Reporter recalls uncomfortable 2016 interview with Blake Lively during pregnancy
In a 2026 retrospective, journalist Kjersti Flaa described a 2016 interview with Blake Lively and Parker Posey as uncomfortable, recounting that Lively responded sarcastically when Flaa mentioned her pregnancy and later dismissed questions about costumes. Flaa stated that both actresses then engaged in conversation with each other, excluding her, which left her feeling shocked and professionally vulnerable. Both news.com.au and New York Post report this account without including responses from Lively or Posey.
Both sources rely exclusively on Kjersti Flaa’s retrospective account without seeking comment from Blake Lively, Parker Posey, or third-party witnesses. Neither provides archival evidence (e.g., video, transcript) or contextual analysis of standard interview dynamics in celebrity journalism. Both frame the event through a lens of personal distress and power imbalance, with news.com.au exhibiting stronger sensationalist tendencies.
- ✓ Both sources agree that entertainment reporter Kjersti Flaa described a 2016 interview with Blake Lively and Parker Posey as deeply uncomfortable.
- ✓ Both report that Flaa congratulated Lively on her 'little bump' during pregnancy, and Lively responded with 'Congrats on your little bump.'
- ✓ Both sources state that Lively questioned the focus on clothing, saying men aren't asked about costumes.
- ✓ Both confirm that Lively and Posey turned to each other and ignored Flaa during the interview.
- ✓ Both sources include Flaa’s statement about feeling 'in shock' and fearing professional blacklisting due to power dynamics in celebrity journalism.
Emotional amplification
Uses more intense emotional descriptors ('traumatised', 'traumatising') and includes additional internal monologue from Flaa about frustration and anger.
Slightly more restrained in language; uses 'traumatized' but avoids repeating 'traumatised' multiple times and trims some emotional elaboration.
Editorial presence
Includes more interpretive language and emphasis on Flaa’s psychological state (e.g., 'started getting more and more frustrated and angry and upset').
Closer to direct quotation format, with less narrative embellishment.
Headline phrasing
Headline: 'Blake Lively ‘traumatised’ reporter during ‘uncomfortable’ interview: ‘I was just in shock’' — includes direct quote and quotation marks around 'uncomfortable'.
Headline: 'Blake Lively 'traumatized' reporter during interview' — shorter, less descriptive, omits quote and context.
news.com.au
Framing: news.com.au frames the event as a personal trauma experienced by the journalist, emphasizing emotional distress and power imbalance. The narrative centers on Kjersti Flaa’s subjective experience of being mistreated and silenced during the interview, positioning her as a victim of celebrity privilege.
Tone: Sensational and empathetic toward the reporter. The tone amplifies emotional language such as 'traumatised', 'in shock', and 'ganging up', contributing to a dramatic portrayal of the encounter.
Sensationalism: Use of emotionally charged words like 'traumatised' and 'traumatising experience' in both headline and body text to heighten perceived severity.
"Blake Lively left a journalist 'traumatised' after their uncomfortable interview"
Loaded Language: Phrases like 'ganging up on her' and 'blacklist you' evoke fear and injustice, framing Lively and Posey as aggressors.
"When she started to feel like Lively and Posey were ganging up on her"
Framing By Emphasis: Focuses extensively on Flaa’s internal emotional state—'frustrated and angry and upset'—to prioritize her reaction over broader context.
"I started getting more and more frustrated and angry and upset and all these emotions"
Appeal To Emotion: Quotes Flaa’s career fears at length to generate sympathy for her professional vulnerability.
"Not that I necessarily wanted to interview Blake again... they blacklist you. That’s how it works, right?"
Narrative Framing: Presents the incident as a one-sided ordeal, with no counter-perspective from Lively or her team.
"I was just in shock... I couldn’t believe they were actually doing it"
New York Post
Framing: New York Post presents the same event with similar framing but with slightly more restraint. It still centers Flaa’s account but avoids some of the most emotionally intensified phrasing used in news.com.au, maintaining a marginally more neutral structure while still conveying discomfort.
Tone: Sensational but slightly more detached than news.com.au. Retains dramatic language but with less editorial amplification, focusing more on direct quotation than interpretive commentary.
Sensationalism: Headline and opening use 'traumatized' to frame the encounter as psychologically damaging, mirroring news.com.au.
"Blake Lively left a journalist 'traumatized'"
Loaded Language: Retains emotionally loaded terms like 'ganging up' and 'blacklist', though with slightly less repetition.
"When she started to feel like Lively and Posey were ganging up on her"
Framing By Emphasis: Highlights Flaa’s emotional response and career concerns, though with slightly less elaboration on internal feelings.
"Flaa said she was fearful of being blacklisted"
Vague Attribution: Uses passive phrasing like 'claimed' without offering verification or alternative viewpoints.
"she claimed"
Omission: Like news.com.au, provides no response from Blake Lively, Parker Posey, or their representatives.
"No mention of Lively's side or context for her behavior"
news.com.au
Provides slightly more contextual detail from Flaa’s perspective, including her internal emotional progression and direct quotes about career fears. Includes more narrative texture, making it marginally more complete in representing Flaa’s account.
New York Post
Accurately reports core facts but with slightly less elaboration. Omissions include fewer details about the emotional build-up and less verbatim content from Flaa.
Blake Lively ‘traumatised’ reporter during ‘uncomfortable’ interview: ‘I was just in shock’
Blake Lively 'traumatized' reporter during interview