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Blake Lively has faced several high-profile setbacks in recent years. After her messy legal battle against Justin Baldoni, Lively was also reportedly left off Taylor Swift’s wedding guest list. Following the major incidents, Lively recently fired her publicist after working with her for more than two decades. 

According to Page Six, the Gossip Girl star cut ties with her longtime publicist Leslie Sloane. She first hired the entertainment executive while rising to fame on her hit drama series. Sloane was working with a PR firm at the time and was often credited with helping the Green Lantern actress skyrocket her fame. 

When Sloane left the firm and launched her own company, Vision PR, in 2014, Lively went with her. However, Lively fired her following the massive public backlash over her legal battle against the It Ends With Us director. The battle cost the two co-stars about $60 million in total legal fees. 

Lively sued Baldoni over alleged s—– harassment while filming the movie. She also accused him of orchestrating a smear campaign against her in retaliation for her complaints against his alleged behavior. The 39-year-old eventually faced a defamation lawsuit by Baldoni.

The Jane The Virgin actor also brought Sloane and her firm in his countersuit. He alleged that the publicist was the mind behind the negative stories about him in the press. Eventually, a judge dismissed the claims, and the two parties reached a settlement before the case went to trial. 

Lively’s latest move did not sit well with social media users. An X user wrote, “I suspect this is because she thinks a publicist should have been able to save her from the disastrous consequences of her actions. You can’t fix messy. Good luck to whoever she hires next.” 

Another user wrote, “Blake & Ryan are still blaming everyone else but themselves for their own actions. I hope Leslie uses some of those dirty tactics she used against others on their behalf and at their request on them now! Karma is a huge B!” “Blake doesn’t have a career; why would she need a publicist?” joked a third critic. A fourth user claimed, “Blake can’t afford her any longer.”

Lively’s long-term friendship with Swift also faced a major strain due to the legal drama. The pop star was reportedly dragged into the battle. While the Love Story crooner maintained her distance from Lively, she also reportedly kept her and Ryan Reynolds off her wedding guest list. 

Despite the major fallout, insiders claim that The Age of Adeline star has hopes her friendship with Swift will be restored. According to Star, an insider revealed, “Blake has not moved past this in any way, shape, or form.” They further added, “She still follows everything that Taylor does, even though most of the time it leaves her in tears.” 

The insider claimed that Lively could not believe how her relationship with the Opalite singer changed in the past few years. “She understands that she screwed up … but she doesn’t understand why what she did is bad enough to warrant being exiled,” the source added.

The insider claimed that Lively still believes her long-term friend misses her. “She thought they were family, and she still thinks that one day they can get back there,” they added.

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