During the height of the It Ends With Us-related Blake Lively hate train last summer, Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa added fuel to the fire with her YouTube video, “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.” In her caption, Kjersti called her 2016 Café Society interview with Blake “the most uncomfortable interview situation I have ever experienced.” (Blake, who was pregnant at the time, seemed pissed when Kjersti asked about her “little bump,” and the actress also had a snarky response when Kjersti asked about her costumes in the film.)

On December 21, 2024, The New York Times reported that Blake filed a legal complaint against her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and initiating a smear campaign against her. (Which his team has since denied.) Per the report, it’s “impossible” to know how much of the negative publicity Blake got “was seeded” versus how much came about organically. Kjersti’s YouTube video is mentioned right after the comment. She contacted the newspaper following publication and stated her video “was neither coordinated nor influenced by anyone associated with the alleged campaign.”

The interviewer also posted two YouTube videos about the matter: Here’s Kjersti Flaa’s full response to rumors that she took part in Justin Baldoni’s alleged smear campaign against Blake Lively.

Was Interviewer Kjersti Flaa Part Of Justin Baldoni’s Alleged Smear Campaign Against Blake Lively?

Interviewer Kjersti Flaa’s Response To Being Named In Blake Lively’s Complaint Against Justin Baldoni

The same day the New York Times report came out, Kjersti denied that she was part of the smear campaign in a YouTube video. “I would never accept money to jeopardize my integrity as a journalist,” she stressed. She claimed that she only shared the video because she didn’t like Blake or It Ends With Us and had “had enough of Hollywood.”

Kjersti said she knows “nothing” about Justin or his PR team. “I definitely would never work with a PR team under any circumstances to put hate out there on the internet against someone or to smear someone,” she continued. “I would never ever do that.” She called Justin’s team’s messages included in the complaint “disgusting.”

The journalist did note that she finds it “interesting” that Blake waited this long to file the complaint, and she also said Blake needs to “take responsibility” for her “tone-deaf” It Ends With Us interviews. Kjersti described Blake’s attitude in the interviews as “nonchalant ‘I don’t care about the victims, I don’t care about my fans. Just wear your florals, spend money on my hair care line.'” She finished the video by inviting Blake to come on her show and chat.

In a second YouTube video on Sunday, Kjersti accused Blake’s team of trying to make her “look bad.” She said she understands that “Blake Lively’s team has a big interest in taking away my credibility as a journalist” and proving that she was part of Justin’s smear campaign. “It’s a part of their big campaign in building up her reputation again,” Kjersti theorized.

The journalist also expressed her frustration about The New York Times article hinting that she may have been part of the smear campaign. “I just don’t wanna be a part of this whole mess,” she claimed, emphasizing that she’s been dealing with hate mail and social media trolls.