Did Serena van der Woodsen show up to the Met Gala 2026?
Social media users can’t decide whether Blake Lively’s interaction with her red carpet entourage was the actress being “bossy” or “like a boss.”
In a viral clip circulating on Instagram, the “Gossip Girl” alum walked the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art steps in her archival Atelier Versace gown, before turning back to correct the men — which included her cousin William McAlpin — holding up the voluminous skirts.
A video of Blake Lively at the Met Gala 2026 red carpet on Monday has gone viral. GC Images
The actress instructed her entourage on how to display her Versace gown’s 13-foot train in the clip. GC Images
The 38-year-old smiled as she appeared to request her 13-foot train be “draped” straight behind her.
While some Instagram users accused Lively of “bossing everyone around” with “mean girl energy” at the “Costume Art”-themed event, many jumped to her defense.
“It looks to me like she’s instructing the people who are hired to assist celebrities on the carpet how to help or not help with her dress,” one fan wrote. “Not mean or bossy just delegating like a boss.”
Another called the “misogyny in the comment section … disappointing,” pointing out that “a woman can give orders and not be mean about it.”
The “Gossip Girl” alum smiled as she did so. GC Images
Social media users debated whether Lively was acting “bossy” or “like a boss.” Getty Images
One netizen dubbed haters “insane” for calling out Lively “tone-deaf and entitled” over the “totally polite” moment.
“I’m so confused,” another added. “She’s kindly (with a smile) directing the people that she pays to do a job that she pays them to do.”
Lively’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The “Shallows” star settled her legal war with “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni hours before attending her 11th Met Gala.
Many insisted it was a “totally polite” interaction. Getty Images
One clapped back at “disappointing” negativity, writing, “A woman can give orders and not be mean about it.” GC Images
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In a joint statement, the duo wrote, “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard.”
They “remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”
Lively and Baldoni, 42, each did not make a penny in the agreement — after, we hear, spending “60 million combined” on lawyers during more than a year of litigation — according to TMZ.
Lively subtly addressed the shocking settlement on Monday, telling Vogue her dress represented “the many layers and nuances in the closing of one day and the beginning of another” and “honor[ed] the cycles of life.”
Lively attended the star-studded event hours after she and “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni settled their contentious legal war. GC Images
The “Shallows” star said the event represented “closing of one day and the beginning of another.” Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Noting that she hasn’t attended the star-studded fundraiser since welcoming her and husband Ryan Reynolds’ fourth child, the “Another Simple Favor” star said, “Every year I am a different version of myself than the last.
“So to be able to stand in the version of myself that I am today — and all the experiences I‘ve had — in strength and confidence is important to me,” she continued. “So is staying home on the couch with my kids in pajamas. Getting to do both is an honor I will never stop being grateful for.”
The custom Judith Leiber bag Lively carried to the gala, notably, featured designs based off artwork her kids — daughter James, 11, daughter Inez, 9, daughter Betty, 6, and son Olin, 3 — created.