The airing of the show came shortly after reports emerged of Lively filing a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment. This timing did not sit well with some viewers.
In her allegations, Lively also claimed that Baldoni attempted to ‘destroy’ her reputation using ‘social manipulation.’ She provided screenshots of alleged text messages as evidence.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, along with representatives from Wayfarer Studios, responded to The Hollywood Reporter by stating the allegations are ‘categorically false.’ They criticized the claims as ‘another desperate attempt to “fix” her negative reputation,’ which they say was the result of her own comments and actions during the film’s promotional campaign, including interviews and press activities that were publicly observed and unedited.
Colleen Hoover, author of the book on which the It Ends With Us film is based, has also spoken out amid the lawsuit, along with Amber Heard.
Hannah Berner also addressed the backlash she received on social media after her joke mentioning Lively in the Netflix special, Torching 2024: A Roast of the Year.
During the special, which aired after the news of the lawsuit came to light, Berner made a quick remark about Lively.
She stated: “The word c**t was trending this year. I don’t think Blake Lively was that bad.”
This comment quickly sparked reactions on social media, with many expressing their disapproval.
One Twitter user remarked: “It’s amazing to me that women aren’t supporting Blake Lively better.”
“How is that comedy,” another added.
A third person commented: “That is not a nice word.”
Berner addressed the situation on her Instagram story, sharing a photo from the Netflix roast and writing: “My joke in the Netflix roast was filmed before news of the lawsuit. To be 100 percent clear, I support Blake xoxo.”
The Independent reported that the special was filmed on December 17 at The Bellwether in Los Angeles.