Not long before Michelle Trachtenberg’s tragic death, the “Gossip Girl” alum weighed in on her former co-star Blake Lively’s well-publicized legal battle with Justin Baldoni, which makes on-set photos of the pair uncomfortable to look at now. Lively is embroiled in lawsuits and countersuits with her “It Ends With Us” costar/director. Trachtenberg made an innocuous Instagram post on January 16 that featured a snap of her wearing sunglasses, and a fan ended up dredging up Lively’s legal matters. “It takes a lot of strength to see through all the b*lls***. And some dark sunglasses,” the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” actor wrote in the caption. A “Gossip Girl” fan account was not concerned with what Trachtenberg had been up to recently and wanted to know her opinion on Lively’s legal issues with Baldoni. “Would love to see you release a statement on the Blake drama,” they wrote on Trachtenberg’s post, per the Daily Mail.
The fan also wondered if Trachtenberg’s caption may have had a double meaning. “Or idk if this is a direct statement?” they added. Trachtenberg noticed the reply and seemed irritated by the fan’s attempt to drag her into the matter. “Gosh. I’m busy worrying about real world news and families who have no home anymore from the LA fires. But you do you,” she replied along with a rolling eyes emoji. Fans on Reddit noticed the exchange and sided with Trachtenberg. “I’m getting secondhand embarrassment for the fanpage,” one Redditor wrote.
That wasn’t the first time Trachtenberg weighed in on drama surrounding Lively.
Michelle Trachtenberg’s thoughts on Blake Lively
After the show ended, rumors persisted that Blake Lively had problems on the “Gossip Girl” set with some of her costars, including Leighton Meester and Chace Crawford. Eventually, Michelle Trachtenberg cleared the air about those rumors. “It’s funny because when we were filming, there was, ‘Leighton hates Blake, Blake hates Leighton, everyone hates Blake, everyone hates Leighton, everyone hates Chace,’ and blah, blah, blah,'” the “Eurotrip” star told Vanity Fair on the show’s 10-year-anniversary in August 2017. “It really wasn’t. We were all chill. It was cool,” she added.
Trachtenberg may not have been off-screen BFFs with Lively, but she had sung her costar’s praises. Shortly after Lively gave birth to her first child, Trachtenberg shared kind words about her former on-screen rival. “I think throughout my many years with Blake she has always exuded charm and exquisite elegance and a maternal side,” she told E! in January 2015. “So I think she’s definitely meant to be a mother,” Trachtenberg added. The two “Gossip Girl” actors hung out off-set while working together as well. A photo shared from a “Gossip Girl” fan account on Instagram showed Trachtenberg at a “Saturday Night Live” after-party with Lively in 2008 after Lively had hosted the show.
Trachtenberg’s words about being “chill” with her fellow “Gossip Girl” alum rang true after news of her death started circulating. Ed Westwick, who played Chuck Bass on the series, posted a photo of Trachtenberg to his Instagram Stories when he learned of the tragic news. “SO SAD TO HEAR OF THE PASSING OF @michelletrachtenberg SENDING PRAYERS,” he wrote.
