The Rest Is...Blake Lively’s TIME100 Speech - PR Stunt or Authentic Moment?

This week on The Rest Is PR, Jacki and Lyle unpack the fallout from Blake Lively’s controversial speech at the TIME100 Gala—an event meant to celebrate her influence, but one that may have sparked one of her biggest PR missteps to date.

After being named one of Time’s Most Influential Women, Lively took the stage and referenced her ongoing legal dispute with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, before sharing deeply personal details about her mother’s history of sexual assault. The reaction? Divisive, with Megyn Kelly calling it an “unnecessary PR stunt.”

🎧 In this episode:

• Why the speech is being criticised as tone-deaf and strategic
• Jacki questions the timing and whether Lively planned this return to the spotlight
• Lyle asks: Can celebrities ever really control the narrative?
• Discussion on the fine line between advocacy and brand building
• Could Ryan Reynolds’ brand be impacted by association?
• What stars like Taylor Swift and Tom Cruise get right about brand protection

🔥 This episode explores the risks of using vulnerability as a PR tool—and what happens when celebrity storytelling feels off-message.

⚠️ This episode contains references to sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised.

The Rest Is PR – Where Pop Culture Meets PR.

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