Blake Lively Faces Backlash Over 'Uncomfortable' 2016 Interview, Source Blasts Journalist's 'Rude Statement' (Exclusive)

Reporter Kjersti Flaa called the exchange "the most uncomfortable interview situation I have ever experienced"

A journalist is calling out Blake Lively for a 2016 interview that she's now referring to as "the most uncomfortable interview situation I have ever experienced." But a source close to the actress says the exchange was sparked by the journalist's "rude statement" to Lively.

On Saturday, Aug. 10, Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa uploaded a 4-minute interview with Lively to YouTube, titled "The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job."

The viral video, which has since garnered over 900,000 views as of Aug. 15, shows Lively, now 36, and Café Society costar Parker Posey, now 55, speaking with Flaa for a discussion on the Woody Allen film back in 2016.

"Sitting down with Blake Lively and her co star Parker Posey for Cafe Society (2016) is the most uncomfortable interview situation I have ever experienced," Flaa wrote in the video's description. "Is it not OK to congratulate someone on their pregnancy or to ask another woman about costumes she is wearing in a film? Let me know what you think in the comments."

Related: It Ends with Us Cast Drama Explained: What Is Going on with Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?

At the beginning of the clip, Flaa congratulated Lively on her "little bump," as the interview was filmed around the time Lively was pregnant with her and Ryan Reynolds' daughter Inez, who was born on Sept. 30, 2016, a few months after Café Society opened in theaters. Lively responded by saying the same to Flaa, "Congrats on your little bump."

After Lively and Posey had a side-chat about "lovely lady lumps," the reporter told the pair she thought the film was “visually amazing," before asking about the their costumes. "Did you guys like wearing those clothes?" Flaa asked.

"Everyone wants to talk about the clothes but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes," Lively asked Posey, before Flaa responded "I would." Without responding to Flaa directly, Lively then continued talking to her costar about the outfits worn by the men starring in the film. “It’s not just the women that have the clothes, but I feel like the women get the conversation," she said.

A source close to Lively, who says they haven't spoken to her about the interview, tells PEOPLE that they sympathize with Lively's reaction to the baby bump comment. "You're a female journalist in Hollywood interviewing a working mom, and you can't come up with anything better to kick off the interview with than 'Congrats on your little bump?' Of course Blake got annoyed," the source says.

"It's truly such a rude statement. She is pregnant with a child," they add. "If you feel the need to acknowledge that she's pregnant, at least do it respectfully."

Since uploading the interview, Flaa shared a message with her followers on her Instagram Story on Wednesday, Aug. 14: "Thank you to all you wonderful people out there who have sent me so many messages with support after I posted this interview. I am truly touched ??."

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Related: Blake Lively Shares Emotional Note Thanking Fans for 'Embracing' It Ends with Us with 'Same Love, Pain and Joy'

The resurfaced interview comes amid rumors of a rift between Lively and her It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni. The project marks Lively's first starring film role in four years, and she also served as producer on the film. Baldoni did most of his press solo ahead of the release of the film and posed with his wife and away from the rest of the cast during the film's New York premiere on Aug. 6. Baldoni has since hired crisis public relations manager Melissa Nathan of The Agency Group amid reports of his alleged behavior on set.

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