Blake Lively revealed her cousin had joined her at the Met Gala after she was seen snapping at helpers. While walking up the Met steps on Monday, the actress, 38, appeared to be fretting over her dramatically long dress and was captured directing her squad into position during the big moment.
Family Support on the Red Carpet
Afterwards, she went on social media and named one of her helpers, revealing that one of them was actually her relative. On the same day it was revealed that Lively and her It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni reached a settlement after their legal statement — though she made no mention of those events online.
She took to her Instagram Story to repost a series of photos and videos showing off her look for the star-studded soiree with the 'Costume Art' theme and the 'Fashion Is Art' dress code. In her posts, she also shed insight on how 'not lightweight' the train of her gown was and also revealed that one of the helpers assisting her with the glamorous garment was her family member.
A Gown Fit for the Met
For Fashion's Biggest Night, Lively was dressed in a show-stopping archival Atelier Versace gown from the brand's Spring 2006 collection. Footage of Lively at the event showed her climbing the steps with four people assisting her and trying to unfurl her train. One of the men helping her started to lift up the skirt, seemingly mistaking her getting ready to pose as her trying to move up the steps. At that moment, she turned over her shoulder and put her hand out toward the skirt to indicate that she wanted it where it was. She appeared to have to instruct him to pull the skirt away from her and to let it drag on the floor, as he steps back and places the fabric back down after the tense encounter.
As she continued walking, one single helper, her cousin, remained at her side while the other three fell back. After successfully making her way up to the top, she took to Instagram to reveal that the one who stuck closely by her side the whole time was her 'sweet' cousin. She drew an arrow pointing at one of three suited-up men lifting the long train and tagged William Blake McAlpin. In her post, the Gossip Girl alum referred to him as 'my sweet angel gorgeous cousin,' who is a photographer, according to his Instagram bio.
Behind the Scenes
She also explained in follow-up Instagram Story posts that the train of her dress was 'not lightweight.' She insinuated that she required assistance to climb the steps and pose the dress for photos. It appeared to be a rare diva moment from the Hollywood icon who usually displays a sunny demeanor. As he adjusted the train of the dress and tried to give her an arm to hold on to for balance, Lively turned back to him and seemingly waved him away so she could pose for photographs.
Although several commenters joked about Lively's demeanor, others rose to her defense and said her 'bossiness' did not appear to be anything to blink at. 'It looks to me like she's instructing the people who are hired to assist celebrities on the carpet how to help or not help with her dress,' one person wrote on social media at the time. 'Not mean or bossy just delegating like a boss.' After Lively told the attendants how to fix her train, she smiled at them and thanked them for taking care of her.
Settlement with Justin Baldoni
Her return to the red carpet came just hours after she settled her legal battle with her former It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni — in an agreement in which no money changed hands, the Daily Mail has learned. Just hours before she was set to arrive at the Met Gala, the Daily Mail reported that Lively had finally reached a settlement with Wayfarer Studios, as well as Baldoni's PR agency, over claims of retaliation and breach of contract relating to their 2024 movie It Ends With Us.
