By Variety | Created at 2024-12-24 16:50:39 | Updated at 2024-12-26 08:43:29
1 day ago
Jenny Slate is standing by her “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively after she accused the film’s director and leading man Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and attempting a smear campaign.
“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 in a statement to Today. “Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.”
She added that “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 plays Allysa, the sister of Baldoni’s Ryle Kincaid and sister-in-law of Blake Lively’s Lily Bloom. After Lily admits to Allysa that Ryle has been abusing her, Allysa supports her in leaving him.
Representatives for Slate did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for further comment.
Lively first accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a complaint filed on Dec. 20, in which she alleged that his behavior caused her and her family “severe emotional harm” and that he attempted to mount a smear campaign against her. Bryan Freedman, who is representing Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, called Lively’s complaint “shameful” and full of “categorically false accusations.”
According to the complaint, a meeting was held in January to address Lively’s concerns when returning to the “It Ends With Us” set after the actors and writers strikes. During the meeting, for which Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds was present, Lively alleged that Baldoni had discussed her weight with her trainer, pressed her to disclose her religious beliefs and talked about his sex life in inappropriate ways. She also allegedly demanded that Baldoni not add any more sex scenes than what was already in the script, which the film’s distributor, Sony Pictures, reportedly approved according to the complaint.
Lively’s filing includes texts and emails between Baldoni and his PR team detailing their online strategy after rumors of an on-set feud between the two began brewing. “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 alleges.
Since Lively’s filing, several big names have spoken up in support of her, including “It Ends With Us” co-star Brandon Sklenar and author Colleen Hoover. “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met,” Hoover wrote, sharing a picture of her and Lively hugging. “Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.” SAG-AFTRA and Sony also backed Lively.
Amber Heard spoke out on Monday, noting that Baldoni hired the same crisis PR team as her ex-husband Johnny Depp during their highly publicized 2022 defamation trial. “Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on,’” Heard said in a statement on the situation to NBC News. “I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.”
Lively’s “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” co-stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel also posted a message of support, writing in a joint statement on social media: “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.”
