Blake Lively attends Met Gala solo hours after Justin Baldoni settlement
Blake Lively admitted she was "shy" on the Met Gala red carpet, as she appeared without her husband Ryan Reynolds.
Blake Lively attended the Met Gala alone hours after announcing her settlement with Justin Baldoni.
The 38-year-old actress, who has been locked in a high-profile legal dispute with her It Ends With Us co-star, 42, since December 2024, stunned on the red carpet and admitted she was missing her children as she stepped out shortly after she and Justin released a joint statement two weeks before both parties were set to go to trial in New York.
Blake was seen without her husband Ryan Reynolds on Monday (04.05.26) as she appeared in a pastel Atelier Versace gown.
Speaking on the red carpet, Blake explained her custom handbag, which featured watercolour drawings by kids James, 11, Inez, nine, Betty, six, and three-year-old Olin.
She said: "I'm shy, I just like to have my kids with me."
Reflecting on the outfit, Donatella Versace hailed the "iconic" ensemble.
The fashion icon told Vogue magazine: “Blake looks stunning in archive Atelier Versace. She has had so many iconic Versace moments at the Met, and tonight is no exception.”
The pastel dress, which featured a 13-foot train, was inspired by 18th-century Venetian Rococo paintings and came with a draped bodice covered in gemstones.
The gown was from the fashion house's spring 2006 collection, while she completed the look with custom Lorraine Schwartz jewellery, and Christian Louboutin heels.
This year's theme was Costume Art, while Vogue reports that the red carpet was designed to create a "romantic atmosphere in which guests are immersed in a scene fit for a work of art".
Lively continued her own Met Gala trend, as her pastel dress perfectly complemented the colours of the carpet.
Back in 2022, she opened up on the tradition, and joked there was "a lot of pressure" to keep it up.
She told Vogue at the time: "This has become a thing. I did an Instagram post where I said, ‘When the carpet matches the Blakes instead of the drapes.'
“It's just been a crazy thing every year where I match the carpet."
In 2022, she was hosting, and insisted she needed to keep up the pattern.
She added: "This year, I'm actually hosting, and I went to Anna [Wintour] beforehand and I said, ‘Anna, there's a lot of pressure. I really need to match the carpet this year because we've set a precedent.' ”
This year, Lively attended shortly after her and Baldoni's joint statement confirming their out-of-court settlement.
They said: "The end product — the movie It Ends With Us — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind.
"We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognise concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.
"It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online."
Terms of the settlement have not been made public, but the trial has now been scrapped.
The legal dispute began in December 2024, when Blake accused Justin - who also directed It Ends With Us - of sexual harassment and co-ordinating a smear campaign against her.
Justin - who played Blake's on-screen love interest in the movie - and his Wayfarer Studios production company subsequently countersued the actress and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing the Hollywood couple of defamation and extortion.
In April, a judge dismissed Blake's sexual harassment claims in her lawsuit, with most of the claims in the lawsuit thrown out on jurisdictional grounds.
The judge determined that Blake was an independent contractor rather than an employee, meaning she could not bring sexual harassment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans workplace discrimination on the basis of gender.
Prior to that, Justin's claims against Blake and Ryan, 49, of defamation and extortion were dismissed by a judge.
