Blake Lively’s 2016 press interview for “Café Society” has resurfaced after entertainment reporter Kjersti Flaa described the experience as “traumatizing” and “uncomfortable.”

In a new interview with Page Six, Flaa recalled the now-viral moment when a light comment about Lively’s pregnancy turned into a tense exchange.

Flaa said she congratulated the actress on her “little bump,” but Lively immediately clapped back with, “Congrats on your little bump.”

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Trying to move on, Flaa shifted the topic to the wardrobe in the film, but Lively reportedly responded, “Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes.”

According to Flaa, the actress and her co-star Parker Posey then began chatting with each other, leaving the journalist feeling sidelined mid-interview.

“I was just sitting there like, ‘Oh,’” Flaa said.

“I didn’t really understand all that.” She added that when she continued with her costume question, Lively and Posey again turned to one another and ignored her completely.

Blake Lively’s interview with Kjersti Flaa is a masterclass in self-sabotage.

Demeaning & rude over a simple wardrobe question and a pregnancy congratulations that was public at the time. Classic case of ego outgrowing the talent. pic.twitter.com/MsHQWp1jGS — Hanz (@fashionistaera) January 26, 2026

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At that point, Flaa said she realized the interaction had crossed into what felt like open dismissal. “I was just in shock,” she said. “At first I was like, wow, this is really uncomfortable.”

As the situation went on, she felt she could not speak up for fear of risking future opportunities. “As a journalist, you always have to take the high road,” she explained.

“I couldn’t react or walk out because I knew if I did, I would never get opportunities like that again.”

Flaa said she worried that calling out the behavior could lead to being blacklisted by publicists or studios.

“Not that I necessarily wanted to interview Blake again,” she said, “but you know, she has a publicist, and then they talk, and then they blacklist you.”

She remembered sitting quietly while her frustration and disbelief grew.

“I just sat there, and then I started getting more and more frustrated and angry and upset and all these emotions because I was like, I couldn’t believe they were actually doing it. I was just in shock.”

Reflecting on the moment now, Flaa pointed to the imbalance of power at play. “A journalist who wants to continue doing these kinds of interviews, you just have to, you know, accept these terms,” she said.

“Everyone who’s done these kinds of interviews and been in those kinds of situations knows how much pressure you have in a situation like that.”

The reporter later became entangled in a much larger situation when she was subpoenaed as part of Lively’s legal dispute with “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni.

Lively had sued Baldoni in December 2024 for sexual harassment and retaliation, while Baldoni countersued for $400 million, alleging defamation and extortion.

Baldoni’s countersuit was dismissed in June 2025, and a judge later threw out most of Lively’s claims before both sides reached a settlement in which no money was exchanged.

Flaa told Page Six she had been unsure how she would have testified had the case gone to trial but was “kind of looking forward to just poke holes in everything.”

Despite the passage of nearly a decade since the interview, Flaa said that an apology from Lively would still mean something to her.

“Blake had every opportunity to right this wrong because she clearly knew very well that this interview existed and got out there, and nothing happened,” she said.

Flaa wondered what might have changed if Lively had simply “reached out” to acknowledge the uncomfortable exchange. Representatives for both Lively and Posey did not respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.

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