Blake Lively trolled for making TIME's 100 Most Influential People List amid Justin Baldoni drama

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Blake Lively has earned a coveted spot on TIME’s 2025 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, joining high-profile names like Scarlett Johansson, Joe Rogan, and Donald Trump.

While the honor is a major career moment, the internet hasn’t been entirely kind. Some social media users sarcastically suggested her husband, Ryan Reynolds, might have ghostwritten the blurb for her.

Lively’s inclusion comes amid a legal firestorm involving her 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Justin Baldoni, whom she sued late last year, adding another layer of drama to her already headline-making year.

Attorney Sherrilyn Ifill shares a different side of Blake Lively

In a statement to TIME, civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill shared a different side of Blake Lively, as per PEOPLE.

“I don’t know the Blake Lively of the red carpet. Or the Met Gala. I never watched Gossip Girl,” Ifill wrote. “The Blake Lively I know is a philanthropist and a student of our country’s most intractable problems."

Ifill revealed that Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, reached out in 2019 to support the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, as national attention grew around issues like police brutality and voter suppression.

“I had been getting a few of these calls, as our work fighting against voter suppression and police brutality was receiving national attention,” she explained. “I’m always curious about the kind of research famous people do before they make that cold call to offer their support. The ones I have remained in relationship with are those who, like Blake, really did their homework.”

She praised Lively’s genuine curiosity and thoughtful approach, calling her “a serious person” and “a risk taker” who is committed to making meaningful change. “For her children. And for mine,” Ifill concluded.

Blake Lively mocked after being named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people

As Blake Lively made TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list, the internet quickly turned it into a trolling spree, with many mocking the 37-year-old actress.

One user jokingly questioned, "Influential to what? Hijacking movies?" Another person joked, "Influential as in “bad influence” lol" 

One speaker slammed, "They named her that because the magazine was paid for it." A Facebook user commented, "This is hilarious." Another wrote, "Maybe she had Ryan rewrite the article." 

A user quipped, "She is definitely the number 1 most influential person! She used her influence to turn the whole cast and whoever else would listen, against JB thereby stealing a movie and creating a s**t show." 

A speaker asked, "Love Blake Lively but she is a flipping actress. Not a rocket scientist! Influential, really?" Someone else questioned, "How much did she pay for that?" alongside laughing emojis. A social media user stated, "They need to re-think that list."

TIME editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs talks about the purpose behind the list

The 2025 TIME100 list features an impressive mix of influential figures from across industries, including cover stars like Demi Moore, Snoop Dogg, Serena Williams, and Ed Sheeran, alongside tech leaders such as Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.

Now in its 22nd year, the annual list continues to spotlight individuals who are shaping the world in profound ways, as per PEOPLE.

In his editor’s letter, TIME editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs reflected on the purpose behind the list: “TIME's founders knew that focusing on the individuals who are transforming the world is the best way to help readers understand it."

Jacobs went on to ask, “What does the 2025 TIME100 tell us about the forces shaping our lives?”

He noted, "It includes six members of the Trump Administration … 16 corporate CEOs, a record and a sign of the emergence of a class of business leaders who are filling a leadership void … nine leaders who are fighting for justice, equality and democracy, at a moment when the rights of so many are at stake."

He concluded by emphasizing the global scope of the list, which features individuals from 32 different countries: “Whatever change comes, we think the 2025 TIME100 will lead it."

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