Topline
Celebrities have taken to social media to support Blake Lively, days after she filed a complaint alleging her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni subjected her to sexual harassment and an online smear campaign—including Lively’s “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” co-stars and actress Amber Heard.
Lively filed a legal complaint against Justin Baldoni on Friday alleging sexual harassment and a … [+]
Variety via Getty ImagesKey Facts
Heard told NBC News in an exclusive statement published Monday morning: “Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on,’” adding she has seen this “firsthand and up close,” calling it “horrifying and destructive.”
Heard’s statement likely refers to her highly publicized legal battle with her ex-husband Johnny Depp, who sued her for defamation (which a jury found Heard liable for), which sparked widespread social media interest that was largely critical of Heard.
Lively’s “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” co-stars—America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn—published a joint statement on Instagram Sunday night slamming the “vindictive effort ensued to discredit her voice” and the “unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety.”
Colleen Hoover, the author of the blockbuster “It Ends With Us” novel, posted a photo of herself hugging Lively on Saturday, sharing a link to a New York Times report about Lively’s legal complaint and praising her for being “nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.”
Paul Feig, who directed Lively in “A Simple Favor” and its upcoming sequel, praised her as “one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people” he has worked with in a post on X on Sunday, stating she “did not deserve any of this smear campaign.”
Robyn Lively, Blake’s sister who had a small role in “It Ends With Us,” posted a statement on Instagram early Monday morning criticizing the “ruthless and nefarious smear campaign that aimed to take down my sister” and lamenting how social media prompts people to make “snap decisions” about people’s character.
Surprising Fact
Baldoni hired Melissa Nathan, a crisis PR manager who represented Depp in his defamation case against Heard, over the summer as rumors of a feud between Lively and Baldoni grew. According to texts published by the New York Times, Nathan told a publicist working with Baldoni “we can bury anyone,” suggesting plans including “full social take downs” by creating “threads of theories” and planting pieces in the media of “how horrible Blake is to work with.”
Key Background
Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department on Friday accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and waging an online smear campaign to damage her reputation. The complaint alleges Baldoni launched a “social manipulation” campaign against her after Lively had demanded Baldoni stop certain behaviors on the “It Ends With Us” set, including no more discussion of his alleged previous pornography addiction, “sexual conquests” or showing Lively images or videos of nude women. Lively said the alleged smear campaign had caused “severe emotional distress” for her and her family, prompting her to back out of hosting the “Saturday Night Live” season 50 premiere. Lively’s legal complaint comes months after rumors circulated online that she and Baldoni may have feuded during the filming and release of “It Ends With Us,” largely fueled by social media users who noticed the two never appeared together on the film’s press tour and that almost none of the cast and crew followed Baldoni on social media. The Hollywood Reporter published a report in August suggesting Lively and Baldoni feuded over creative control, citing anonymous sources who said Lively brought in her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to write dialogue for a key scene, and that she commissioned her own cut of the film. During the press tour, Lively in particular faced online backlash from social media users, some of whom alleged she avoided discussing the film’s topic of domestic violence while promoting the movie. Also contributing to the backlash against Lively, Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa shared an interview clip with the actress that she says “made me want to quit my job,” though Flaa denied having anything to do with the alleged smear campaign following Lively’s complaint.
Further Reading
Blake Lively Accuses ‘It Ends With Us’ Co-Star Justin Baldoni Of Sexual Harassment And Smear Campaign (Forbes)
‘It Ends With Us’ Actor Brandon Sklenar Addresses Alleged Cast Drama—Here’s Why Fans Think Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Are Feuding (Forbes)
Read Blake Lively’s Complaint Against Wayfarer Studios (New York Times)
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