Another Simple Favor star Paul Feig has spoken out about the rumors that Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively were feuding at the movie’s premiere.
Feig, Kendrick, and Lively attended the premiere of the Simple Favor sequel at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival on Friday. Following the event, one YouTuber shared a selfie of the cast and crew — which included Kendrick and Lively — and claimed the film’s leads were not getting along.
“I just reported on Blake being terrified to walk the carpet as Anna is pissed and never wants to work with her again,” she tweeted.
However, Feig didn’t hesitate to deny these claims on X on Saturday, as he simply wrote: “Um … you’re wrong.”
During the red carpet on Friday, Kendrick played coy when asked questions about Lively. While Kendrick was signing autographs and taking selfies with fans, an interviewer for Entertainment Tonight asked: “What does it mean to be working with Blake Lively again?”
Kendrick didn’t have much to say about that, as she simply replied: “Oh you know.” She continued to walk the red carpet and greet fans.
Meanwhile, when Lively was asked what it means “to be back with Anna,” she had a different response.
“Oh, it’s the best!” she said on the red carpet, as shown in a video posted by Entertainment Tonight. “I’m so happy to be here.”
During another interview with Variety at the event, Kendrick was asked how her new film is “being impacted by everything going on in the world” — which appeared to be a reference to Lively’s ongoing legal battle with Baldoni.
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The Pitch Perfect star had what fans called the “perfect” response, saying: “Why? What happened? I did ayahuasca and the last year of my life has been gone. But I heard the movie’s amazing.” She then blew a kiss at the interviewer and walked away.
Feig has previously shut down speculation about Kendrick and Lively. In January, he hit back at an X user who claimed that his anticipated sequel to his 2018 crime thriller had been “derailed” by “growing tensions, between Lively and Kendrick. She also claimed that the Gossip Girl star was refusing to promote the movie, amid her messy legal battle with Justin Baldoni, so Feig was supposedly “disappointed” and Kendrick was “furious.”
The Bridesmaids director then denied those allegations, responding: “This is total BS. Sorry. The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don’t believe anything you read on social media these days.”
Another Simple Favor also marks Lively’s first movie since she sued Baldoni in December for sexual harassment and trying to “destroy” her reputation. Rumors of a feud between the actors on the set of It Ends with Us started percolating online last year, as they appeared to avoid each other during the film’s promotional tour. At the time, Lively was called out for a “tone-deaf” approach to the movie, with fans claiming she failed to treat its heavy subject matter with the appropriate solemnity.
In the lawsuit against Baldoni, Lively alleged that the backlash she received was part of a carefully orchestrated effort by Baldoni’s PR team.
The Jane the Virgin alum, who denies the accusations, is suing The New York Times for $250 million, and he is counter-suing Lively and her husband for $400 million. The lawsuit against the couple alleges that they’re attempting to “destroy” Baldoni’s reputation and career.
In January, a New York federal judge informed both parties to prepare for a trial in March 2026. After this, Lively and Reynolds’ attorneys filed a notice stating that they would seek to dismiss Baldoni’s counter-lawsuit.
Only two weeks ago, Lively asked a judge for a stronger protective order than the court’s “model” one, after receiving “violent” messages amid her and Baldoni’s legal battle. In addition, the actor’s team asked for certain material to be categorized as “an Attorney’s Eyes Only,” which would make those legal documents highly confidential.
However, Baldoni’s legal team has since critcized those requests, accusing Lively of trying “to shield, from public view, documents and information exchanged herein.” The document also alleged Lively and Reynolds gave an “otherwise confidential administrative complaint” to The New York Times when she first filed her lawsuit in December.
