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Blake Lively is once again the target of an ostensibly organic hate campaign.
This time, however, the anger might be real.
Despite the legal war that Justin Baldoni is waging against her and her husband, this may be unrelated.
This “controversy” stems from incestuous scenes from her latest film, Another Simple Favor.
Blake Lively attends the “Another Simple Favour” photocall at the Corinthia Hotel on April 15, 2025. (Photo Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Another Simple Favor is the sequel to the nice yet beloved film, A Simple Favor.
Both projects star Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. The sequel released on May 1 on Prime Video.
Blake portrays a fashion PR director, Emily Nelson.
However, she also plays some other characters. This is where spoilers come into play, so be warned. This is also where the “controversy” emerges.
The twist that has certain internet denizens riled up is that Another Simple Favor features a fictional portrayal of incest.
Don’t worry, the actors involved are not actual siblings in real life.
In fact, Blake Lively portrays Emily Nelson and her sister, Charity. (A spoiler, if you have not seen these films, is that her character is a triplet)
There are scenes where, through the wonders of technology and camera angles and more, Emily and Charity passionately kiss. There is also a scene in which Charity touches Emily’s genitals while “offering” to pleasure her.
Blake Lively attends “Another Simple Favor” New York Screening at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 27, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Though it is not universal, it is entirely normal to feel shocked or even disgusted by portrayals of taboo topics like incest in fiction. Some folks never watched Game of Thrones (and were thus spared from Season 8) due to this squick.
Some responses to Blake Lively’s role in Another Simple Favor were not normal at all.
And, as you can see, some even involved conspiracy theories.
“Just watched the horrible movie, A Simple Favor where Blake Lively has an incest scene w her sister (played also by Lively) So now 2 incest scenes between this & ‘White Lotus’ in the past few months. Hollywood is pushing this now. Bunch of lowlifes. Shame on Lively,” tweeted one conspiracy theorist.
Another post took on a homophobic tone and included a Nazi dogwhistle term, adding: “That new Blake Lively movie ‘Another Simple Favor’ was pretty good till they threw in the gay stuff and incest. Everything coming out of Hollywood is degenerate. They can’t help themselves.”
“Another simple favour is the strangest incest-filled movie i have ever watched,” another tweeted ominously. “Blake Lively you will be dealt with.” (That last line is probably just a meme and hopefully not a real threat)
On a less upsetting note, another wrote: “
The CRINGE is so bad y’all. Another Simple Favor is a hot ass mess. Blake Lively couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag. Here is one of the INCEST scenes where she makes out with herself. This should’ve went straight to Tubi not Amazon Prime. Who wrote this I’m cryinggggggg.”
Why the backlash? If you’re a blissfully offline person who doesn’t spend much of your social time using a screen, this may take some explaining. And no, it still won’t make sense.
There are people online who apply a sort of moral purity culture to the media that they consume. As in, they react to the fictional behavior of fictional characters as if they were playing out in real life.
These people — many of whom are young adults who are terrified of being ostracized by their peers — have nicknames like fandom antis, puriteens, and 2D morality police.
That last one comes from West Asian fans on social media who, like many of us, felt baffled and horrified by encountering these people on social media.
Actress Blake Lively attends the 2025 TIME100 gala at The Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, April 24, 2025. (Photo Credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Most of us, because we are grown-ups, watch something like House of the Dragon or The White Lotus with the understanding that these television shows are neither morality plays to guide our behavior nor presentations of ideal worlds.
We also know, going in, that there will be things that we dislike, be it violence or crass humor or taboo sexual topics. It is up to each individual person to choose whether to engage with a piece of media or to stop watching.
Unfortunately, some of the internet’s loudest denizens espouse a sort of evangelical purity culture when it comes to media.
Fans, writers, and even actors can receive insults, harassment, and even death threats simply for telling an interesting story with a salacious twist. (Or a boring story with a salacious twist! That’s always an option!)
As for making all of this Blake Lively’s problem? Our culture hates women, she’s an easy target right now, and people reacting irrationally to a movie plot are not assigning “blame” rationally, either.
Blake Lively Targeted by Trolls Over ‘Another Simple Favor’ Incest Twist, … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
Blake Lively is once again the target of an ostensibly organic hate campaign.
This time, however, the anger might be real.
Despite the legal war that Justin Baldoni is waging against her and her husband, this may be unrelated.
This “controversy” stems from incestuous scenes from her latest film, Another Simple Favor.
Blake Lively attends the “Another Simple Favour” photocall at the Corinthia Hotel on April 15, 2025. (Photo Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
A certain crowd is angry at Blake Lively over ‘Another Simple Favor’
Another Simple Favor is the sequel to the nice yet beloved film, A Simple Favor.
Both projects star Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. The sequel released on May 1 on Prime Video.
Blake portrays a fashion PR director, Emily Nelson.
However, she also plays some other characters. This is where spoilers come into play, so be warned. This is also where the “controversy” emerges.
The twist that has certain internet denizens riled up is that Another Simple Favor features a fictional portrayal of incest.
Don’t worry, the actors involved are not actual siblings in real life.
In fact, Blake Lively portrays Emily Nelson and her sister, Charity. (A spoiler, if you have not seen these films, is that her character is a triplet)
There are scenes where, through the wonders of technology and camera angles and more, Emily and Charity passionately kiss. There is also a scene in which Charity touches Emily’s genitals while “offering” to pleasure her.
Blake Lively attends “Another Simple Favor” New York Screening at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 27, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
The backlash is unhinged
Though it is not universal, it is entirely normal to feel shocked or even disgusted by portrayals of taboo topics like incest in fiction. Some folks never watched Game of Thrones (and were thus spared from Season 8) due to this squick.
Some responses to Blake Lively’s role in Another Simple Favor were not normal at all.
And, as you can see, some even involved conspiracy theories.
“Just watched the horrible movie, A Simple Favor where Blake Lively has an incest scene w her sister (played also by Lively) So now 2 incest scenes between this & ‘White Lotus’ in the past few months. Hollywood is pushing this now. Bunch of lowlifes. Shame on Lively,” tweeted one conspiracy theorist.
Just watched the horrible movie, A Simple Favor where
Blake Lively has an incest scene w her sister (played also by Lively) So now 2 incest scenes between this & White Lotus in the past few months. Hollywood is pushing this now. Bunch of lowlifes. Shame on Lively.
— Darla Shine(@DarlaShine) May 4, 2025
Another post took on a homophobic tone and included a Nazi dogwhistle term, adding: “That new Blake Lively movie ‘Another Simple Favor’ was pretty good till they threw in the gay stuff and incest. Everything coming out of Hollywood is degenerate. They can’t help themselves.”
“Another simple favour is the strangest incest-filled movie i have ever watched,” another tweeted ominously. “Blake Lively you will be dealt with.” (That last line is probably just a meme and hopefully not a real threat)
On a less upsetting note, another wrote: “
The CRINGE is so bad y’all. Another Simple Favor is a hot ass mess. Blake Lively couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag. Here is one of the INCEST scenes where she makes out with herself. This should’ve went straight to Tubi not Amazon Prime. Who wrote this I’m cryinggggggg.”
Why are trolls treating a taboo storyline like it’s the actress’ fault?
Why the backlash? If you’re a blissfully offline person who doesn’t spend much of your social time using a screen, this may take some explaining. And no, it still won’t make sense.
There are people online who apply a sort of moral purity culture to the media that they consume. As in, they react to the fictional behavior of fictional characters as if they were playing out in real life.
These people — many of whom are young adults who are terrified of being ostracized by their peers — have nicknames like fandom antis, puriteens, and 2D morality police.
That last one comes from West Asian fans on social media who, like many of us, felt baffled and horrified by encountering these people on social media.
Actress Blake Lively attends the 2025 TIME100 gala at The Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, April 24, 2025. (Photo Credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Most of us, because we are grown-ups, watch something like House of the Dragon or The White Lotus with the understanding that these television shows are neither morality plays to guide our behavior nor presentations of ideal worlds.
We also know, going in, that there will be things that we dislike, be it violence or crass humor or taboo sexual topics. It is up to each individual person to choose whether to engage with a piece of media or to stop watching.
Unfortunately, some of the internet’s loudest denizens espouse a sort of evangelical purity culture when it comes to media.
Fans, writers, and even actors can receive insults, harassment, and even death threats simply for telling an interesting story with a salacious twist. (Or a boring story with a salacious twist! That’s always an option!)
As for making all of this Blake Lively’s problem? Our culture hates women, she’s an easy target right now, and people reacting irrationally to a movie plot are not assigning “blame” rationally, either.
Blake Lively Targeted by Trolls Over ‘Another Simple Favor’ Incest Twist, … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.