Hollywood actress Blake Lively made a solo appearance at the Met Gala 2026, just hours after settling her multi-million dollar lawsuit with 'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni. The actress walked the red carpet in an archival 2006 Atelier Versace multi-colored pastel gown, reportedly inspired by Venetian Rococo paintings and Baroque churches. She ascended the iconic stairs alone, smiling and waving to photographers.
Settlement Details
Her appearance at the Met came moments after news broke that she had settled her years-long legal battle with Baldoni, thus avoiding a costly civil trial scheduled for May 18. In a joint statement released through their lawyers, the two said: 'Raising awareness and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors—and all survivors—is a goal that we stand behind.' They added: '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.'
Legal Background
The co-stars turned courtroom adversaries settled the civil case two weeks before they were to go to trial in New York. Lively had claimed that Baldoni conspired with publicists to preemptively destroy her reputation after she privately accused him of sexually harassing her on the movie set. Baldoni denied harassing her or orchestrating a smear campaign. The settlement came after a federal judge in Manhattan dismissed some claims from each actor. Last June, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni's defamation and extortion lawsuit. In April, he threw out Lively's sexual harassment claims, ruling that she could not pursue them under federal law because she was an independent contractor rather than an employee on the set.
In their joint statement, the parties recognized that Lively's concerns 'deserved to be heard' and that they 'remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.'
