"Desperate to look like victim": Podcaster Kjertsi Flaa and Melanie King slam Blake Lively for mentioning her mother in Time100 Gala speech

Actress Blake Lively received the honor of being one of the 100 nominees on Time Magazine’s Most Influential People list. At the Gala event in April 2025, she gave a speech while receiving the award. Blake honored her mother during the speech. She shared that her mother had been assaulted by a

"work acquaintance who attempted to take her life when she was the mother of three young kids, years before I was born."

The Another Simple Favor actress talked about workplace safety and also expressed appreciation for her husband, Ryan Reynolds. While some lauded Lively’s speech, others criticized her for bringing up her mother’s life experiences on an awards night. Journalist Kjersti Flaa posted a video about the speech on her YouTube channel and expressed her disappointment with the content of the speech. She questioned if Blake Lively’s stories are “factually correct” and noted,

"I feel like Blake Lively is just desperate to look like a victim, and now she's using her mom to make her look more like a victim."

Blake Lively's Time100 Gala speech draws criticism from podcasters and followers

In her YouTube video, journalist Kjersti Flaa alleged that Blake Lively made an “attempt to win over the public” with her speech. Flaa claimed that they are not going to support this, and at another point in the video, called it a “PR stunt.”

In related news, podcaster Melanie King slammed the actress's speech on her X channel. She expressed confusion and disappointment and noted that Blake spoke about everything but why she was receiving the award. She wrote,

"She doesn’t talk about what she’s being “honored” for but instead talks about her mother being assaulted."

She questioned why Blake Lively didn’t bring up her mother’s experiences during the promotion of It Ends With Us, which depicts domestic violence. She added,

"I don’t believe a damn thing she says and this is a slap in the face to real victims. The ones who don’t get fancy awards for doing absolutely nothing nor get to walk fancy red carpets all dolled up and fawned over in the press. These celebrities have absolutely NO SHAME."

Did Blake Lively mention her legal battles during the speech?

According to multiple news outlets, the Gossip Girl actor alluded to her legal battle against Justin Baldoni during the speech. She noted that she has much to speak about regarding the “last two years” of her life. While she didn’t elaborate on the details, the last two years coincide with the filming of It Ends With Us and her subsequent lawsuit against Baldoni. She noted that it was not a “forum" to talk and added,

"What I will speak to separately is the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today, and since I could speak, because of the pain, caution and fight of the many women who have paved the way, and the men who stood beside them."

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Amid legal tensions, Blake Lively received the honor from Time Magazine. While some lauded the achievement, many, including journalist Kjersti Flaa and podcaster Melanie King, criticized the acceptance speech. They alleged that it was a “PR stunt” and expressed their disappointment.

What are your thoughts on the speech? Tell us in the comments below.

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