Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds may have looked like Hollywood royalty at the Time100 Gala on Thursday night — but body language experts say their red carpet chemistry told a more complicated story.

The couple’s appearance comes at a tense time, as Lively, 37, is not only caught in an ongoing feud with Megyn Kelly, but she’s also embroiled in a high-stakes legal war with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.  

In December, the actress sued Baldoni for allegedly Sєxually harᴀssing her on set — claims he denied before firing back with a $400 million defamation suit against Lively, her publicist, and Reynolds, all of whom have denied the allegations. 

Now, the pressure of those courtroom clashes may be seeping into their public appearances. 

According to body language expert Judi James, who spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com, the couple’s interactions on the carpet hinted at subtle power plays and visible strain.

‘Blake quite happily lets us know via her pointing and shrugging that she’s openly keen to get her reluctant looking husband to pose solo,’ James said, noting that Lively appeared to guide and even physically reposition Reynolds during the pH๏τo call. 

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds may have looked like Hollywood royalty at the Time100 Gala on Thursday night — but body language experts say their red carpet chemistry told a more complicated story

The couple’s appearance comes at a tense time, as Lively, 37, is not only caught in an ongoing feud with Megyn Kelly , but she’s also embroiled in a high-stakes legal war with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni 

In December, the actress sued Baldoni for allegedly Sєxually harᴀssing her on set — claims he denied before firing back with a $400 million defamation suit against Lively, her publicist, and Reynolds, all of whom have denied the allegations

At one moment, Blake was seen grabbing Ryan’s hand, clutching his bicep, and gesturing emphatically — even rolling her eyes when he seemed hesitant to pose.

‘Blake seems to take over the role of director and choreographer,’ James continued. ‘Her fingers are splayed over his chest while her chin is tilted up to signal proud possession and a trophy-like adoration.

‘She uses subtle tie-signs — little gestures like pointing and directing his gaze — to manage their synchronized red carpet performance.’

Read More Blake Lively blasted for ‘obvious PR move’ after sharing her mother’s trauma

Reynolds, 47, meanwhile, appeared to be playing along — but with visible reluctance.

‘He uses a closed-lip smile to suggest modesty or irony,’ James said, pointing to his understated demeanor as a sign of discomfort. 

‘There’s a moment where he tries to ‘break’ the pose and step away, but Blake holds on, placing her hand on his waist to suggest she’s not ready to be done.’

The dynamic continued when Reynolds was called for a solo sH๏τ. 

Lively, according to James, appeared to resist, grabbing his hand and even pointing to where she wanted him to stand. 

Now, the pressure of those courtroom clashes may be seeping into their public appearances

‘Blake quite happily lets us know via her pointing and shrugging that she’s openly keen to get her reluctant looking husband to pose solo,’ James said, noting that Lively appeared to guide and even physically reposition Reynolds during the pH๏τo call

At one moment, Blake was seen grabbing Ryan’s hand, clutching his bicep, and gesturing emphatically 

Ryan appeared to pull away from Blake 

‘Blake seems to take over the role of director and choreographer,’ James continued

When he didn’t move fast enough, she reportedly shrugged toward the pH๏τographers and rolled her eyes, seemingly signaling ‘I tried.’

The expert summed it up as a red carpet performance with flashes of friction beneath the surface: ‘Blake wants him to lean in. Ryan wants to keep it low-key. She’s choreographing the moment — and he’s quietly resisting.’

It’s not the first time fans have speculated something might be off — but with Lively and Reynolds both named in a mᴀssive lawsuit and navigating a media firestorm, this latest red carpet appearance may be the clearest sign yet that trouble is brewing behind the scenes.

The red carpet wasn’t the only moment from the TIME100 Gala that had fans raising their eyebrows over Blake’s behavior.

During her speech, the actress came under fire for sharing details of her mother’s past trauma — a move many critics online slammed as an ‘obvious PR stunt.’ 

The Gossip Girl star, who was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people, gave a lengthy speech at the event, held at Jazz at the Lincoln Center.

In a video shared to social media, the actress publicly talked about her mother’s, 77, experience as a survivor of an ᴀssault by a coworker.

‘I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum,’ Lively said.

‘Her fingers are splayed over his chest while her chin is tilted up to signal proud possession and a trophy-like adoration

Reynolds, 47, meanwhile, appeared to be playing along — but with visible reluctance

Instead, she decided to speak about ‘the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today.’

Lively shared that her life was ‘influenced most’ by her mother, Willie Elaine McAlpin, who accompanied her to the event. 

She explained her mom was the ‘survivor of the worst crime someone can commit against a woman.’

Lively stated that her mother credited a woman who shared a ‘similar circumstance’ on the radio with saving her life.

‘The woman painfully and graphically shared how she escaped. And because of hearing that woman speak about her experience instead of shutting down in fear and unfair shame, my mom is alive today. She was saved by a woman whose name she’ll never know.’

Towards the end of her speech she thanked ‘every man, including my sweet husband [Ryan], who are kind and good when no one is watching.’

‘And to all the communities across the gender, age, political, geographical, and racial spectrum who fight every day just to be safe, I see you,’ she added.

Many fans criticized the star for discussing her mother’s ordeal, pointing out her silence on domestic violence while promoting It Ends With Us — directed by and co-starring Baldoni — which portrayed an abusive relationship. 

‘He uses a closed-lip smile to suggest modesty or irony,’ James said, pointing to his understated demeanor as a sign of discomfort

‘Oh so now she is using her Mother’s SA to be likable??? But in August she didn’t mention DV when promoting a movie about DV. Interesting…’ one person wrote. 

Lively also sparked a furious response from Megyn Kelly at the gala on Thursday, following the actress’ controversial inclusion on the publication’s Most Influential People list.

The 54-year-old conservative journalist blasted Blake and her ongoing lawsuit against Justin in an impᴀssioned rant while speaking to DailyMail.com on the red carpet.

According to Megyn, Blake — who left readers outraged over her TIME100 cover — ‘shouldn’t be here.’