Blake Lively, 37, gets a strong show of support from her family including rarely seen sister Lori, 58, at premiere

Daily Mail​

28-04-2025

Blake Lively made the rare move of posing with her family at the Sunday premiere of her new movie, Another Simple Favor, held at Jazz inside the Lincoln Center in New York City.
The Hollywood looker had her arms around her older sister Robyn, 53, who is on both Lioness and Landman. She has also played Ms Byland in the Blake's movie It Ends With Us.
And she was also with Robyn's husband Bart Johnson, 54, who is also an actor. He is best known for his role as Coach Jack Bolton in the High School Musical film series.
They brought their pretty red-headed daughter Isabela Ferrer, 20.
Also there was Blake's 58-year-old sister Lori Lively, actress, television co-host/designer, and acting coach. She is best known for Dead Space.
Then there was Blake's 77-year-old mother Willie Elain McAlpin, who stood out in a floral-print dress with black platform heels.
And her husband Ryan Reynolds was by her side as well.
The 37-year-old Gossip Girl star commanded attention in a plunging light blue gown, which hugged every inch her hourglass figure.
She accessorized the floor-length dress, which featured a criss-cross design across the bodice that dipped down to her hips, with a pair of statement earrings and several sparkly pink bracelets from Lorraine Schwartz.
For the occasion, the actress wore her long blonde hair in romantic waves, nude lip gloss and a glamorous makeup look.
She was joined by her husband, 48, who appeared every inch the doting husband as he stood by her side on the red carpet in a grey suit and brown loafers.
Lively and her husband, who recently attended the Time100 Gala together, looked every bit the loved-up couple as they worked the red carpet, with the Deadpool star putting on a charming display as he turned the spotlight onto his wife.
They shared loving gazes at one another and looked picture perfect as Lively rested her hand on his torso and he the small of her back.
Also in attendance was Lively's Another Simple Favor co-star Anna Kendrick, whom she is rumored to be embroiled in a feud with.
Blake and Anna notably kept some distance while promoting Another Simple Favor at SXSW, fueling suspicions of tension between them.
One bone of contention is said to be over billing for the movie, while it has also been claimed that Kendrick is upset Lively's legal ordeal with Justin Baldoni has been overshadowing their new film.
The film is a sequel to the 2018 film and brings back Lively and Anna Kendrick
However the A-listers set their alleged differences aside to hit the red carpet.
Anna worked a bedazzled white crop top, flowing trousers, and platform heels.
They were also joined by their director, Paul Feig, who previously dispelled feud claims between the leading ladies.
He posed in between the women and sported a suit, glossy scarf, and his usual smart glasses.
Blake and Anna have returned to their roles of Emily Nelson and Stephanie Smothers respectively for their anticipated film Another Simple Favor, the sequel to their 2018 film A Simple Favor.
It's set for release on May 1.
The premise, 'Follows Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily's extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman,' per IMDB.
The premiere comes after Lively was hit by widespread backlash for her speech at the Time100 Gala on Thursday night.
Ryan accompanied his wife to Thursday's event held at Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York City, where she was honoured as one of the magazine's most influential people of the year.
In her speech, Blake alluded to her legal war with former co-star Justin and also revealed her mother's past assault by a 'work acquaintance.'
'I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum,' she said, hinting at her ongoing bitter court battle with Baldoni, whom she accused of sexual harassment, which he denied.
Instead, she decided to speak about 'the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today.'
Blake shared that her life was 'influenced most' by her mother, Willie Elaine McAlpin, who was the 'survivor of the worst crime someone can commit against a woman.'
She said: 'My mom never got justice from her work acquaintance who attempted to take her life when she was the mother of three young kids years before I was born.'
Blake stated that her mother credited a woman who shared a 'similar circumstance' on the radio with saving her life.
'The woman painfully and graphically shared how she escaped. And because of hearing that woman speak about her experience instead of shutting down in fear and unfair shame, my mom is alive today. She was saved by a woman whose name she'll never know.'
She then called womanhood a 'pact that privately we must show others how to survive, literally or spiritually.'
'We don't let our daughters know, but one day we break their hearts by letting them in on the secret that we kept from them as they pranced around in princess dresses that they are not and will likely never be safe at work, at home, in a parking lot in a medical office, online — in any space they inhabit physically, emotionally, professionally.'
Blake called the 'superpower of female triumph' a 'basic human right,' and added, 'Never underestimate a woman's ability to endure pain.'
While she also paid tribute to Ryan, as she thanked 'every man, including my sweet husband, who are kind and good when no one is watching.'
But viewers were left unimpressed by the speech, taking to social media to blast Blake for sharing her mother's trauma as an 'obvious PR move' amid her ongoing feud with Baldoni.
Many fans criticized the star for using her mother's ordeal in the speech, after remaining silent on domestic violence while promoting It Ends With Us — directed by and co-starring Baldoni — which portrayed an abusive relationship.
'Oh so now she is using her Mother's SA to be likable??? But in August she didn't mention DV when promoting a movie about DV. Interesting…' one person wrote.
'Blake Lively used her Time100 speech to reveal her mother is a rape survivor—an obvious PR move to align with SA victims. Yet, with that personal connection to trauma, she still couldn't figure out how to market a movie about DV? What's next for her, a Peace Nobel Prize?' another added.
'Why wasn't she having these speeches when she was promoting the movie?? Instead she was promoting alcohol and naming drinks after the characters. don't understand why they keep giving her a platform.'
'My mom is a victim so I know suffering too? What is the point in telling mom's story?' another person questioned.
Elsewhere in her speech, Blake discussed being an honouree 'in a time where the most valuable currency seems to be anger, it feels like an act of defiance to commune and celebrate all the good that is alive in the world.'
As for being called influential, she said: 'How we use that matters. Who and what we stand up for, and what we stay silent about, what we monetize versus what we actually live, matters.'