How Blake Lively Made TIME's 100 Most Influential People Of 2025 Despite Shattered Hollywood Image Amid $400Million 'Harassment' Case
Blake Lively has landed on TIME's 100 Most Influential List – but not everyone is too thrilled about it.
April 17 2025, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
Blake Lively's not letting the buzz of a $400million lawsuit kill her Hollywood glow.
In the heat of her courtroom feud with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, Lively pulled a power move of her own – scoring a place on TIME's 100 Most Influential List, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Lively showed gratitude over the honor on social media, specifically thanking Sherrilyn Ifill.
Named a TIME 100 "Titan," the 37-year-old joins a power-packed crew including Simone Biles, Joe Rogan, and Netflix boss Ted Sarandos.
Lively shared the news on social media, writing: "It’s an honor to be acknowledged on the @time 100 list for 2025.
"To be written about by the great @sherrilynifill is not something I take lightly. Her work has shaped our nation.
The acknowledgment comes amid Lively's massive legal battle against her 'It Ends With Us' co-star Justin Baldoni.
"WHO SHE IS - as a human, woman, mother, leader, fighter, healer, empath, risk taker and dream maker- has shaped my heart and also my stamina to never stop believing in a future that’s better and safer for everyone."
She continued: "Thank you @time And thank you @sherrilynifill for one of the most surreal and meaningful moments of my life in this honor.
"My 10 year old self is pretty blown away right now."
In a statement to TIME, civil-rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill said: "I don’t know the Blake Lively of the red carpet. Or the Met Gala. I never watched Gossip Girl.
"The Blake Lively I know is a philanthropist and a student of our country’s most intractable problems."
Ifill shared Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, first reached out in 2019 to offer a donation to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
She noted she'd been receiving similar calls as the organization's work on voter suppression and police brutality gained national traction.
What stood out to her, though, was how thoroughly Lively had prepared.
She said: "The ones I have remained in relationships with are those who, like Blake, really did their homework."
Ifill said she was immediately impressed by Lively’s curiosity and genuine effort to understand the systemic issues facing the country, describing the actress as "a serious person," a risk taker, and someone deeply committed to making progress – not just for her own kids, but for others as well.
Comments on Lively's post have been "limited," so they've been positive overall – with one person writing: "Incredible! I have always admired you standing up for what is right and her words highlight that perfectly."
Over on X, however, the response hasn't been as welcoming.
Baldoni alleged Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds conducted a smear campaign against him.
One person wrote: "The game is rigged, It’s time to flip the table."
Another slammed: "Oh she’s influential alright-esp when it comes to maliciously destroying an innocent man’s career. Takes a true narcissist to do that -Karma is coming for her."
Earlier this week, we revealed the legal war against Lively and Baldoni had taken a fresh twist over the authenticity of a subpoena.
The document was allegedly sent to Baldoni's former PR Stephanie Jones and instructed her to hand over sensitive text messages to Lively – which she did.
However, his attorneys cast doubt on whether the document was valid since it was supposedly sent out before any legal moves had been taken by either side.
Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, alleged Jones intentionally leaked private communications out of spite – aiming to tarnish the reputation and business of her former clients.
He claimed this occurred before any legitimate subpoena had been presented.
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Baldoni and Lively have clashed for months over her on-set harassment allegations and his claim she downplayed the film’s domestic abuse message.
The Gossip Girl star accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and damaging her reputation, while Baldoni countered – alleging Lively and her husband orchestrated a smear campaign to destroy his name.
The legal war against Lively and Baldoni recently took a fresh twist over the authenticity of a subpoena.
In his $400million lawsuit, Baldoni accused the New York Times of "cherry-picking" details and manipulating crucial communications to "deliberately" deceive readers.
The legal proceedings between the It Ends With Us stars are scheduled to begin in March 2026.
