Several of Blake Lively's family and friends have publicly rallied around her amid her legal battle against "It Ends With Us" director and co-star Justin Baldoni.
After the actress filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, they shared messages of support for her on social media.
Robyn, Blake Lively's sister, took to her Instagram page to post her thoughts on the matter. Uploading to her Instagram story, Robyn posted: "FINALLY justice for my sister @BlakeLively."
Alongside the remark, she posted snippets from a New York Times article, which laid out the details of the lawsuit. Robyn highlighted specific sentences from the article such as "Ms Lively had expressed concerns about Mr Baldoni from the beginning."
In the legal complaint, the Gossip Girl alum accuses the director of sexually harassing her on the film set and alleges that after she raised her concerns about him to their production team, he worked with a crisis PR team to try to destroy her reputation in retaliation.
Shortly after the news broke, Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, fired back at Lively’s complaint in a statement. He called it “shameful” and full of “categorically false accusations.”
View this post on Instagram
Colleen Hoover, the author of It Ends With Us, also showed her support for Lively. "@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met," the writer wrote on her Instagram Stories on Sunday, the day the complaint was made public, alongside a photo of herself and the actress hugging in a crowded theater. "Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."
Also on the same day Lively's legal complaint was made public, Gwyneth Paltrow promoted the fellow actress' new Blake Brown haircare line on her Instagram Stories, writing, "Just added to my Christmas wish list," and adding a queen emoji.
Meanwhile, Amy Schumer had just three words to say on her Instagram Stories: "I believe Blake."
America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel have also released a joint statement on social media in support of their longtime friend and “Sister of the Traveling Pants” co-star Lively after the complaint was made public.
“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 joint statement reads. “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. Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding,”.
“We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment,” the statement continues. “We are inspired by our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others. For anyone seeking more information or engaging in this important conversation online, please read the full legal complaint in the investigative reporting by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate for the New York Times.”
Lively, Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel starred in the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and its 2008 sequel. They have remained close friends ever since.
The foursome made headlines last year when they reunited to support Ferrera’s Oscar-nominated performance in “Barbie.”
The complaint filed by Lively against Baldoni included text messages and emails from Baldoni and his publicity team that detailed plans and a social media strategy to push back if the actress’ issues on the set with her director and co-star became public knowledge.
“Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates embarked on a sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation for Ms. Lively exercising her legally-protected right to speak up about their misconduct on the set, with the additional objective of intimidating her and anyone else from revealing in public what actually occurred,” the complaint reads.
View this post on Instagram
Follow the latest news on Google News
