EXCLUSIVE: 'Fired' Met Staffer Reveals 'Surprising' Run-In With Blake Lively and the One Celebrity Who 'Was Not Friendly' At All
Blake Lively had a 'surprising' encounter with a now-fired Met Gala staffer.
May 5 2025, Published 1:15 p.m. ET
Former Met Gala staffer Eugenio Casnighi has revealed how his encounter went down with Blake Lively – before she became one of the most controversial stars in the industry – and also sheds light on one celebrity who wasn't exactly happy with anyone behind the scenes.
Casnighi was fortunate enough to attend the biggest fashion event for several years before being giving the boot due to "looking too good," RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Lively was incredibly 'genuine' according to a now former Met Gala staffer
Before being fired, Casnighi – who worked the Met Gala in 2022 and 2023 – was able to have an interaction with Lively that left him shook.
"One person that surprised me, although she’s a bit on the spot now, was Blake Lively. She’s crazy nice in person," the Italian model said in a recent interview.
He continued: "I’ve seen her at another event I attended, it was for Tiffany, but it was my second time seeing her. She’s the only person that went backstage to say hi to everyone and there were no cameras.
"She was nice to everyone. I don’t know the current situation with her right now, but personally, in real life, she seems very genuine and nice to everyone. She wasn’t pretending."
Eugenio Casnighi had nothing but praise for Lively – years before her 'It Ends With Us' controversy.
However, Casnighi couldn't same the same for Puerto Rican entertainer Bad Bunny: "The one person that disappointed me the most was Bad Bunny. He wasn’t friendly with people in the background at all.”
Casnighi was all set to work the gala again in 2024 – as Kylie Jenner's escort – but was fired just three days before the event. Just a year prior, Casnighi's good looks made him go viral, and according to him that's the reason he was let go.
He said on TikTok at the time: "So basically they said, 'You made it about yourself so we can't have you work there anymore."
In the new interview, however, Casnighi had more thoughts on his termination: "A lot of people took me as this ‘Mastermind,' where they think I'm trying to be seen. But the majority of other people realized that I’m just standing there, being paid to do my job.
"A lot of Kardashian haters told me I did the best thing ‘using’ them because they use everybody. They loved me for kind of ‘taking her moment’, but that wasn’t the case.”
Bad Bunny had the opposite impact on Casnighi – he claimed the rapper was 'not friendly at all.'
As for Lively, plenty has changed for the movie star since her previous Met Gala appearance. In December 2024, the 37-year-old filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.
Among Lively's accusations, she noted a specific dance scene in the Colleen Hoover adaptation, in which she said Baldoni made indecent comments about the perfume she was wearing and went off-script by kissing her neck.
Baldoni would respond with his own $400million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Not only have plenty of fans sourced on the Gossip Girl actress, but a lot of fellow stars are said to as well – with longtime pal Hugh Jackman being begged to stay away from Lively.
Jackman recently crossed paths with Lively and Reynolds, 48, on the red carpet at the screening of the Another Simple Favor and was seen hugging the couple before posing for a snap.
"You look great together but Ryan is trouble, might wanna stay away from that side for a while," one concerned fan said after the public appearance.
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'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni Baldoni filed a $400million countersuit against Lively and Ryan Reynolds.
Another added: "... Very disappointing that (Jackman) is co-signing this behavior."
The trial between Lively and Baldoni is set to begin in March 2026.
