Blake Lively Causes A Small Donut Shop To Face Investigation Over Alleged Health Code Violations
The small donut shop that she visited in Wilton, CT, earlier this week, is now facing an investigation and possible fines due to the 'Gossip Girl' alum working behind the counter.
In her Instagram Stories, 'The Shallows' actress shared a photo of her working at a mixer and putting treats out for the customers. 'Baking with genius food friends and their kitchen mixer the size of a car,' she wrote over the photo. 'This is what my happy place looks like.'
The problem? Lively's long blonde hair can be seen dangling over the food that she was serving to customers, which presents a health risk. She did not tie her hair back out of her face, or even put on a hairnet or hat, which means that a strand of hair could have fallen in the mixer and ended up in the food.
Many social media users took to Yelp and other platforms in order to complain about the health risks posed by Lively's hair and threatened to reach out to the health department to look into it. It turns out they did, as a spokesperson for the Wilton Health Department told TMZ that they have received numerous complaints and that the donut shop is now under investigation.
While food safety standards vary by state, The Blast learned that the restaurant can face fines or other health code violations for not wearing hair restraints, like hairnets or hats, to prevent hair from contaminating the food. Generally, all food employees who prepare, serve, or handle food or utensils must wear hair restraints; however, there are exceptions for counter staff who only serve beverages and wrapped foods. This does not apply to Lively, who was leaning over a tray of freshly baked pastries.
The company is now being monitored by Yelp due to a series of 1-star reviews. A warning at the top of the page reads, 'This business is being monitored by Yelp's Support team for content related to media reports.'
An additional pop-up message warns, 'This business recently received increased public attention, which often means people come to this page to post their views on the news. While we don't take a stand one way or the other when it comes to this incident, we've temporarily disabled the posting of content to this page as we work to investigate whether the content you see here reflects actual consumer experiences rather than the recent events.'
'Please note that we apply this same policy regardless of the business and regardless of the topic at issue,' the message continues. 'If you're here to leave a review based on a first-hand experience with the business, please check back at a later date.'
Many customers are now questioning the sanitary measures of the business if they allowed Lively to work without a hair net, especially since another woman can be seen standing in the kitchen who is also not wearing any hair restraints.
'Is it the practice at this doughnut shop to allow employees handling the food to wear their hair loose & hang a few inches above a tray of doughnuts? Why don't your employees have to wear hairnets?' one user asked. 'This does not seem sanitary.'
Several users have also questioned photos that have been shared on Instagram that show workers around the equipment without hair restraints.
Another user gave the business a big thumbs-up, writing, 'DON'T LISTEN TO RECENT 1 STAR REVIEWS - a bunch of internet trolls are upset that Blake Lively was 'baker for a day' at this Wilton locally owned donut shop! These people do NOT live in the area and have never stepped foot inside of Rise.'
'As an avid customer, I can confirm that Rise donuts are the best around!! The flavors are so unique and the donuts are well made!!' they continued. 'The staff is incredibly friendly, make you feel so welcome the moment you open the door, and the owners are always willing to support local school and sports fundraisers.'
Although it's clear that the bakery's loyal customers aren't swayed by the negative media attention, it still remains to be seen what kind of fines or other health code violations the bakery might face.
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Blake Lively breaks her silence in 2025 Lively and Reynolds kept a relatively low profile in the immediate wake of the lawsuit. However, the two have recently hinted at the drama at public events, one of which includes Lively and Reynolds's February appearance at the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary on Feb. 16 — their first public appearance together since the lawsuit broke. When asked how things were going by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Reynolds jokingly responded with 'Why? What have you heard?' Baldoni's lawyer Freedman addressed the moment on Billy Bush's podcast, calling it 'surprising' that they would joke about such serious matters. At the 2025 Time100 Gala on April 24, where Lively was an honored guest after making its list of most influential people, she spoke about using her voice for good, saying, 'Who and what we stand up for, and what we stay silent about, what we monetize versus what we actually live, matters.' She also hinted at her legal battle, stating, 'I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum.' In a May appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers to promote Another Simple Favor, Lively also spoke about using her voice for change. 'What I can say without getting too much into it is that this year has been full of the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life,' Lively told Meyers. 'And I see so many women around, afraid to speak — especially right now — afraid to share their experiences. And fear is by design. It's what keeps us silent. But I also acknowledge that many people don't have the opportunity to speak. So I do feel fortunate that I've been able to. It's the women who have had the ability to use their voice that's kept me strong and helped me in my belief and my fight for the world to be safer for women and girls.' Lively drops her emotional distress claim According to court documents, on June 2, Lively chose to withdraw her emotional distress claims against Baldoni, which came after the director's legal team requested access to Lively's medical records. They argued the records were central to her allegations of emotional distress. Baldoni's team stated that rather than hand over her records, Lively is withdrawing her emotional distress claim, court papers cited by Variety stated. However, Lively wants to withdraw the claims without prejudice, meaning she could refile them later should she change her mind — something that Baldoni's team has pushed back against. Baldoni's team argued that Lively is both refusing to disclose the documents needed to disprove that she suffered emotional distress, and/or that Baldoni and his production company were the cause. However, at the same time, she is maintaining the right to refile the claim "at an unknown time in this or some other court after the discovery window has closed.' As of now, they have reached an impasse. Lively's lawyers refuted that, stating that Baldoni's lawyers are not accurate in Lively refusing to hand over these documents. Instead, they said the team is "intentionally misleading to the Court" and that their "intended audience" for this "false record" was the public, alleging that Baldoni's lawyers are using this as a way to spin negative press about the actress. They stated that they are dropping the emotional distress claim to focus on other charges in court. 'Once again, this is a routine part of the litigation process that is being used as a press stunt. We are doing what trial lawyers do: preparing our case for trial by streamlining and focusing it; they are doing what they do: desperately seeking another tired round of tabloid coverage,' they said, according to TMZ. Lively's team stated that Lively still 'alleged emotional distress, as part of numerous other claims in her lawsuit, such as sexual harassment and retaliation, and massive additional compensatory damages on all of her claims.' Lively speaks out after Baldoni's case is dismissed Following the June 9 dismissal of Baldoni's lawsuit, Lively and her team declared a "victory." In a statement to Deadline, Lively's lawyers Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb called the ruling "a total victory and a complete vindication" for Lively, as well as Reynolds, Sloane and the New York Times. 'As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it," they said. "We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation." Lively also reacted to the news on June 9, writing in a post on Instagram, "Like so many others, I've felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While the suit against me was defeated, so many don't have the resources to fight back." She added that she is "more resolved than ever" to stand for "every woman's right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story." The actress noted that "there are protections out there," and linked to "incredible organizations" that offer information and resources. Meanwhile, on June 10, Baldoni's lawyer Freedman said in a statement to People that while the defamation-related claims were dismissed, the court has still invited them to "amend four out of the seven claims" against Lively, which Freedman alleges will "showcase additional evidence and refined allegations." He added, "This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively's own team conveniently describes as 'untraceable' because they cannot prove what never happened."
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