Blake Lively has made the Time Magazine list of the top 100 “Most Influential People” of 2025, but her entry makes no mention of the scandal that has dominated headlines all year.
Sherrilyn Ifill, a well-known lawyer and former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, wrote the blurb that went alongside Lively’s entry on the prestigious list.
Ifill commended the actress’s philanthropy and “curiosity,” but glaringly failed to mention her ongoing legal battle with her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni.
Lively and Baldoni have been in a multi-million dollar legal back and forth over the movie star’s bombshell sexual harassment allegations against Baldoni since December.
But Ifill side-stepped this melodrama, stating: “I don’t know the Blake Lively of the red carpet. Or the Met Gala. I never watched Gossip Girl.”
“The Blake Lively I know is a philanthropist and a student of our country’s most intractable problems,” she continued, recalling the fact that she and her husband Ryan Reynolds made a $2 million contribution to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in 2019.
Ifill continued, “I had been getting a few of these calls, as our work fighting against voter suppression and police brutality was receiving national attention. I’m always curious about the kind of research famous people do before they make that cold call to offer their support.”
“The ones I have remained in relationship with are those who, like Blake, really did their homework,” she added. “I admired immediately her curiosity, and her sincere work to understand the conditions that shape this country.”
The lawyer recalled a conversation with the actress, in which she expressed “frustration” about what she didn’t learn about U.S. history in school.
“Her commitment to filling those gaps—and becoming the most fully informed and prepared citizen—is what I appreciate most about her,” Ifill wrote, adding, “Blake is a serious person. She’s a risk taker. And she’s committed to moving this country forward. For her children. And for mine.”
The Baldoni-Lively-Ryan Reynolds drama began after Lively accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in 2024 on the set of It Ends With Us, and of trying to spread negative stories about her.
Baldoni responded to Lively’s complaint by suing Reynolds and Lively for $400 million, claiming they were trying to destroy his career. He also accused the Deadpool actor of calling him a “predator” in private and using the character of “Nicepool” from Deadpool & Wolverine to mock and bully him.
Lively and Reynolds are seeking a dismissal of that lawsuit before it is scheduled to go to trial in May 2026.
The post Blake Lively Makes TIME100—But Not for the Reason You Think appeared first on The Daily Beast.
