Jenny Slate is lending her support to her “It Ends with Us” costar Blake Lively after Lively filed a legal complaint against Justin Baldoni, who directed and costarred in the film. In the complaint, Lively accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and partaking in a smear campaign with intention to harm her reputation.
In a statement provided exclusively to TODAY.com, Slate said she stands by her “loyal friend” and “trusted source of emotional support.”
“As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” Slate said. “Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.”
She continued: “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”
In “It Ends with Us,” Slate portrays Allysa, the sister of Baldoni’s character and sister-in-law of Lively’s.
In the complaint filed Dec. 20, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment while filming “It Ends with Us.” She also said Baldoni retaliated and participated in a PR campaign to ruin her reputation ahead of the film’s Aug. 9 release. Lively was the focus of a swell of criticism on social media around the time “It Ends with Us” released.
Also named in the complaint is Jamey Heath, the lead producer on “It Ends with Us” and the CEO of the film’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, which was co-founded by Baldoni. Lively accused him and Baldoni of “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior,” according to the complaint. Public relations executive Jennifer Abel, crisis management expert Melissa Nathan and Nathan’s company, The Agency Group, are also named. They are accused by Lively of envisioning and executing the PR campaign.
“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,” Lively said in a Dec. 21 statement to TODAY.com.
Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and all its representatives, said in a statement to TODAY.com on Dec. 21 that Lively’s allegations are “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” and “yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation.”
Freedman also issued a statement on behalf of The Agency Group, saying in part: “The standard scenario planning TAG PR drafted proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful, and responded organically to that which the media themselves picked up on.”
TODAY.com has reached out to Abel for comment.
“It Ends with Us,” based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 book of the same name, follows a woman named Lily (Lively), who finds that her relationship with husband Ryle (Baldoni) is repeating a cycle of domestic abuse that she witnessed with her own parents.
Hoover shared her support for Lively on her Instagram story Dec. 21, saying: “@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patience since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
The book and film have both been enveloped in controversy after some said the plot romanticized domestic abuse. Also, ahead of the film’s release, fans started to speculate about possible tension between Lively and Baldoni when they didn’t appear together to promote the movie.
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