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TIME Magazine CEO Jessica Sibley addressed the decision to include Blake Lively in the 100 Most Influential People list curated by them. Her comments came after Lively's inclusion in the same received some backlash from readers and fans.
During the TIME100 Gala held at the Jazz in Lincoln Center, NYC, on April 24, Jessica Sibley was asked why Blake Lively was included as one of the TIME100 nominees.
"I think she's having a great year, and our role is to be the humanity's guide to trusted journalism. And so we're the storytellers. We've been telling stories for 100 years, and we're excited to tell her story," she replied.
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Lively's nomination came amid her ongoing legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni. The actress accused her co-star of alleged s*xual harassment and inappropriate workplace conduct in December last year. Baldoni denied all allegations and countersued the actress and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation. The case is set to go on trial in March 2026.
Amid the legal skirmish, Blake Lively was accompanied by her husband and her mother, Willie Elain McAlpin, during her big day at the TIME100 Gala. The Gossip Girl alum appeared in an off-shoulder crimson pink gown and delivered a toast about her nomination at the gala.
Blake Lively honors her mother, Willie Elain McAlpin, during her toast at the TIME100 gala
On April 24, Blake Lively took the stage at the TIME100 gala after being enlisted in the magazine's 100 Most Influential People list this year. Lively honored her mother during her toast, and said:
"My life was influenced most by my mother, Willie Elain McAlpin, who’s here with me tonight, an eternal optimist who’s always leaving me messages, hooping and hollering, saying, 'Life’s just a bowl of cherries.' It’s true, always, and she’ll get your number tonight, and she’ll leave you those messages, so please be warned."
Lively mentioned that her mother suffered one of "the worst crimes" someone can subject a woman to, and continued:
"But, at her urging and unwavering bravery, she wanted me to share with you that she is a survivor of the worst crimes someone can commit against a woman. I’ve watched her conceal her raw and undeserved shame my entire life, so, as her daughter, being asked to share this today is monumental. If we name it, we change it."
Lively detailed that one of her mother's work acquaintances tried to kill her when she was the mother of three children. The actress added that Elaine credited her life today to another woman who was in a similar circumstance and whose story she heard on the radio. The story later helped her save her life unknowingly.
Blake Lively mentioned that her mother was "saved by a woman whose name she’ll never know." She acknowledged the moment as a "silent torch of womanhood" when the unknown woman decided to share how she escaped a harrowing situation in her life.
Further, Blake Lively also addressed workplace harassment in her speech, explaining how their daughters are not safe even at their workplace. She is a mother to four children with Ryan Reynolds- James, Inez, Betty, and Olin.
"We don’t let our daughters know, but one day we break their hearts by letting them in on the secret that we kept from them as they pranced around in princess dresses: that they are not, and will likely never be safe, at work, at home, in a parking lot, in a medical office, online, in any space they inhabit. Physically, emotionally, professionally," she added.
Blake Lively went on to highlight female empowerment, stressing that people should never underestimate a woman's capacity to endure pain.
"I know the superpower of female triumph though, I have touched it... I’m looking at it in this room here right now. These are the happy endings we must see as women and girls. We can make it to the end alive, physically or emotionally, and we will and we do, and we thrive... Never underestimate a woman’s ability to endure pain," Lively said at the gala.
Lively concluded her speech after thanking everyone who helped bring her and her four children to life, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and every man who is "kind when no one is watching."
In other news, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are set to face each other in court on March 9, 2026. Their legal battle remains ongoing.
