Blake Lively's History of Using an Anti-Trans Slur Sparks Renewed Outrage and Criticism

Content warning: This article includes references to anti-trans slurs.

Since the release of It Ends With Us, leading lady Blake Lively has faced intense scrutiny from online critics who have uncovered some of her most controversial moments.

From getting married on a plantation to claims that she leveraged a film about domestic abuse to market her haircare line, the situation has only worsened.

Now, many internet sleuths have also discovered numerous instances of the Gossip Girl actress using an anti-trans slur. Keep reading for all the details.

On Aug. 18, 2024, a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted a clip from a 2012 Elle interview featuring Blake Lively, where she made comments about dressing up her future children and used a defamatory word to describe transgender people.

Joshua, the user who shared the post, wrote, "Sometimes I’ll be going about my day and suddenly remember when Blake Lively said this to a journalist."

Joshua also included a photo of the quote from Blake's interview, where she told Elle, "I hope to have a few girls one day. If not girls, they better be t------s. Because I have some amazing shoes and bags and stories that need to be appreciated."

According to another X post, Blake also used the term in a 2008 Nylon TV interview with her Gossip Girl co-star Leighton Meester.

In the interview, she explained, "If you read the gossip magazines, everybody is dating everyone, everybody hates everyone, everybody's had, like, tons of plastic surgery and they're actually men and t------s. It's just like, you don’t listen to the rumors."

The X user who shared this pointed out that such vile language was more common and thoughtless in the early 2000s. "The early 2000s were a terrible time for language like this, so many people casually used these words," they said.

According to The Daily Beast, the mom of four also reportedly used the word in a 2009 interview with Allure. "I feel like a t----y a lot of the time," she told the outlet.

Blake added, "I don't know, I'm … large? They put me in six-inch heels and I tower over every man. I've got this long hair and lots of clothes and makeup on… I just feel really big a lot of the time, and I'm surrounded by a lot of tiny people. I feel like a man sometimes."

The reaction to Blake's resurfaced comments has been mixed. Many are criticizing her for using a derogatory term so casually, while others are more forgiving and suggesting that she should be given some leeway.