Just a few days after Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn have come out in support of Blake Lively.
The women, who all appeared with Lively in the film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which was released in 2005, issued a joint statement on Instagram on Sunday, December 21. In the statement, they expressed their support for Lively, who is 37 years old, in light of the claims that she has made against Baldoni, who is 40 years old.
“As Blake’s friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” the statement said at the beginning. “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.”
The brazen use of the experiences of survivors of domestic violence in order to silence a lady who pleaded for protection is the most heartbreaking aspect of the situation. In addition, the statement proceeded by saying, “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,” according to the actors.
“We are inspired by our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others,” said the statement as it came to a conclusion. “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.”
Tamblyn, who is 41 years old, posted some further remarks on her Instagram Stories. In them, she said that she was a “confidante” for Lively and that she recalls how “painful” the experience of shooting It Ends with Us was for the celebrity.
With the help of reliable reporting and receipts, I am relieved that all of this has been brought to light. I would like to request that you read the whole piece, and more especially, the legal complaint that can be found at the link,” Tamblyn said, referring to the report that was published in the New York Times.
In her complaint, Lively asserts that Baldoni engaged in inappropriate behavior during the production of It Ends with Us. Specifically, she claims that Baldoni showed her explicit images and videos, inquired about her personal sexual life, and added additional intimacy scenes to the film that she had not initially agreed to. This information was previously reported by PEOPLE. In addition, she accuses Jamey Heath, the main producer, of engaging in behaviors that constitute misconduct in the complaint.
According to the lawsuit, Lively, who was accompanied by her husband Ryan Reynolds, went to meet with the producers of the film in order to suggest that Baldoni alter his conduct.
“no more improvising of kissing” and “no more personal, physical touching of, or sexual comments by, Mr. Baldoni or Mr. Heath to be tolerated by [Blake Lively] and/or any of her employees, as well as any female cast or crew without their express consent” were among the protections that Lively requested, as stated in the complaint. Lively also requested that Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath not make any subsequent sexual comments.
The lawsuit claims that Baldoni engaged crisis publicists to launch a retaliatory smear campaign against Lively on social media and in the press, despite the fact that Lively said that Baldoni had consented to the safeguards.
Lively claims in her complaint, which is a first step in filing a discrimination case in the state of California, that “she has suffered from grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety” as a result of Baldoni’s actions.
The lawsuit further states that “the emotional impact on Ms. Lively has been extreme, not only affecting her, but her family, including her husband and four children.”
There have been a number of other notable individuals who have shown their support for Lively, one of them being Colleen Hoover, the author of the book It Ends with Us. In a message that she made on her own social media account on Saturday, Hoover, who is 45 years old, said that the actress is “nothing but honest, kind, supportive, and patient.”
This is what Hoover said on her Instagram Stories beside a snapshot of herself and Lively embracing. “@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive, and patient since the day we met,” she said. “I am grateful to you for possessing the characteristics of a human being. Do not ever alter. Never wither away.”
In addition, Robyn Lively, Lively’s sister, expressed her support for the actress in a message that she published on her Instagram Stories on Saturday. Robyn added a collage of screenshots from the story that was published in the New York Times and provided a summary of the trauma that Blake and Baldoni went through.
This is what Robyn tweeted accompanying the screenshots: “Finally, justice has been served for my sister, Blake Lively.”