The Heartbreaking Reason Blake Lively’s ‘Rude’ 2016 Interview Was So ‘Traumatizing’ To Journalist!

Kjersti Flaa is getting real about the tragic reason that now-viral interview with Blake Lively really hurt her!

Amid the Gossip Girl alum’s feud with It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, the journalist uploaded an interview with her to YouTube that she said was “the most uncomfortable interview situation” she ever experienced. In fact, her encounter with Blake was so bad she wanted to quit her job afterward!

While speaking with Blake and Parker Posey about their film Café Society (directed by Woody Allen — ick!), the reporter congratulated the 36-year-old actress on her “little bump.” Here’s the deal. The film came out in July 2016. Blake had announced she was expecting her second child with husband Ryan Reynolds two months prior. So when this interview happened, her pregnancy was public knowledge by that point. However, Blake appeared offended by Kjersti’s remark and fired back:

“Congrats on your little bump.”

Yeah… Kjersti wasn’t pregnant at the time, so the Green Lantern star just body-shamed her on camera! Out of spite!

Related: Blake Lively Is Under Fire For ANOTHER Rude Resurfaced Interview!

And it only got worse from there! Blake chastised Kjersti for asking the stars about the film’s fashion. FYI, Café Society is set in the 1930s. It’s a period piece. The costumes are bound to come up at some point. Instead of just humoring Kjersti and politely answering the question, she criticized her and proceeded to speak only to Parker while completely ignoring the journalist. Watch the awkward interview (below):

No wonder why Kjersti almost left her job! That was so BRUTAL! Looking back, Kjersti even told Dailymail.com on Friday that the whole experience was very “traumatizing” for her to the point where she began seriously questioning if she would ever “do these types of interviews again”:

“It was such a traumatizing experience to me. I was there to do a job and they made sure to make it as difficult as possible for me to do that. I was there so they could promote a movie. I was invited to meet them. It certainly did not feel like that. I felt belittled and ignored and it made me question if I ever wanted to do these types of interviews again. It took me a while to get over it and build up my confidence again.”

Oof…

But what hurt the most during that interview? Blake’s sarcastic comment about her “little bump.” Not because the A Simple Favor star body-shamed her, but because the implication of a pregnancy was particularly cruel. See, Kjersti is infertile. So sad! She revealed:

“[Her comment] left me almost paralyzed. To be honest, it hurts because I obviously wasn’t pregnant and I could never get pregnant so to me that comment was like a bullet. I didn’t know how to react. I felt very uncomfortable throughout the interview and all I wanted to do was leave and get out of there as fast as I could. It made me feel like a complete failure. I kept going through the interview in my head afterwards trying to figure out what I had said or done to make them behave like that. It made no sense to me.”

Without a doubt, Blake’s combative position was uncalled for! Even if she had a bone to pick, there was a better way to handle the situation instead of belittling another person!

At this time, Blake has not reacted to Kjersti’s video or comments. However, a source told People on Thursday the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants alum was “of course … annoyed” by the “little bump” remark, adding:

“It’s truly such a rude statement. If you feel the need to acknowledge that she’s pregnant, at least do it respectfully.”

Um… is that disrespectful though?? Acknowledging her pregnancy??

Whether Kjersti ever receives a public apology from Blake, only time will tell! But we wouldn’t bet on it… Not when the reporter fueled the current online hate toward the mom of four by uploading the video amid the It Ends With Us drama!! When asked if Kjersti dropped the clip to help Justin make Blake look bad in the middle of their feud, she swore that wasn’t the case:

“No, not at all. I don’t know him.”

Instead, she says she became inspired to release the clip after another reporter contacted her last week about “a terrible interview experience with someone else.” She explained:

“They confiscated his tape after the interview and he wondered if something similar had ever happened to me. I told him about the horrible interview I had with Blake Lively and that I never wanted to share it with anyone because the experience had traumatized me so much. After talking to him, I decided to post the interview on my YouTube channel because I think it’s time that people behaving badly in Hollywood, or anywhere else for that matter, gets called out for it. It’s not OK, even if you are rich and famous.”

Hmm. Do you buy this, Perezcious readers? We mean, the timing could not be a coincidence, right? The current backlash Blake was receiving must have helped solidify Kjersti’s decision to drop it — even if it just showed her the actress wasn’t bulletproof and folks would actually be on her side! What do you think? Sound OFF in the comments below!

[Image via ETalk/Kjersti Flaa/YouTube]