Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us co-star Jenny Slate breaks silence on Justin Baldoni lawsuit

Jenny Slate has spoken out in support of her It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively amid his lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.

Lively sued Baldoni last week, accusing him of sexually harassing her and creating a toxic work environment on the set of It Ends With Us, in which he both directed and performed with her. He has firmly denied the allegations.

In her complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni worked to damage her reputation with a team that included his publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis PR expert Melissa Nathan, who previously worked with Johnny Depp. Abel has denied that he has waged a ‘smear campaign’.

Since the indictment, Lively has been publicly defended by both her co-star Brandon Sklenar and Colleen Hoover, the author of the novel on which the film is based.

Now Slate, 42, who played the sister of Baldoni’s character in the film, has added her voice to the choir in a statement to the Today show.

“As a castmate and friend of Blake Lively, I express my support as she takes action against those who allegedly planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” she said.

“Blake is a leader, a loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support to me and to many who know and love her. What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing and downright threatening. I praise my friend, I admire her courage, and I stand by her side.”

Her statement comes the day after Sklenar took to his Instagram Stories to share a link to a New York Times article containing the long-standing legal complaint against Baldoni, 40.

About the link to the report, he wrote: “For the love of God, read this.”

He also tagged Lively, 37, in his post and added a red heart emoji next to her name.

In the film adaptation of It Ends With Us, which is based on Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, Sklenar plays Atlas Corrigan, the childhood friend, first friend and first love of Lively’s character, Lily Bloom.

On Friday, December 20, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing him of sexual harassment and spearheading an alleged smear campaign in retaliation for raising concerns about his inappropriate behavior on set.

The 1923 star previously released a statement urging fans not to “vilify” the women in the film amid the drama and controversy that began to stir during their promotional tour this summer.

At the time, Lively was the target of backlash after clearly avoiding Baldoni while fulfilling her commitments to promote the film.

When fans noticed that Lively unfollowed him, as well as several of their fellow castmates, on social media, rumors of a feud between the leads followed.

In her lawsuit, she claims it was Baldoni’s smear campaign against her — which reportedly included the resurfacing of footage from Lively’s past interviews, which fans found distasteful — that sparked a flood of negative reactions on social media.

Fans on social media also slammed the Gossip Girl star for her seemingly flippant behavior and occasional sarcastic responses in interviews and while discussing domestic violence, a major topic of It Ends with Us.

In August, Sklenar shared an Instagram post urging fans not to slander the women behind the film.

He asked fans to focus on the message of It Ends With Us, which centers on domestic violence and a traumatic love story.

Perhaps through additional subtext, he also suggested that the film is a “harsh reality check for the men who have to get their act together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.”

“Slandering the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. In fact, it is the opposite of the point,” he wrote.

“What may or may not have happened behind the scenes hopefully does not and should not detract from our intentions in making this film.”

Sklenar added: “It has been disheartening to see how much negativity is being projected online.”

He also noted that “someone very close to me” experienced a similar, toxic relationship as shown in the film, which he said “saved her life,” and said he feels a “responsibility to bring this to life and help spread that’. message further.’

Sklenar isn’t the only one who worked on It Ends With Us and has also spoken out in support of Lively.

Just days earlier, shortly after Lively’s filing, Hoover — who also served as an executive producer on the adaptation — broke her silence on the lawsuit between her two leads.

She shared a photo of herself and Lively posing together, which appeared to be from their promotional tour.

Hoover wrote in his speech to the actress, “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.

“Thank you for being exactly the person that you are,” she added. ‘Never change. Never wither.”

In addition to Sklenar and Hoover, a slew of A-stars have also come forward to defend the actress.

Her former costars from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants — America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel — shared a joint statement applauding their longtime “friend and sister” for “fighting back” against Baldoni.

Director Paul Feig, who worked with Lively on A Simple Favor and its sequel, also spoke out in favor of the actress.

He wrote that she “really did not deserve this smear campaign against her,” adding that he felt “terrible that she had to endure this.”

Amber Heard also spoke out about the ordeal, saying she knows far too well what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a smear campaign.”

Comedian Amy Schumer also showed her support for Lively, simply writing on her Instagram Stories, “I believe Blake.”