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Blake Lively recently conveyed an emotionally charged narrative at the Time100 Gala, where she celebrated her mother, Willie Elain McAlpin.
In her address, Blake touched upon her ongoing legal struggles regarding “It Ends with Us,” acknowledging the challenges she has faced, but clarified, “Tonight is not the forum. What I will speak to separately is the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today.”
Standing beside her mother, Lively expressed, “My life has been profoundly shaped by my mother, Willie Elain McAlpin, an eternal optimist who constantly uplifts me with messages, encouraging me that ‘life’s just a bowl of cherries.’”
Blake emphasized that her mother is a survivor of a heinous crime against women, saying, “At her urging and unwavering bravery, she wanted me to share that she has concealed her raw and undeserved shame throughout my life. Being asked to share this story is monumental.”
Quoting fellow Time100 honoree Gisèle Pelicot, Blake stated, “It’s not for us to have shame; it’s for them.”
In a gripping revelation, Blake recounted how her mother, while raising three young children, did not receive justice after a life-threatening attack by a workplace acquaintance—an incident that occurred years before Blake’s birth. Willie has often credited her survival to a profound moment in her past when she heard another woman share her own survival story on the radio. “Because of that woman’s story, my mom was inspired to find her own strength,” Blake said. “I stand here today because of a woman whose name I’ll never know.”
Blake poignantly noted, “It is a silent torch of womanhood that we come to know, a pact that privately we must show others how to survive, whether literally or spiritually.”
Legal Battles in the Spotlight
As she concluded her speech, Lively addressed the uncomfortable reality that parents have to share with their daughters: “They will never be safe.”
She elaborated, “This advice extends to all spaces—at work, at home, online—everywhere they engage, yet why must this burden remain a private struggle?”
Continuing her theme, Blake highlighted the “superpower of female triumph,” asserting that “one should never underestimate a woman’s resilience and ability to endure pain.”
Wrapping up her address, she expressed gratitude: “Thank you to every woman whose strength has brought life to me and my four children, and to every man, including my supportive husband Ryan Reynolds, who demonstrate kindness when no one is watching.”
This poignant speech takes place against the backdrop of her ongoing legal disputes. In December, Lively initially filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, alleging sexual harassment by Justin Baldoni on set, further accusing him of a smear campaign following an article in The New York Times. In response, Baldoni filed a lawsuit against the publication, which has since denied any wrongdoing.
Both parties have exchanged legal actions, and both maintain their innocence, with a trial scheduled for March 2026.
Source
extratv.com