Blake Lively just shared some innocent photos, within seconds a new controversy emerged.

XOXO, apparently nobody. 

In what should have been a delightful trip down memory lane, Blake Lively recently shared an Instagram post featuring rare behind-the-scenes photos from the Gossip Girl set. 

From a bowling party with the cast and matching outfits with Ed Westwick to behind-the-scenes shots of the late Michelle Trachtenberg and selfies with Leighton Meester, the carousel was a beautiful throwback for all of us Gossip Girl fans.  

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"The summer gossip girl turned 18…," she wrote in the caption. "This show was my college. It was my education, my social life, my hard work, my late nights and early mornings, my teacher. New York City and Silvercup Studios (& sometimes Paris) was my campus for SIX years. So many memories. What. A. Decade. What a University."

Sweet, really. But the timing could not have been more spectacularly unfortunate.

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A post shared by Blake Lively (@blakelively)

At any other time in her life, Lively's collection of throwback snaps — featuring the cast and crew from the iconic Upper East Side drama — would have sent fans into raptures of nostalgia. Think cosy behind-the-scenes moments, young faces glowing with pre-fame innocence, and all the warm fuzzy feelings that come with revisiting television gold.

Instead, the internet collectively lost its mind for all the wrong reasons. And it's no doubt a result of the ongoing controversy that has plagued Lively's life over the past year. 

The post dropped around the same time that news broke about Taylor Swift being dragged into the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni legal drama once again, with reports suggesting Swift's legal team is fighting tooth and nail to avoid being subpoenaed in the ongoing It Ends With Us drama. Because apparently, when you're already in one Hollywood feud, why not accidentally reignite several others?

Perhaps most telling was the post's reception from her former co-stars. Only Chace Crawford — bless his loyal heart — bothered to like the post. The sole comment came from actress Yin Chang who played Nelly Yuki on the show.

(Not Nelly Yuki coming through with the emotional support.)

Image: Getty

Where were Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, and the rest of the gang? Their digital silence was deafening.

The post has inadvertently reignited long-dormant rumours about behind-the-scenes tensions during Gossip Girl's heyday. Whispers of feuds between cast members — particularly between Lively and Leighton Meester — have been swirling for years.

The speculation reached fever pitch when New York Magazine visited the Gossip Girl set in 2008 and declared that Lively and Meester were not friends, claiming they "avoid each other like the plague" on set. From rumours about fights regarding wardrobe to snippets of awkward interview moments, the world was convinced that the two leading ladies did not get along off camera. 

As the feud rumours developed, Lively's publicist released a statement explaining the situation.

"Blake and Leighton have never been best friends, and never professed to be," they stated. "Blake goes to work, does her job, and goes home."

For the 10th anniversary of Gossip Girl, the show's executive producer Joshua Safran spoke to Vanity Fair and denied any bad blood between the two women. 

"Blake and Leighton were not friends," he said. "They were friendly, but they were not friends like Serena and Blair. Yet the second they'd be on set together, it's as if they were."

So, there's that. Sometimes co-workers are just… co-workers. And that's okay. 

Image: Getty

But in true internet fashion, amateur psychologists have emerged from the woodwork to analyse every pixel of the post. Some are speculating that the throwback photos represent a "cry for help" amid rumours of marital troubles with Ryan Reynolds. Which, naturally, makes perfect sense — because nothing says divorce  quite like posting wholesome behind-the-scenes photos from a teen drama you filmed over a decade ago. 

The reality is likely far more mundane: sometimes a nostalgic Instagram post is just a nostalgic Instagram post. But when you're embroiled in a high-profile legal battle that's already dragged in one of the world's biggest pop stars, even the most innocent social media activity becomes fodder for speculation.

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The cruel irony is that Lively appears to be trapped in the ultimate damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't scenario.

Post something innocent like throwback photos, and suddenly you're either having a breakdown, trying to distract from legal drama, or desperately seeking attention. Stay silent, and the absence becomes its own story — proof of guilt, isolation, or strategic media manipulation.

Sometimes in Hollywood – particularly if you're Blake Lively – you truly can't do anything right.

Feature Image: Instagram/blakelively.