Comedian Hannah Berner clarifies her stance after calling Blake Lively the C-word in ill-timed roast
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Stand-up comedian Hannah Berner made a controversial joke about Blake Lively in bad-timed Netflix’s new comedy special 'Torching 2024: A Roast of the Year'.
The special streamed on Netflix from Friday, December 27. Her joke coincided with her lawsuit against her 'It Ends With Us' co-star and director Justin Baldoni, accusing him of harassment and a smear campaign.
Hannah Berner's ill-timed joke on Blake Lively
During the Netflix roast, Hannah Berner quipped, “The word c**t was trending this year. I don’t think Blake Lively was that bad,” referring to the 'Gossip Girl' alum.
The comment was amid the bad press Lively has had this year. The resurfaced clips of Lively, 37, from older interviews portrayed her in an unfavorable light.
Norwegian interviewer Kjersti Flaa shares her “nightmare” interview with Blake Lively, conducted in 2016 while Lively was promoting Woody Allen's ‘Café Society’:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 15, 2024
“Sitting down with Blake Lively and her co star Parker Posey for Cafe Society (2016) is the most uncomfortable… pic.twitter.com/E6hWzTcYYp
These included instances where Lively commented on interviewer Kjersti Flaa’s stomach “bump” and snapped at a reporter for asking about her romance with Penn Badgley, as noted by Page Six.
Hannah Berner clarifies her comments and supports Blake Lively
Hannah Berner addressed the backlash from her roast joke in an Instagram Story.
She wrote, “My joke in the Netflix roast was filmed before news of the lawsuit. To be 100 percent clear, I support Blake xoxo.”
Even Kjersti Flaa, the interviewer, had mentioned that Lively’s resurfaced clip from her interview was not part of any smear campaign against the actress following the lawsuit.
View this post on Instagram
Blake Lively accuses Justin Baldoni of destroying her via media targets
Blake Lively recently filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni accusing him of harassment and trying to damage her reputation.
Legal documents obtained by the Independent and other publications claim Baldoni and his associates orchestrated a campaign to “destroy” Lively through targeted media attacks.
The lawsuit alleges Baldoni’s team used subcontractors to create false online narratives against Lively and fed the content to reporters, causing a “pile-on” against the actress.
The complaint also references a text from Baldoni’s publicist to a studio representative, stating Baldoni “wants to feel like [Lively] can be buried,” with the other party replying, “You know we can bury anyone.”
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has since called Lively’s lawsuit “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation,” attributing her issues to her “remarks and actions during the campaign for the film.”
