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Blake Lively’s sister Robyn has responded to a comment from a fan about the “negative” backlash the actor has been hit with.
The 52-year-old took to Instagram on August 25 to share a sweet tribute to her sister, in honor of Blake’s 37th birthday. In the comments of the post, one fan praised and defended Blake, who’s been hit with criticism for her “tone-death” approach to the It Ends with Us press tour, considering that it is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book about domestic violence and abuse.
“Blake is such a lovely human being!! I hope she knows that the multitudes of people who love her so much is greater than the negative voices,” the fan wrote in the comments. “Happy birthday Blake!!”
Robyn didn’t hesitate to respond and agree with this comment, writing: “Thank you for this,” alongside a red heart and raising hands emoji.
Another fan also commented on the post, calling it a “post about Blake [they] can get behind,” before criticizing the negative press she’s received. “The ridiculous media has tried so hard to bring her down, I’m glad she is holding her head high & ignoring the negativity! Happy Birthday Mamacita! Enjoy it, bask in it, take a load off and run wild ladies x.”
Robyn also responded to this remark, simply writing: “The best, thank you so much,” alongside three red heart emojis.”
In her initial posts, Robyn shared a series of photos of the two siblings, including a throwback picture of Blake on her back. She went on to gush over their bond in the caption.
“That’s my bday queen right there! I love this girl, my sister, my best friend, my little piggy back buddy! You are one of the best humans I know. HAPPY birthday sissy britches!” she wrote.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Blake and Robyn for comment.
Last month, Blake first came under fire for her approach to promoting her movie, It Ends With Us, in which she plays flower shop owner Lily Bloom, who is a victim of domestic violence and abuse during her relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (played by Justin Baldoni).
After watching some of her different interviews, social media users claimed that Blake appeared to be adopting a light-hearted, humorous tone, without explicitly addressing her character’s experience of abuse. Criticism has focused on Lively promoting her new haircare line during her movie tour, encouraging cinemagoers to “bring their florals” in an echo of the “wear pink” trend around Barbie last year, and for avoiding explicit mention of domestic violence.
The news also came amid rumors of an ongoing feud between Blake and Baldoni, while the director is reported to have hired Johnny Depp’s crisis manager, and PR veteran Melissa Nathan, according to Deadline.
Amid the criticism, Blake shared a message to her Instagram Stories on August 13 about domestic violence, writing: “One in 4 women aged 18 and older in the US alone have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Intimate partner violence affects all genders, including more than 12 million people every year in the United States. Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence.”
As Blake was raising eyebrows, Norwegian journalist, Kjersti Flaa, shared a 2016 interview with Lively and Parker Posey about their movie, CaféSociety, with the title: “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.” Since the interview has gone viral, Blake has been heavily criticized for her response to Flaa, who’d addressed how the Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants alum had recently announced that she was pregnant with her and husband Ryan Reynolds’ second baby.
Flaa began the interview by congratulating the actor on her “little bump” after which Blake sarcastically responded: “Congrats on your little bump.” Posey appeared to attempt to diffuse the tension by showing off her backside “bump.” From there, Blake went on to speak about the actor’s “lovely lady lumps” as Flaa waited to begin the interview.
Shortly after the interview went viral, Flaa revealed that at the time of that conversation, she was having issues with infertility. “To be honest, it hurts because I obviously wasn’t pregnant and I could never get pregnant. So to me, that comment was like a bullet,” she told Daily Mail on August 16.
Two days before her 37th birthday on August 25, Blake was spotted at a star-studded party with her best friend, Taylor Swift. According to pictures shared by Page Six, Blake was seen exchanging a kiss with her husband outside of Swift’s house in Rhode Island on August 23. Photos captured by TMZ showed that the house party included the “Fortnight” singer’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and one of his Kansas City Chiefs teammates, Patrick Mahomes. Patrick’s wife, Brittany Mahomes, and their three-year-old daughter Sterling were also spotted at the beach house.
