A slew of stars have showed their support for Blake Lively after she filed a bombshell lawsuit against her It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni.
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.
Ever since news of the lawsuit dropped on Saturday, December 21, Hollywood’s finest 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 Blake’s friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,’ the statement read.
‘Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.’
Colleen Hoover, the author of It Ends With Us, also voiced her support for Lively.
She shared a post to her Instagram stories and wrote: ‘@blakelively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.
A slew of stars have showed their support for Blake Lively after she filed a bombshell lawsuit against her It Ends With Us costar 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 Blake’s friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,’ the statement read
‘Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.’
Director Paul Feig, who worked with Lively on A Simple Favor and its sequel, also spoke out in favor of Lively.
‘I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with,’ he wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it’s awful she was put through this.’
In addition, Amber Heard has weighed in on the ordeal, saying that she too knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of a smear campaign.
In a statement to NBC News regarding Lively’s claims, Amber said: ‘Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying, “A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.”
‘I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.’
Baldoni, who has since been dropped by his talent agency, hired TAG PR publicist Melissa Nathan in August of this year as stories surrounding the drama onset emerged.
Colleen Hoover, the author of It Ends With Us, also voiced 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 firm that Johnny Depp hired to help him navigate his trial 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 as she had previously taken aim at Lively on her Inside Amy Schumer sketch show back in 2015, publicly admitting at the time: ‘We’re not close friends.’
The film – based on the 2016 bestseller by Hoover – followed Lily Bloom, a florist played by Lively, who falls in love with a charming but abusive neurosurgeon, played by Baldoni, who also directed it.
The movie, which was released in August, was a box office hit – grossing more than $350 million against a $25 million production budget.
But behind-the-scenes drama has continuously overshadowed the commercial success of the film.
Lively claimed in the legal filing that Baldoni entered her make-up trailer while she was topless, showed her pornographic pictures and a graphic video of his own wife giving birth, repeatedly discussed his ‘porn addiction,’ described his own genitalia and even – in one horrifying incident – bit and sucked on Lively’s lips during an improvised kissing scene for which Baldoni insisted on doing multiple takes.
The production of It Ends With Us was delayed in 2023 due to a writers strike. And one day before filming resumed, a meeting was held to address the set’s ‘hostile work environment,’ per the lawsuit.
In addition, Amber Heard has weighed in on the ordeal , saying that she too knows how it feels 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 revealed in her legal complaint against Baldoni.
The new ‘rules’ for production stated that Lively should be replaced by an ‘A-list stunt double’ for scenes involving ‘rape and/or violence’ with Baldoni.
They also said that Baldoni must not add any new ‘sex scenes, oral sex, or on camera climaxing’ which weren’t in the previously agreed script, and that an intimacy coordinator should be employed on set whenever the two stars shared a scene.
The rules weren’t even exclusively related to sexual impropriety.
Other demands included that Baldoni stop claiming he was ‘speaking to’ Lively’s dead father and that he stop asking about her weight – which she suggested was akin to fat-shaming.
Baldoni, via his company Wayfarer Studios, appeared to agree to the demands, writing in a formal response letter: ‘Although our perspective differs in many aspects, ensuring a safe environment for all is paramount irrespective of differing viewpoints.
‘Regarding your outlined requests, we find most of them not only reasonable but also essential for the benefit of all parties involved.’
Filming duly restarted on January 5 and concluded just over a month later on February 9.
Lively claimed in the legal filing that Baldoni entered her make-up trailer while she was topless, showed her pornographic pictures and a graphic video of his own wife giving birth
On top of accusing him of ‘repeated sexual harassment,’ Lively (seen with her husband) claimed that Baldoni and his team had coordinated a smear campaign to ‘destroy’ her
It appeared that the final month of shooting was a success, with Lively telling close friends and colleagues that Baldoni’s behavior had markedly improved.
However, as soon as the film was wrapped, Lively alleged that the trouble started up again.
During the press tour leading up to the film’s release, rumors of an ongoing feud between Blake and Justin dominated headlines, resulting in the leads facing intense scrutiny online.
On top of accusing him of ‘repeated sexual harassment,’ Lively also claimed that Baldoni and his team had coordinated a smear campaign to ‘destroy’ her reputation in the 80-page lawsuit.
Private messages and emails obtained through a subpoena filed by the actress detailed the alleged plot, several sent by Hollywood crisis management expert Nathan.
Justin’s team has refuted the allegations and claimed the legal action is an attempt to patch up Blake’s reputation.