Blake Lively Faces More Backlash For Using A Transgender Slur In Old Interviews
By Favour Adegoke on August 19, 2024 at 2:15 PM EDT
Blake Lively is facing intense scrutiny again after a resurfaced interview sparked outrage among fans over her use of a transgender slur.
She has been at the center of a media storm following the premiere of her new movie "It Ends With Us" due to a rumored feud with her co-star, Justin Baldoni.
Since fans caught wind of the rift between the actors, old clips of Blake Lively have been shared on social media, with many picking apart the actress's behavior and mannerisms and calling her "rude."
Blake Lively Called Out For Her Use Of A Transgender Slur
sometimes ill be quietly going about my day and then ill remember the time blake lively said this to a journalist pic.twitter.com/SIHZcrlzui
— joshua 🍒 (@joshcharles_21) August 18, 2024
A fan recently uncovered a 2012 interview with Elle Magazine in which Lively made comments about dressing up her future kids, using a term that has since been widely recognized as outdated and offensive.
"Sometimes ill [sic] be quietly going about my day and then ill [sic] remember the time Blake lively said this to a journalist," the user captioned their post on X.
The fan then shared an image of her quote: "I hope to have a few girls one day. If not girls, they better be tr-nnies. Because I have some amazing shoes and bags and stories that need to be appreciated."
Fans Are Divided Over The Actress's Use Of The Controversial Word
The "Gossip Girl" alum garnered the ire of fans for using the transgender slur, which has been deemed defamatory by some members of the trans community, per GLAAD.
A user wrote, "I nearly choked on my shredded wheat because EXCUSE ME?!" while another said, "There is a difference between offensive vs hateful in my book. This borders on offensive [in my opinion], not hateful."
However, some fans defended the 36-year-old actress, arguing that she meant no harm and that the word was probably not wrong to use at the time.
She said it again here too. The early 2000s were a terrible time for language like this, so many people casually used these words. pic.twitter.com/cK8VLH3gFN
— alli. ✨ (@AlliApplebum) August 18, 2024
"I'm kinda her biggest critic/hater right now, but I must say that the word 'tranny' wasn't seen as derogatory back in those days. It was just short for transexual," a user noted.
Another user wrote, "I love how she'll support her child even if she's trans as long as she can hand her down her clothes."
A third X user said, "This isn't really a problem. That's how everyone referred to the trans community back then. If you're gonna fault her, you gotta fault the entire world because that's just what it was back then."
Blake Lively Has Been Under Fire Recently For Several Past Interviews
She recently came under fire from netizens after she appeared to be unappreciative of a fan who gifted her a friendship bracelet.
A viral TikTok video showed the moment when an unseen person gifted her a pink beaded bracelet at the London premiere of "It Ends With Us" earlier this month. However, instead of keeping it, Lively thanked the fan and then handed the gift to someone else.
"Thank you so much. That's so sweet. I'm going to put it here because it doesn't go with my outfit, but I will wear it later," Lively told the gift-giver.
Meanwhile, when her co-star Isabela Ferrer received her friendship bracelet, she immediately tried it on.
"Thank you! Oh my God, I'm going to put it on," Ferrer told the fan.
She was also slammed for a resurfaced "hard to watch" interview with a journalist where she was labeled "rude," as well as another conversation with reporter Kjersti Flaa, who interviewed her and her "Café Society" co-star, Parker Posey, in 2016, calling the conversation a "nightmare."
Flaa called the interview "the most uncomfortable … situation" she has ever experienced, adding that Lively made her "want to quit" her job.
The Actress Is Reportedly Feuding With Her Co-Star Justin Baldoni
Lively's media scrutiny comes amid reports of an alleged feud with her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director Justin Baldoni.
There have been rumors of tension between the pair on the set of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel, as Baldoni allegedly felt "hurt and sidelined."
According to TMZ, insiders claim Lively believes Baldoni crossed the line several times, for instance, when he brought up her weight on set.
The actor has a history of back problems and was preparing to lift Lively in the air for a scene but had to ask his on-set trainer how much she weighed and how he could train to protect himself from pain.
When the news got out, the actress reportedly felt "fat shamed" and bothered as she had just given birth to her and Ryan Reynold's fourth child.
Blake Lively Will Not Publicly Address The On-Set Drama
Another incident between Lively and Baldoni that is said to have caused tension on set was a kissing scene.
The actor allegedly made his co-star feel "uncomfortable" as she felt he lingered longer than he should have.
However, sources close to Baldoni slammed this claim, saying that the actor would never intentionally make anyone uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, insiders told TMZ that Lively is not ready to weigh in on the matter and is trying to put the beef behind her to focus on other cast members and her loved ones.