive. And that’s why laws like the law that’s been passed in California that she’s proceeding under are so important,” McCawley said. “Most people can’t afford to undertake this kind of significant battle. She knows that that’s a privilege.”

Freedman called the damages request “more nonsense” and indicated Baldoni won’t be writing a check voluntarily. “We’ll see how the judge rules on that,” he said. Both parties have waived the right to appeal that specific ruling once it’s issued, meaning whatever the judge decides is final.

Sexual harassment attorney Megan Thomas, who was not involved in the case, offered some outside perspective on what the settlement actually means. “After a settlement involving celebrities, the public often thinks one party received a large sum of money or a party settled because they had a weak case. This is often not the reality,” she told OK Magazine. “In a case like this, we have two monied parties, so reputation takes precedence over a monetary settlement.” Thomas noted the carefully worded joint statement — particularly the acknowledgment that Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard” — likely reflects a negotiated reputational outcome for the actress.

The Met Gala Return — and the Messy Road to Get There

Lively’s appearance at the Met Gala was striking on its own. She last attended in 2022, when she co-chaired alongside Ryan Reynolds, Regina King, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. This year she came solo, seated at Anna Wintour’s table inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, wearing the spring 2006 Versace archival gown she’d reportedly had ready ahead of time.

But getting through the door wasn’t as seamless as it looked. According to reporting from Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice Substack, several prominent fashion houses declined to dress her for the event, with insiders citing concerns about brand association. “This wasn’t about designers being afraid of looking mean,” one source said. “It was about not wanting to look like they were backing a mean girl.” Another added, “Blake’s brand has absolutely collapsed in certain fashion circles. A few years ago, having Blake wear your gown was considered a huge win. Now some designers think it hurts more than it helps.”

Wintour reportedly stepped in personally, reassuring designers that Lively remained in good standing within the fashion world and urging them not to distance themselves from her. “Once Anna publicly backed Blake, the resistance softened immediately,” a source said. “Without her, Blake probably doesn’t get through the door in the same way.”

Once she was there, her interaction with the team managing her 13-foot train went viral — and not entirely in her favor. A clip showed Lively directing handlers on how to arrange the gown on the steps, and viewers were sharply divided. Body language expert Dr. Lillian Glass was blunt in her assessment: “Her appearance at the Met Gala did her more damage as she angrily admonished the gentlemen who were helping her with her gown on the steps. It reinforced that she was indeed the ‘mean girl’ that people perceived her as throughout the lawsuit.” Supporters, meanwhile, called it nothing more than a woman directing her own event styling.

Ryan Reynolds, the Marriage Rumors, and Taylor Swift

The day after the settlement was announced, Reynolds posted a selfie with Lively on his Instagram Story — the two leaning into each other, Lively’s hand in his hair, both smiling. He set it to Millie Jackson’s “Here You Come Again.” It was quiet, but it landed.

The post came amid swirling reports that strain in their marriage had played a role in Lively’s decision to settle. An insider told Rob Shuter’s Substack: “The realization hit her all at once. She had already lost too much — professionally, personally, publicly. The one thing she refused to lose was her marriage.” Reynolds’s team has not commented on those claims.

Then there’s Taylor Swift. The friendship between Lively and the pop star became strained after Swift was name-dropped repeatedly in court documents — including text messages in which Lively referenced having “a few dragons” who would defend her, widely understood as a nod to Swift and Reynolds. Unsealed texts also showed Swift agreeing to hype changes Lively made to the It Ends With Us script “even without reading it” and calling Baldoni a “b-tch.” Swift’s representatives maintained she had no involvement with the film beyond licensing one of her songs.

According to sources close to the situation, Lively is optimistic the friendship can be repaired now that the legal chaos has settled. “Blake genuinely believes there’s still a path back,” one insider told Shuter’s Substack. “Now that the legal mess is over, she thinks the hardest part is behind her, and there’s real hope they can move forward.” She’s reportedly so confident that she already has a dress picked out for Swift’s anticipated wedding to Travis Kelce.

Sources close to Swift, however, suggest the singer isn’t there yet — and may not be inviting the Livelys at all. “They’re not invited. Period,” one source told Shuter. “Taylor wants a drama-free day and no longer trusts Blake or Ryan.” Swift has stayed publicly silent on all of it.

Baldoni’s friend and It Ends With Us co-star Adam Mondschein, speaking to Us Weekly, captured the mood on his side of the aisle: “It’s the bittersweetness of having this part of it let go. It’s a conflicted time. It feels like that, but the game’s not over.”

He’s probably right about that.

The post Blake Lively’s Lawyer Defends Her Met Gala Return After Baldoni Settlement appeared first on Cream.