On December 21, Hollywood actress Blake Lively sued actor Justin Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment and for tarnishing her reputation by launching a smear campaign against her during the release of their film It Ends With Us.
Now, Lively’s The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants co-stars have come out to support the actress in a lengthy statement posted on Instagram. Signed by America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, the actresses wrote that they “were appalled” by the lengths Baldoni went to “discredit” Lively.
“We are inspired by our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others,” they continued, and urged people to read The New York Times exposé that includes evidence to support Lively’s claim.
Lively vs Baldoni
In the 80-page lawsuit, Lively claimed that she did not feel safe working in the production of the film, and added that she was asked to do a full nude shot during the childbirth scene, which was not discussed prior to the shooting. Baldoni claimed that it was “unrealistic” to give birth in a hospital gown.
Since the release of It Ends With Us in August, the once-loved Lively has turned evil in the eyes of social media users. Past videos of the actress started to emerge, in which she was seen acting rudely during an interview and making snarky comments in various situations.
During the promotion of the movie – based on a book by Colleen Hoover, which details sexual harassment and domestic abuse – Baldoni, director and lead-star of the film, was raising awareness on the trauma that women go through in relationships, while Lively was promoting her newly launched haircare line.
It is alleged that Baldoni and his team orchestrated this PR strategy to badmouth Lively in the fear that she might expose what happened on set.
While Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman responded that the allegations are "false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt," and that it is a “desperate attempt” from Lively to “fix her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions.”