A slew of stars have shown their support for Blake Lively after she filed a bombshell lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni.
In a complaint filed Friday with the California Civil Rights Department, Lively, 37, accused Baldoni, 40, of sexual harassment and trying to “destroy” her reputation.
Since news of the lawsuit broke on Saturday, December 21, Hollywood’s top stars have come forward to defend the actress.
Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars — America Ferrera, Amber Rose Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel — released a joint letter on Instagram applauding their longtime “friend and sister” for “fighting back” against Baldoni.
“As friends and sisters of Blake for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” the statement said.
‘During the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her muster the courage to demand a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are shocked to read the evidence of a premeditated and vengeful attempt that followed to discredit her voice. ‘
Colleen Hoover, the author of It Ends With Us, also expressed her support for Lively.
Sharing a post on her Instagram Stories, she wrote: ‘@blakelively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.
A slew of stars have voiced their support for Blake Lively after she filed a bombshell lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni
Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars released a joint letter on Instagram applauding their longtime “friend and sister” for “fighting back” against Baldoni
“As friends and sisters of Blake for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” the statement said.
‘Thank you for being exactly the person you are. Never change. Never wither.”
Director Paul Feig, who worked with Lively on A Simple Favor and its sequel, also spoke out in favor of Lively.
“I’ve made two films with Blake now and all I can say is that she is one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with,” he wrote in a post on formerly known as Twittering.
‘She really didn’t deserve this smear campaign against her. I feel terrible that she had to go through this.”
Additionally, Amber Heard has spoken out about the ordeal, saying that she too knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a smear campaign.
In a statement to NBC News about Lively’s claims, Amber said: “Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying, ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before the truth can do its work.’
‘I have seen this with my own eyes and up close. It is as horrifying as it is destructive.”
Baldoni, who has since been dropped by his talent agency, hired TAG PR publicist Melissa Nathan in August this year as stories surrounding the beginning of the drama emerged.
Colleen Hoover, the author of It Ends With Us, also expressed her support for Lively, writing, “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive, and patient since the day we met.”
Comedian Amy Schumer also showed her support for Lively, simply writing on her Instagram Stories: “I believe Blake”
Director Paul Feig, who worked with Lively on A Simple Favor and its sequel, also spoke out in favor of Lively
Nathan founded the company in August this year, but previously worked for the same company that hired Johnny Depp to help him with his lawsuit with Heard.
Comedian Amy Schumer also showed her support for Lively, simply writing on her Instagram Stories, “I believe Blake.”
Her comment was particularly poignant because she previously targeted Lively on her sketch show Inside Amy Schumer in 2015, publicly admitting at the time, “We’re not good friends.”
The film – based on Hoover’s 2016 bestseller – followed Lily Bloom, a florist played by Lively, who falls in love with a charming but abusive neurosurgeon, played by Baldoni, who also directed the film.
Released in August, the film was a box office success, grossing over $350 million against a production budget of $25 million.
But the behind-the-scenes drama has consistently overshadowed the film’s commercial success.
Lively alleged in the legal filing that Baldoni entered her makeup trailer while she was topless, showed her pornographic photos and a graphic video of his own wife giving birth, repeatedly discussed his “porn addiction,” described his own genitals and even — in one horrific incident – bit and sucked Lively’s lips during an improvised kissing scene for which Baldoni insisted on multiple takes.
Production on It Ends With Us was postponed in 2023 due to a writers’ strike. And a day before filming resumed, a meeting was held to address the set’s “hostile work environment,” the lawsuit said.
Additionally, Amber Heard has spoken out about the ordeal, saying that she too knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a smear campaign.
In a complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department on Friday, Lively, 37, accused Baldoni, 40, of sexual harassment and of trying to “destroy” her reputation.
During the meeting, Lively made 30 demands of her It Ends With Us costar and others on set, as evidenced in her legal complaint against Baldoni.
The new ‘rules’ for the production stipulated that Lively had to be replaced by an ‘A-list stunt double’ for scenes involving ‘rape and/or violence’ with Baldoni.
They also said that Baldoni was not allowed to add any new “sex scenes, oral sex or climaxes on camera” that were not in the previously agreed upon script, and that an intimacy coordinator had to be appointed on set whenever the two stars shared a scene.
The rules weren’t even exclusively about sexual impropriety.
Other demands included that Baldoni stop claiming he spoke “to” Lively’s late father, and that he stop asking about her weight – which she said was akin to “fat-shaming.”
Baldoni, through his company Wayfarer Studios, appeared to agree to the demands, writing in a formal response letter: “While our perspective differs in many ways, ensuring a safe environment for everyone is of the utmost importance, regardless of differing viewpoints.
“With regard to your outlined requests, we believe most of them are not only reasonable, but essential to the interests of all parties involved.”
Filming resumed on January 5 and ended just over a month later on February 9.
Lively alleged in the legal filing that Baldoni entered her makeup trailer while she was topless, showed her pornographic photos and a graphic video of his own wife giving birth
In addition to accusing him of “repeated sexual harassment,” Lively (seen with her husband) alleged that Baldoni and his team had coordinated a smear campaign to “destroy” her.
It appeared that the final month of recording was a success, with Lively telling close friends and colleagues that Baldoni’s behavior had improved significantly.
However, once the film wrapped, Lively claimed the problems started again.
During the press tour prior to the film’s release, rumors of an ongoing feud between Blake and Justin dominated headlines, causing the leads to receive intense scrutiny online.
In addition to accusing him of “repeated sexual harassment,” Lively also alleged that Baldoni and his team coordinated a smear campaign to “destroy” her reputation in the 80-page lawsuit.
Private messages and emails obtained through a subpoena from the actress contain detailed information about the alleged plot, several of which were sent by Hollywood crisis management expert Nathan.
Justin’s team has refuted the allegations, claiming that the legal action is an attempt to patch up Blake’s reputation.