Journalist Kjersti Flaa, whose “nightmare” interview with Blake Lively from 2016 went viral in 2024, said it’s “mind-blowing” the actress attended the Met Gala 2026 hours after she settled her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
“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,” Flaa told the Daily Mail in an interview published Monday.
Flaa explained that Lively’s Met Gala appearance was another example of how the “Gossip Girl” alum and husband Ryan Reynolds “manipulate” the internet “by pushing out stories that are friendly and pro–their narrative.”
“The audacity and guts that she had to stand there in front of all these people and say, ‘Hey look at me in this dress,'” Flaa went on. “I was shocked that she did that. I think it says a lot about her.”
The Norwegian reporter also said Lively, 38, went to the star-studded event last Monday because she “cannot fathom” that people “don’t like her.”
“For her, this is an orchestrated smear campaign against her and she believes people still love her,” Flaa continued, calling Lively “so delusional.”
During a 2016 interview with Lively, Flaa congratulated the “Age of Adaline” star on her then-recently announced second pregnancy and resulting “bump,” to which Lively wildly clapped back, “Congrats on your little bump.”
When the interview resurfaced in 2024, Flaa said Lively’s behavior made her “want to quit” her job. She also said Lively never apologized for the “bump” comment.
Last month, Lively’s legal team tried to stop the viral interview from being used as evidence in her and Baldoni’s now-canceled trial, which Flaa was called as a witness for, according to People.
Lively’s lawyers reportedly asked the judge to exclude Flaa from testifying, while Baldoni’s team argued Flaa’s testimony was “highly relevant” and denied “spreading or encouraging” the “little bump” interview.
Flaa told the Daily Mail she’s “disappointed” she won’t get to testify now that the case has been settled.
“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.
The journalist speculated that Lively settled because “she knew she had a weak case” against Baldoni, 42, whom she accused of sexual harassment and fostering a toxic work environment in a bombshell lawsuit filed in December 2024.
“I think she was advised by everyone to let it go,” Flaa told the outlet. “It would have been so humiliating for her to lose and you never want to look like a liar in front of a jury.”
Page Six has reached out to Lively’s reps for comment.
As Page Six previously reported, Lively and Baldoni made the shocking decision to settle their lengthy court battle on May 4 in what we’re told was a “last-minute deal.”
A source said that the “It Ends With Us” co-stars had been negotiating for a few weeks and were encouraged to make a settlement.
“They finally came to an agreement today. It was a last-minute deal,” the insider shared with us just moments after the settlement was reached. “The magistrate and the judge wanted to avoid this going to trial as it was going to be a long, drawn-out case, so they were encouraged to reach an agreement.”
Lively attended the Met Gala hours after the legal battle ended in a colorful archival Versace gown from 2006. She leaned into the “Fashion is Art” dress code by carrying a custom Judith Leiber bag featuring her children’s artwork.
A body language expert told Page Six that Lively exhibited “reserved sadness” and “signs of discomfort” at the event.
Reynolds, 49, did not join his wife at the Met Gala.
