Anne Hathaway is torched by fans over smug photo with Blake Lively at Met Gala… just hours after star settled Justin Baldoni legal war

Photos of Anne Hathaway posing with Blake Lively at Monday’s star-studded Met Gala are facing heated reactions online.

Lively made a shocking appearance at the annual party held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, just hours after wrapping up her explosive legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star/director Justin Baldoni.

After ascending the Met’s iconic stairs in a colorful Atelier Versace gown, Lively entered the museum, where she mingled with Hathaway.

A photo of Lively flashing a beaming smile with her perfectly spray-tanned arm around Hathaway’s shoulders was posted on Variety to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday morning.

The post quickly gained traction as fans chastised Hathaway for cozying up to Lively, whose allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation against Baldoni went public in December 2024.

‘Stay away from him, Mother! One X user tweeted, along with another writing: ‘Disgusting. Did you think Anne was trying to get the public to love her again?’

‘Wow. Shame on you, Anne,” wrote one disappointed fan.

Referring to Lively as a ‘bully and liar’, another user X wrote: ‘We have lost all respect for Anne Hathaway for posing with Hollywood’s biggest bully and liar.’

Many people threatened to boycott seeing The Devil Wears Prada 2 in theaters due to Hathaway ‘ruining’ the film by collaborating with Lively.

‘Perfect timing for this photo of Anne Hathaway smiling with Blake Lively! This weekend I was trying to decide between going to see The Devil Wears Prada 2 or cleaning the gutters. ‘Where are those industrial-strength garbage bags?’, one cruel tweet read. it said.

Some fans accused Lively of using Hathaway for ‘influence’ due to the actress’s rise in popularity during the release of The Devil Wears Prada sequel.

Others jokingly speculated that Hathaway was being held ‘hostage’ by Lively and that the photo may have been taken against her wishes.

‘Poor Anne couldn’t escape him in time…’ one commenter wrote, while another added: ‘Blake will catch everyone who sided with him!!!’

According to photos currently available from the 2026 premiere, Hathaway was just one of three people who spent time with Lively at the event.

A photo of Lively flashing a beaming smile with her perfectly spray-tanned arm around Hathaway’s shoulders was published by Variety to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday morning.

The post quickly gained traction as fans scolded Hathaway for getting close to Lively

Lively and Hathaway were seen with designer Michael Kors (right) and husband Lance LePere (left) at the 2026 premiere.

Designer Michael Kors, who created Hathaway’s custom, hand-painted dress, and her husband, Lance LePere, agreed to pose for a photo with Lively at the museum, along with Hathaway.

Most images of Lively at the Met Gala were of her explosive red carpet return; This came as a surprise to many fans who watched the event from home via Vogue’s livestream.

His appearance comes as Baldoni has finally reached a settlement with his production company Wayfarer Studios and his PR agency over allegations of retaliation and breach of contract related to their 2024 film It Ends With Us.

Lively gave no hint of the off-screen drama as she looked completely at ease in a dazzling archival Atelier Versace gown from the brand’s Spring 2006 collection.

But during a red carpet interview, the Gossip Girl star claimed she was ‘shy’ and wished she and husband Ryan Reynolds’ four children had accompanied her.

“I’m shy, I just like having my kids around me,” Lively said, revealing watercolor drawings of each of her children in her custom-made purse: James, 11, Inez, 9, Betty, 6, and Olin, 3.

Her interview came shortly after Lively and Baldoni’s teams’ joint statement regarding the lawsuit settlement was made public.

It Ends With Us continued to be a ‘source of pride’ for everyone who worked to bring it to life, highlighting its mission to raise awareness for victims of domestic violence.

Lively made a shocking appearance at the annual bash at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, just hours after wrapping up her explosive legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star/director Justin Baldoni.

The Gossip Girl star looked unbothered as she ascended the iconic steps of the Met in a colorful Atelier Versace gown.

Meanwhile, Hathaway attended the starry bash in a custom, hand-painted Michael Kors dress.

‘We acknowledge that the process presents challenges and recognize that the concerns raised by Ms Lively deserve to be heard. “We are firmly committed to workplaces free from improprieties and unproductive environments,” they added.

The statement did not include an apology from either party, which has been locked in a complicated court battle since December 2024, when Lively first launched her multimillion-dollar lawsuit.

Instead, Baldoni and Lively’s teams said they ‘sincerely hope this will bring closure and allow everyone involved to move forward constructively and peacefully, including in a respectful environment online’.

Wayfarer, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, and The Agency Group (TAG PR) are said to be very pleased with the way this issue was resolved.

The surprise settlement comes after a judge last month sensationally rebutted Lively’s lawsuit, dismissing ten of her 13 claims, including all allegations of sexual harassment.

The trial was still set to begin on May 18, but covered only three crimes: retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and violation of an agreement known as the Covenant Rider.

The decision also meant that Baldoni was no longer the named defendant in the case.

On Monday, Lively finally reached a settlement with Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, and her PR agency over allegations of retaliation and breach of contract related to her 2024 film It Ends With Us.

Instead, Wayfarer, along with the company he founded for It Ends With Us and TAG PR, would be prosecuted for the alleged ‘smear campaign’ against Lively. He denied the allegations.

Baldoni and Wayfarer filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing them of insult and extortion. The judge dismissed the allegations last June.

Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2016 best-selling novel, which begins as a romance and takes a dark turn toward domestic violence, It Ends With Us was published in August 2024.

The film exceeded box office expectations with $50 million.