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Last week, we reported on the news that Blake Lively had been selected for Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people.
The move came as a surprise to many, as most of Blake’s recent headlines have had little to do with her work it her activism and much to do with her legal battle against Justin Baldoni.
One person who’s been highly critical of Blake’s inclusion on the list has been journalist Megyn Kelly.
Kelly was also in attendance at Thursday’s Time100 gala, and she did not hold back when asked about Lively.
Megyn Kelly lashes out at Blake Lively
“It’s a ridiculous joke,” Kelly told the Daily Mail on the red carpet at Thursday’s event. “She shouldn’t be here. She has no influence over anything.”
Kelly went on to call Lively out for making false allegations against Baldoni.
“She’s lived to regret doing it because virtually every allegation she has made has fallen apart,” she claimed.
“And so for her to be honored for doing that, to try to ruin a man over absolutely nothing, is a scandal,” Kelly added.
Kelly even went so far as to call out the organization hosting the event, accusing them of drumming up easy publicity on the back of Lively’s recent notoriety.
“Obviously, [Time is] looking for big stars to come here and generate pages on their magazines, but that was very wrong,” she said.
Kelly then joked that she should try to take a selfie with Blake and her other recent target, Meghan Markle, as they’ve both “provided [her] with so many hours of content” for The Megyn Kelly Show.
“I have a feeling [Lively is] going to be avoiding me,” Kelly laughed. “I won’t be avoiding anybody. I’m good.”
The backlash against Blake
Kelly’s remarks echo those of many social media commenters who share the belief that Lively was not worthy of the honor that Time bestowed upon her.
“Blake Lively is not ‘influential’ — she’s a manipulative, conniving bully,” wrote one such user, according to Page Six.
“Only in Hollywood can being a liar land you on a ‘Most Influential’ list,” another chimed in.
In her speech on Thursday night, Blake alluded vaguely to her ongoing legal war with Baldoni, but did not mention it explicitly.
“I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum,” Blake told the audience at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Thursday.
“What I will speak to, separately, is the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today.”
Blake then referenced her mother, who was in attendance, explaining to the crowd that she had endured “the worst crime someone can commit against a woman.”
Many have concluded that Blake intended to draw a parallel between her mother’s circumstances and her own.
Whatever the case, it was a powerful moment that’s likely to spark a good deal of conversation in the days to come.
Megyn Kelly Blasts Blake Lively at Time100 Gala: ‘She Has No Influence Over … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.