Confusion abounded on Monday when people noticed that actress Blake Lively’s Instagram account was wiped completely clean — almost.
The actress appeared to have deleted all of her Instagram photos and unfollowed everyone, including actor husband Ryan Reynolds. Everyone whose name wasn’t Emily Nelson, that is. She currently follows exactly 36 women who go by that name.
Lively left a clue in her bio, which now mysteriously reads, “What happened to Emily?…” She then posted a photo of a completed hangman, the answer to which was the same question.
Fans were quick to notice the changes, and surmised that the star’s blank Instagram and sudden love for Emily Nelsons worldwide is probably related to her upcoming film, A Simple Favor. The film, directed by Paul Feig and also starring Anna Kendrick, is an adaptation of a book by the same name in which a woman named Emily Nelson mysteriously disappears.
On Wednesday morning, Lively seemed to have confirmed this theory when she swapped out her single Instagram post with a trailer for the film.
This didn’t stop the Emily Nelsons of the world from wondering what had caused A-list superstar Lively to throw them a casual follow.
does anyone want to tell me why Blake Lively followed me and had this as a bio. Goodbye cruel world some hacker is anti-Emily, my time has come ? pic.twitter.com/Yqi5MtYoBW
— emslay (@emilayyy97) May 1, 2018
I’m so confused why is Blake Lively’s entire Instagram deleted and now she only follows girls named Emily Nelson pic.twitter.com/p2PuPLtLBw
— Jordyn (@jordynpettit) April 30, 2018
Some conjured Lively had been hacked, though her Twitter (which remains intact) features both of the newer Instagram posts.
— Blake Lively (@blakelively) May 1, 2018
So, yeah. Long story short, Blake Lively wiped her Instagram clean as a publicity stunt for A Simple Favor. But truth be told, we’re going to need her to follow her husband again so the two can continue their epic trolling relationship ASAP.