Blake Lively has revealed that her mother, Willie Elain McAlpin, was assaulted by a co-worker years before she was born.
Lively is currently embroiled in a highly publicized legal fight with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, who she claims sexually harassed her on set. Baldoni denies Lively’s claims and alleges that his co-star orchestrated a PR campaign to destroy his reputation.
Accepting her honoree nomination at last night’s Time100 Gala in New York, Lively said that at her mother’s “urging and unwavering bravery, she wanted me to share with you that she is a survivor of the worst crimes someone can commit against a woman.”
The Gossip Girl alum said McAlpin, who was present at the gala, “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.
“She has always credited her beating heart today with the story she heard from another woman in a similar circumstance, speaking on the radio as my mom drove home one day,” she continued.
“The woman painfully and graphically shared how she escaped, and because of hearing that woman speak to 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. I am alive, and standing with you all here today, being honored, because of a woman whose name I’ll never know. I am here, my mom is here, because that woman not only survived, but she told others how.”
While not mentioning Baldoni by name, Lively told the Time 100 crowd: “I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum.”
Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, was also present at the Jazz at Lincoln Center on Thursday evening.
Her speech comes after reports that the couple’s friends, Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman, could be subpoenaed as part of the legal trial against Baldoni, which is currently set for March 9, 2026.
People reported Wednesday that a source with knowledge of the case claimed: “Anyone that had any knowledge of this situation will be subpoenaed, no matter of their celebrity status.”
However, the same publication also quoted an insider who disputed the idea, arguing that neither Swift nor Jackman are “privy to anything going on” and claiming that the suggestion they could be involved is a form of “smoke and mirrors… trying to distract from the allegations against Baldoni.”
Representatives for Lively, Baldoni, Swift, and Jackman did not respond to The Independent’s requests for comment.
Lively filed her initial suit against Baldoni in December 2024, accusing the director of sexual harassment during filming and organizing a “smear campaign” against her in the months that followed.
Baldoni has denied the accusations and filed a countersuit on January 16, accusing Lively and Reynolds of attempting to “destroy” his reputation and career.
His lawyers have also accused Reynolds of mocking Baldoni through the “Nicepool” character in his recent movie Deadpool & Wolverine.
Baldoni is also suing The New York Times for libel over its reporting of Lively’s claims.
