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Blake Lively isn’t letting recent drama dim her spotlight. In the middle of a firestorm surrounding her legal clash with It Ends with Us director Justin Baldoni, the actress turned heads for an entirely different reason: she just landed on Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025 list.
The 37-year-old actress was named in the Titans section, alongside Serena Williams, Mark Zuckerberg, Joe Rogan, Simone Biles, Lorne Michaels, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, Palantir’s Alex Karp, ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt, and fashion powerhouse Miuccia Prada.
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Even with the heat of accusations, including one from storyboard artist Talia Spencer, who told 60 Minutes Australia that Lively tried to wrest creative control from Baldoni, Blake Lively took the high road. Rather than respond to the swirl of criticism, she focused on gratitude and reflected on how meaningful it is to be seen not just for her roles, but for her voice.
Civil rights icon Sherrilyn Ifill, who once helmed the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, penned a tribute to Lively that painted a picture far removed from the tabloids. “I don’t know the Blake Lively of the red carpet. Or the Met Gala. I never watched Gossip Girl,” wrote Ifill, per DailyMail. “The Blake Lively I know is a philanthropist and a student of our country’s most intractable problems. She and her husband Ryan Reynolds reached out in 2019 to make a contribution to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.”
Their first connection stemmed from a $1 million donation Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds made to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in 2019, a gesture many saw as an attempt at redemption after their controversial plantation wedding years earlier.
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Ifill went on to add, “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.”
Lively also later reflected on her Instagram Stories about the surreal experience. “It’s an honor to be acknowledged on the @time 100 list for 2025,” she said. “I’m able to see this moment, almost looking back from the future, or looking ahead from childhood,” she added, “and from every time period I can see how profound this is to me. Not just to be included, but to have a voice.” Lively continued, “It’s a fortunate thing, when it should be a given. So thank you to time and to each of you who uplift the many who live boldly, even when it’s scary.”
This year’s Time 100 Most Influential People list includes entertainment heavyweights. The Icons section boasted names like Demi Moore, Adrien Brody, and Hiroyuki Sanada, while the Innovators group spotlighted Snoop Dogg and Jon M. Chu. Pioneers featured Rose, and the Artists category was star-studded with Ed Sheeran, Scarlett Johansson, Adam Scott, Kristen Wiig, Rashida Jones, Diego Luna, Danielle Deadwyler, Hozier, and Mohammad Rasoulof. And as for the cover stars, five of them graced this year’s magazine – Snoop Dogg, Serena Williams, Demis Hassabis, Ed Sheeran, and Demi Moore.
Demi Moore graces the cover of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. pic.twitter.com/OHeRHv1z4A
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 16, 2025
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