"I was very surprised at some of her responses" - Meghan McCain critiques Blake Lively's approach in promoting DV film 'It Ends With Us'

Political commentator Meghan McCain is unhappy with Blake Lively's approach in promoting her recent film, It Ends With Us. On an episode of her podcast, Citizen McCain, broadcasted on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, the former View co-host criticized Lively's press interviews that are reportedly making the movie seem like a fun experience for women.

"If you're taking on the responsibility of telling the story about a woman in a domestic violence situation, you have to be respectful that you're representing victims millions and millions of women and men who are victims of domestic violence," McCain began.

She continued:

"I was very surprised at some of her responses. I think the tone she's setting in a lot of the press with this, saying, put on your florals and come together, girls."

The story of It Ends With Us centers around Lily Bloom, portrayed by Blake Lively, who ends up in an abusive relationship with Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin Baldoni. It is adapted from Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel of the same name. While the movie was met with a decent reception, critics and netizens disapproved of the humorous and lighthearted tone during its promotion.

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"Very insensitive and, quite frankly, strange" - Meghan McCain slams Blake Lively's misguided approach to promoting the film

In her podcast, Meghan McCain said she thought it was insensitive to promote the movie as something lighthearted to watch with one's "girlfriends."

"(I don't) want to put florals on and go with my girlfriends and go watch a fun girl movie about domestic violence. (It's) very insensitive and, quite frankly, strange."

However, McCain's critique seemed to delve into personal attack territory when she remarked she wasn't sure why Blake was famous other than starring in Gossip Girl and being married to Ryan Reynolds. She stated that Lively was approaching this from a privileged perspective and urged her to research what she was representing.

Fans have similarly called out Blake Lively and the film's marketing for its lighthearted tone and never really addressing the abuse. This criticism includes encouraging cinemagoers to "wear your florals," promoting her new haircare line during the tour, and selling the movie as a love story.

One viral tweet by @murffyslirtz shows a clip from an interview with Lively and her co-star, Brandon Skelnar. The interviewer asks Lively how she has prepared herself if a fan who is a survivor of domestic violence approaches her, a premise explored in the film. She responded:

"You mean, like, asking for my addressror asking for my phone number. Or, like, my location share? Or I could just location-share you and we could... I'm a Virgo, so are we talking, like, logistics or emotionally?"

They contrasted Blake Lively's tone with Justin Baldoni's more serious one.

However, many have since come to Blake's defense, stating she is an actress, not a therapist. They suggested that Justin is looking at Lily Bloom as a victim, while Blake is looking at her as an individual who is more than just a victim. Her co-star, Brandon, also took to his Instagram in her support.

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Following backlash, the filmmakers have shared links to resources for abuse victims. As of now, Blake Lively has not publicly addressed the criticism.