Blake Lively is under fire after making a “cruel and inappropriate” joke about her Gossip Girl co-star Leighton Meester in a resurfaced clip.
In a viral TikTok video taken from an undated panel discussionthe 37-year-old actress – who is currently embroiled in a bitter legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni – makes a cutting comment about Leighton’s birth in prison.
Blake sits next to 38-year-old Leighton and the rest of the Gossip Girl cast and says, “Well, some of us started in a cage.”
As she makes the savage joke, she waves her hand in Leighton’s direction.
After her joke fails to amuse the audience, Blake adds, “Come on, it was a joke!” Lord, have mercy.”
Social media users were shocked by Blake’s attempt at a joke and accused her of “being mean.”
In response to the comments, one person said: ‘Making a joke at someone’s expense is telling that you have a low class mentality.’
“Always joking BUT actually being mean,” said another.
Blake Lively is under fire after making a joke about her Gossip Girl co-star Leighton Meester in a resurfaced clip
Leighton was born while her mother, Constance, was in prison
A third added: “She didn’t do it… that’s exhausted.”
A fourth continued: ‘Always joking but no one laughs.’
“She also waved her hands in Leighton’s direction when she said it,” another noted.
Leighton was born while her mother, Constance, was in prison and was raised by her grandmother until she was released in 1995.
Constance was convicted of drug trafficking in 1985 and served 10 years in a Texas state prison for her involvement in a drug smuggling ring that brought large quantities of marijuana into the US from Jamaica.
Blake and Leighton headlined the CW series Gossip Girl for its six seasons and 121 episodes from 2007 to 2012.
Created by Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, the teen drama focused on a group of wealthy teens on the Upper East Side of New York City, with a gossip blogger (Kristen Bell) narrating the story.
Together, Blake and Leighton played the respective roles of Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf in the series, which also starred Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford and Kelly Rutherford.
Leighton and Blake starred opposite each other on the CW series Gossip Girl
The actresses were not friends during the show’s six seasons
Fans were shocked by Blake’s attempt at a joke in the resurfaced clip
After the show, executive producer Joshua Safran told Vanity Fair that the two actresses were not friends.
In an August 2017 article commemorating the show’s 10th anniversary in Vanity Fair, he compared the duo to their respective characters, saying, “They were friendly, but they weren’t friends like Serena and Blair.”
The artists had very different personalities, he told the publication: “Blake is very much in the moment. Blake knows what’s happening.
“You’re talking to Blake on a very contemporary level, and she’d say, ‘I’m doing this tonight. Have you been to this restaurant?’
Blake has accused her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating a toxic work environment
Justin is suing the New York Times and has plans to contradict Blake
Leighton, on the other hand, had a “very removed and very quiet” demeanor, and that “after her scenes were done, she wandered around the stage.”
Blake has dominated headlines in recent weeks after accusing her It Ends With Us co-star Justin of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment while filming the Colleen Hoover movie.
Justin has filed a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, which reported Blake’s initial complaint, and his attorney has stated that he also plans to counter Blake himself.
While Justin’s career has collapsed, Blake – whose husband is Hollywood chart-topper Ryan Reynolds – has seen former colleagues speak out publicly in her favor.