Jenny Slate has spoken out in support of her It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively amid the latter’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
Lively sued Baldoni last week, accusing him of sexually harassing her and fostering a toxic work environment on the set of It Ends With Us, in which he directed and acted with her. He has strongly denied the allegations.
In her complaint, Lively claimed that Baldoni worked to tarnish her reputation with a team that included her publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis public relations expert Melissa Nathan, who previously worked with Johnny Depp. Abel has denied having carried out a “smear campaign.”
Since filing the lawsuit, Lively has been publicly defended by both her co-star Brandon Sklenar and Colleen Hoover, the author of the novel on which the film is based.
Now Slate, 42, who played the sister of Baldoni’s character in the film, has added her voice to the chorus in a statement to the Today show.
“As a castmate and friend of Blake Lively, I express my support as she takes action against those who reportedly planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” she said.
Jenny Slate has spoken out in support of her It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively amid the latter’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni; Slate and Lively photographed at the film’s premiere in New York
‘Blake is a leader, a loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support to me and many who know and love her. What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terrifyingly dark, disturbing and downright menacing. “I congratulate my friend, I admire her bravery and I am at her side.”
His statement comes a day after Sklenar took to his Instagram Stories to share a link to a New York Times Article that includes the extensive judicial complaint against Baldoni, 40 years old.
Over the link to the report, he wrote: “For the love of God, read this.”
He also tagged Lively, 37, in his post and added a red heart emoji next to her name.
In the film adaptation of It Ends With Us, based on the romance novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, Sklenar plays Atlas Corrigan, the childhood friend, first boyfriend and first love of Lively’s character, Lily Bloom.
On Friday, December 20, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni with the California Department of Civil Rights, accusing him of sexual harassment and spearheading an alleged smear campaign in retaliation for him raising concerns about her inappropriate behavior on set.
The 1923 star previously issued a statement urging fans not to “smear” the women in the film amid drama and controversy beginning to brew during her promotional tour over the summer.
At the time, Lively was the target of backlash after clearly avoiding Baldoni while fulfilling her duties promoting the film.
Lively sued Baldoni last week, accusing him of sexually harassing her and fostering a toxic work environment on the set of It Ends With Us.
Slate played the sister of Baldoni’s character in the film, in which she appears.
Since filing the lawsuit, Lively has been publicly defended by her co-star Brandon Sklenar, who is photographed with her at an event for the film in Texas this June.
When fans noticed that Lively unfollowed him, as well as several of his co-stars, on social media, rumors of a feud between the stars arose.
In her lawsuit, she claims that it was Baldoni’s smear campaign against her, which allegedly included the reappearance of footage of Lively’s past interviews that fans found distasteful, that sparked an avalanche of negative responses on social media.
Fans on social media also criticized the Gossip Girl star for her seemingly cheerful demeanor and occasionally sarcastic responses in interviews and while discussing domestic abuse, a major theme of It Ends with Us.
In August, Sklenar shared a post on Instagram urging fans not to “smear” the women behind the film.
She asked fans to focus on the message of It Ends With Us, which centers on domestic violence and a traumatic love story.
Perhaps through additional subtext, he also suggested that the film is a “hard reality check for men who need to pick themselves up and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.”
Over the link to the lawsuit, he wrote: “For the love of God, read this.” He also tagged Lively, 37, and added a red heart emoji next to her name.
In the film adaptation of It Ends With Us (pictured), based on Colleen Hoover’s romance novel of the same name, Sklenar plays Atlas Corrigan, the childhood friend, first boyfriend, and first love of Lively’s character, Lily. Bloom.
‘Vilining the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. In fact, it’s quite the opposite,” he wrote.
“What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not, and hopefully should not, detract from our intentions in making this film.”
Sklenar added: “It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity projected online.”
He also noted that “someone very close to me” has been experiencing a toxic relationship similar to the one depicted in the film, which he said “saved his life,” and said he feels a “responsibility to bring this to life.” and help spread it.” message further.”
Sklenar isn’t the only one who worked on It Ends With Us and has also spoken out in support of Lively.
Several days earlier, shortly after Lively’s introduction, Hoover, who also served as an executive producer on the adaptation, broke her silence about the lawsuit between her two leads.
She shared a photo of her and Lively posing together that appeared to be from her promotional tour.
Addressing the actress, Hoover wrote: “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.
“Thank you for being exactly the human being that you are,” he added. ‘Never change. Never wither.’
On Friday, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni with the California Department of Civil Rights, accusing him of sexual harassment and spearheading an alleged smear campaign in retaliation for raising concerns about her inappropriate behavior on set; photographed in January
Sklenar previously issued a statement urging fans not to “smear” the women in the film amid controversy beginning to brew during his promotional tour over the summer; seen in June in Grapevine, Texas
He asked fans to focus on the message of It Ends With Us, which centers on domestic violence and a traumatic love story; photographed in August in New York
In addition to Sklenar and Hoover, a slew of A-list stars have also come forward to defend the actress.
Her former The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel shared a joint statement applauding their lifelong ‘friend and sister’ for ‘fighting back’ against Baldoni.
Director Paul Feig, who worked with Lively on A Simple Favor and its sequel, also spoke out in favor of the actress.
He wrote that she “really didn’t deserve any of this smear campaign against her,” adding that she thinks it was “horrible to be put through this.”
Amber Heard also weighed in on the ordeal, saying she knows very well what it feels like to be the victim of a smear campaign.
Comedian Amy Schumer also showed her support for Lively, simply writing on her Instagram Stories: “I believe in Blake.”