Hours After Settling With Justin Baldoni, 'Gossip Girl' Star Walked the Met Gala Solo
After four years off the steps, Blake Lively returned to the Met Gala on Monday night, May 4, walking the "Fashion Is Art" carpet in a pastel Atelier Versace gown. Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, did not attend.
The 38-year-old Gossip Girl alum wore a draped bodice covered in gemstone embroidery and shades of powdery pink, yellow, coral, peach and lilac. The dress's long train swept the museum's stairs as she made her way up. The look fit the night's "Fashion Is Art" theme, which asked guests to treat the body as a canvas.
A Sweet Touch From Her Kids
Lively paired the gown with a custom Judith Leiber Couture clutch decorated with original artwork made by her four children. The wholesome detail landed days before Mother's Day on May 10.
A Settlement Just Hours Before
Lively's appearance came just hours after she and her It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldonireached a settlement in their long-running legal dispute, avoiding a trial that had been scheduled for May 18.
Lively and Baldoni issued a joint statement Monday through their attorneys, calling the film "a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life" and acknowledging that "concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard." Lively originally sued Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of harassment and retaliation on the set of the film. He countersued in January 2025 before his case was dismissed, and her trial was set for May 18 before the settlement.
The Met Gala has been Lively's home turf. She made her carpet debut in 2008 and was a regular through 2022, when she co-chaired the "Gilded Glamour" theme in a Statue of Liberty-inspired Versace gown. She missed 2023 after welcoming her fourth child with Reynolds, and was absent in 2024 and 2025. The 2014 Met Gala was where she and Reynolds first walked a red carpet as a couple. The two married in September 2012.
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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 6:30 PM.