Blake Lively CANCELED? Here’s the scoop



For some time, Blake Lively has been the sweetheart of the internet for reasons that have little to do with her acting career. People seem to idolize the blonde beauty for her cutesy relationship with husband Ryan Reynolds, her bold fashion statements at red carpet events, and her close friendship with megastar Taylor Swift.

However, it seems that overnight, Lively has been subjected to the volatile whims of cancel culture. Search her name on Google, and you’ll find a slew of articles smearing the formerly adored actress.

What happened to turn someone with a “very large and very loyal fan following” into the latest Hollywood scandal?

Lauren Chen, Blaze media’s resident film critic, breaks down the sudden brouhaha swirling around Lively.

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“It seemed like overnight … public perception of Blake Lively had done a complete 180, so I kind of did a deep dive trying to understand exactly what had happened, and it turns out, it all has to do with her latest film” – “It Ends with Us,” which is based on the popular novel by Colleen Hoover, Lauren explains.

For those who don’t know, “It Ends with Us” is a contentious subject because it explores the themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse, so “regardless of Blake Lively's involvement, ‘It Ends With Us’ was going to be controversial.”

According to social media, as well as reports from multiple online sources, readers are “divided on how well Hoover’s ‘It Ends with Us’ handles the topic of domestic abuse.” Many feel that the story romanticizes abusive relationships, while others praise it as a tale of breaking toxic cycles (as the title suggests).

“This was going to be a tricky thing to navigate for the people involved with the film, period. And unfortunately for Blake Lively, it seems that the way she has been handling herself on the press tour for this film has convinced at least some people that no, she is not taking the issue of domestic abuse seriously,” says Lauren, adding that people have been comparing Lively’s statements about the film to co-star and director/producer of the film Justin Baldoni’s comments.

For example, in one interview, Baldoni said, “If a Lily Bloom in real life can sit in this theater and maybe make a different choice for herself than was made for her; maybe she sees herself on that screen and chooses something different for herself. That’s why I made the movie.”

Compare that statement to Lively’s answer when she was asked, “What’s your childhood dream?” at the New York City premiere of “It Ends with Us.”

“To wear Britney Spears’ Versace dress,” the actress replied coyly, gesturing to her vibrant vintage gown, which Spears indeed wore in 2002.

“There’s kind of a different vibe,” says Lauren, cringing.

This is just one of several examples of the stark contrast between Lively’s recent comments and those of Baldoni.

In one highly controversial video, Lively promotes the film by saying, “‘It Ends with Us’ is in theaters now, so grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it.”

“A lot of people really took issue with that clip,” says Lauren, noting that critics accused Lively of “trying to get a Barbie movie thing going.”

“Women were wearing pink to go see the Barbie movie. She's saying ‘wear your florals and go see this movie,’ and it's like, this is a movie about domestic abuse,” Lauren sighs, sympathizing with Lively’s naysayers.

On top of “tone-deaf” marketing, Lively also chose to “[tie] in her own hair care line with the promotion of this film,” which resulted in even more backlash.

Overall, people are upset that “Blake's behavior during the press tour doesn't really resonate with the actual content of the film,” says Lauren.

However, that’s not where the scandal ends.

Rumor has it that Lively and Baldoni are also at odds – extreme odds.

According to an article from themarysue.com, “Lively, Sklenar, Jenny Slate, Isabela Ferrer, and Alex Neustaedter largely dominate this press. Meanwhile, Baldoni isn’t present or tagged in any of the posts, resulting in numerous comments questioning where he is.”

“So it seems like Baldoni has been doing his own solo press for the movie, while the other co-stars and cast have been doing joint events,” says Lauren, adding that “none of the co-stars or the author of the book itself, Colleen Hoover, follow Baldoni on social media.”

Blake Lively defenders, however, have speculated that the sudden online condemnation of Lively was sparked by Baldoni himself as revenge for being labeled difficult to work with.

“Some are suggesting Justin behaves so poorly on set that he actually alienated the rest of the cast, and all of this blowback against Blake Lively is actually something that he and his team orchestrated in order to divert negative attention away from himself,” Lauren explains.

While this is just hearsay right now, it does stand to reason when you consider the fact that Baldoni “actually [hired] the same crisis PR firm that previously represented Johnny Depp during the whole Amber Heard fiasco.”

“It is true that after Justin started working with this crisis management PR team that a bunch of Blake Lively's old controversies did start appearing in headlines again,” says Lauren, pointing to the actress’ former scandals, such as her and Reynolds’ wedding venue, which used to be a plantation, an old quote from Lively when she used the term “trannies,” and an interview from 2016 during which Lively was rude to a reporter.

Regardless of Baldoni’s involvement in the dredging up of the actress’ former controversies, one thing is clear: “Blake Lively is being canceled right now.”

To hear more about the scandal, watch the clip above.

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'It Ends with Us' offers unflinching look at domestic violence



I read “It Ends with Us” based on the recommendation of my college roommate. At the time, Colleen Hoover's tale of domestic abuse and intergenerational trauma was at the peak of its popularity, and you couldn't walk into a Barnes and Noble without seeing it at the front of the store’s prominent Colleen Hoover section.

I found the writing lackluster, to say the least. But I’m a harsh judge, as I grew up exclusively reading British and American classic literature. So naturally, I had to read the sequel. I’m just a girl, after all.

Unflinchingly honest yet hopeful, 'It Ends with Us' has the potential to make a difference in the lives of viewers struggling to free themselves and their children from similar cycles of abuse.

Director Justin Baldoni's adaptation was troubled from the get-go. Early glimpses of Blake Lively as the book's protagonist dismayed women — myself among them — who could not reconcile Lively's wardrobe with how they envisioned Lily Bloom.

Delays caused by the writers' strike and rumors of tension among cast members added to the offscreen drama.

The film's marketing was also confusing, as Baldoni (who also plays Lily's love interest/tormentor, neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid) and Lively often seemed to be promoting two very different films.

Baldoni, who kept noticeably separate from the rest of the cast during the press tour, spoke about the importance about raising awareness on the topic of domestic abuse.

In stark contrast, Lively brushed off such serious questions, choosing instead to plug her hair-care line and to brag about wearing Britney Spears’ Versace dress on the red carpet. If Lively’s promotion was the only exposure you had to the story, you would be forgiven for thinking that it was a romantic comedy.

Now that "It Ends with Us" is finally in theaters, however, those intending to see it should be warned. Whatever flaws the movie may have, it is excruciatingly faithful to the book's graphic depictions of domestic violence.

Hoover is intimately familiar with such violence; she based the novel on her childhood memories of watching her father abuse her mother. This also inspired her to tell the story from a woman's perspective, a perspective Baldoni's adaptation retains.

In stark contrast to the “Fifty Shades of Gray” culture of the last decade, “It Ends with Us” does not find any titillation in abuse. “The intention was to not glorify [domestic violence] in any way,” Baldoni said. Instead, it paints a complex picture of the harsh reality many women face. “Why did she stay?” becomes less black and white. The truth is never that simple.

Like the book, the movie begins with a stereotypical, yet convincing, romance between Lily and Ryle. Bad boy meets good girl. Bad boy falls for good girl. Bad boy reforms for good girl, until you realize that he didn’t.

For Baldoni, it was crucial that the audience see his character through Lily's eyes. "This movie hinges on this relationship working and there being real love, and real romance, and real passion there. 'Cause that is what happens in real life," Baldoni told Access Hollywood, adding that:

I wanted the film to reflect Lily’s emotional journey, to be in her mind in a way that an audience can understand the complexity, and the challenge, and the situation that she was in to choose something better for herself than maybe what was chosen for her. And the only way to do that was to make Ryle a human and to protect Lily in that way.

This emotional ambiguity makes the eventual violence Lily suffers all the more horrific. I’ll spare you the details — they’re so gory it’s hard to repeat. Suffice it to say that tears were shed over the brutalization depicted.

Other elements of the film were far less effective. In particular, the pivotal moment in which Lively and Baldoni's characters first meet. Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, apparently rewrote this scene without consulting screenwriter Christy Hall.

As much as I love Reynolds, it pains me to say that his contribution stands out — and not in a good way. The dialogue is disjointed and clunky, and the banter that was supposed to have been flirtatious is just ... strange. It's truly unfortunate.

That aside, Baldoni approaches this sensitive subject with obvious care. The film's delicate cinematography and tasteful, PG-13 love scenes keep the focus on Lily's fight to break free from her abuser.

Unflinchingly honest yet hopeful, “It Ends with Us" has the potential to make a difference in the lives of viewers struggling to free themselves and their children from similar cycles of abuse.

"It Ends with Us" has partnered with the No More foundation to raise awareness about domestic violence. If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-(800)-799-SAFE.

‘It Ends with Us’ is emotional porn for women— and why that’s dangerous



If you’re a woman who hasn’t heard of the name Colleen Hoover, then you’re one of the few. Hoover is the wildly successful author of “It Ends with Us,” which is a romance novel that’s just made its film debut.

The film stars Blake Lively, and according to the Hollywood Reporter, it has brought in over $15 million in its first week.

Allie Beth Stuckey of “Relatable” also read the book but found herself needing to skip over far too many parts.

“Why? Because the books are so sexually explicit. It is pornography. It is sexual pornography, and it is also emotional pornography,” Stuckey explains. “Just because something is fiction, just because you are reading something, does not mean it is okay to consume.”

It’s not just the sexual nature of Hoover’s books that’s concerning but the feminist message she sends readers.

“If this is what women are consuming, I understand why women have the thoughts that they do,” she continues. “Not just about sex and promiscuity but also about this girlboss god of self world that women occupy, this self-empowerment, this self-savior complex.”

While the story has good elements — like Blake Lively’s character trying to escape an abusive relationship and finding solace in a man who is strong and protective in the right ways — those good elements are tainted by the overt sexuality.

“When you are writing these hot and heavy romantic scenes with a woman and her abuser, you are almost glorifying the abuse, because women unfortunately still get attached to that abusive character, and I think that is very dangerous,” Stuckey explains.

It also feeds an emotional and sexual fantasy that leads women to compare themselves and their relationships to the characters.

“This kind of emotional pornography, in addition to the sexual aspects of it, I think just makes women extremely discontent. Extremely discontent with their own life, extremely discontent with their own marriage in a way that is not even, like, grounded in reality, and also just feeds lust and fantasy,” Stuckey says.

“That does not feed into a person’s contentment and satisfaction,” she adds.


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