Warning: This article contains spoilers for A Simple Favor and Another Simple Favor.

The reason that Blake Lively’s character Emily repeatedly calls Anna Kendrick’s character Stephanie a “brother f*er” in Another Simple Favor has a simple explanation. The new Prime Video movie, which was directed by Paul Feig, is a direct sequel to his 2018 movie A Simple Favor, which is adapted from the novel of the same name by Darcey Bell. That movie introduced Lively and Kendrick’s characters when the seemingly wholesome Stephanie became involved in the investigation of Emily’s sudden and mysterious disappearance after briefly befriending the chic and dangerous woman, who is the mother of one of her son’s classmates.

2025’s Another Simple Favor features the return of both Kendrick and Lively, reprising their roles as Stephanie and Emily (who has been revealed to be Hope McLanden, the identical triplet of Faith, who Hope killed in an attempt to fake her own death). Also returning are Andrew Rannells, Aparna Nancherla, and Kelly McCormack as Stacy as fellow parents Darren, Sona, and Stacy, Bashir Salahuddin as Detective Summerville, Henry Golding as Emily’s now ex-husband Sean Townsend, and Ian Ho as their son Nicky Townsend-Nelson. Another returning element in the sequel is a recurring insult where Emily calls Stephanie a “brother f*er.”

Emily’s Brother F*er Insult Is A Reference To Stephanie & Her Half-Brother’s Sєxual History

Their Relationship Is A Major Reveal In A Simple Favor

The insult is a holdover from the events of the original A Simple Favor. While Stephanie seems to be a wide-eyed innocent at the beginning of the twisty psychological thriller movie, as she becomes embroiled in the Nelsons’ drama, her own secrets also begin to come to light. The biggest is that her young son Miles (Joshua Satine) may be the product of her illicit affair with her paternal half-brother Chris (Dustin Milligan). When her husband David (Eric Johnson) begins to suspect this fact, it appears that his distress led to the car crash that killed both him and Chris.

Emily calling Stephanie a “brother f*er” repeatedly throughout the original movie and Another Simple Favor emphasizes the way that she has power over her friend. In addition to being able to wield the insult as a tool for shaming Stephanie, Emily first begins using the insult as a way to remind her that she knows a dangerous amount of information about her. It also highlights Emily’s casual callousness, because in addition to reminding Stephanie of one of her biggest shames, the insult is so linked to her grief that Emily can use it as a cudgel to psychologically torment her.

Another Simple Favor Flips Emily’s Brother F*er Reference

Charity McLanden Adds To The Franchise’s Ribald Overtones

A Simple Favor‘s “brother f*er” insult gains a new dimension thanks to a major twist in the 2025 sequel. The roster of Another Simple Favor characters includes a surprise addition in the form of Hope and Faith’s third identical triplet Charity (also played by Blake Lively), who was believed to have died at birth, but was actually kidnapped by the triplets’ aunt Linda (Allison Janney) for use in various cons. It is revealed that Charity was isolated since her birth and has developed a psychoSєxual obsession with Hope that leads to her making Sєxual advances upon Emily and kissing her.

While Charity’s desire goes unrequited by Emily, when Stephanie discovers the truth about the sisters, this allows her to flip the script and throw about the insult “sister f*er.” While she largely uses it toward Charity, it also extends to Emily. While the term does not technically accurately describe Emily, Stephanie takes to using it with glee as revenge for the insult that has frequently been lobbed at her. This allows Stephanie to gain a certain amount of power over Emily by the end of Another Simple Favor, balancing the scales and setting them up to build a closer bond.