Is the saying true “The truth is stranger than fiction” has ever hit the nail on the head more than in Tinseltown? While Colleen Hoover’s bestseller It ends with us continues to be in the spotlight and make the tabloids talk, Blake Lively, the lead actor in the film adaptation, seems to have found himself at the center of a controversial debate.

But wait: After the drama between Lively and director Justin Baldoni caused a stir, the spotlight is now on a series of interviews that may make you take another look.

Let’s rewind to 2016: Alive, pregnant and radiant at the promotion Café Society, found herself in a dilemma during an interview with journalist Kjersti Flaa. The latter congratulated Lively on her baby bump, to which the actress reacted embarrassedly and congratulated the reporter on not having a belly.

And as if that wasn’t enough: In a second interview (2018) with Flaa, this time alongside co-star Anna Kendrick, during the promotion A simple favor, Things took another embarrassing turn.

The best (and worst) moments from Blake Lively’s second interview with Kjersti Flaa

Blake Lively and Kjersti Flaa seem to be caught in a sitcom-worthy loop of awkward encounters. Their first awkward tango took place in 2016, when Lively was pregnant and promoting Café society. However, the interview ended abruptly when Flaa congratulated the mother of four on her baby bump.

Lively replied with a mixture of awkward charm: “Congratulations on your little belly,” and directed the comment at Flaa, who was not pregnant. Even actress Parker Posey tried to ease the tension by humorously showing off her own butt “bump,‘, but the damage was done. The result?

Flaa later described the encounter as “Nightmare,“call it”the most unpleasant … situation” she has ever appeared in (via Page Six).

In 2018, another embarrassing interview surfaced on the Internet. During a joint conversation with Anna Kendrick while promoting their thriller, A simple favorFlaa was at it again. This time she compared the confidence of Lively’s character to the insecurity of Kendrick’s character. The latter, always the queen of the quick wit, joked that in real life the roles are reversed:

I have to constantly call Blake and say, “It’s okay, you’re good at giving interviews. I promise people will like and respect you.”

Kendrick even joked that her pep talks were the “Reason“Lively managed to get out of bed every morning. To which he replied with a serious expression:

Anna is simply an egomaniac, as you can see.

The playful exchange was entertaining, but left the audience wondering whether the awkwardness was part of the show or just an unfortunate incident.

Kjersti Flaa shared her thoughts on the second interview with Blake Lively

Blake Lively’s “baby bump” interview has been making the rounds and causing quite a stir. Kjersti Flaa, the reporter at the center of this viral sensation, recently posted another video on YouTube, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at her second interview with Ryan Reynolds’ wife.

“It was okay,” she began in a cool tone. Then she confessed:

I mean, she and Anna Kendrick had their thing going on, but it wasn’t a terrible interview. I just felt like there was no chemistry. But you know, that’s OK, you can’t have good chemistry with everyone.

Flaa then addressed a theory circulating on the Internet: that something may have gone wrong before these viral interviews:

I have to say, nothing happened before these interviews because you have about 10 seconds to come from the hallway of the hotel, sit down, say hello, say your name into the camera, and then you’re on.

On a more personal note, Flaa also spoke openly about the pain of Lively’s comment. In an interview with MailOnline, she revealed that the remark hit her particularly hard as she herself has fertility issues.

While Blake Lively’s Hollywood journey has had its share of headline-grabbing drama, her interviews with Kjersti Flaa prove to be as memorable as they are uncomfortable.

You can watch It ends with us in cinemas near you!