It was reported this week that Blake Lively is taking legal action against It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni.
The 37-year-old actress is suing Baldoni for sexual harassment and for coordinating an alleged smear campaign against her in order to harm her reputation.
Lively and Baldoni's working relationship has been front and centre since the Colleen Hoover adaptation's release this summer, with reports of a rift between the two creative leads. And amid its controversial reception, it was Lively in particular who received negative online attention.
The actress has since alleged that this was part of a smear campaign by Baldoni, reporting to The Times that she hopes her actions will help "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."
Since making her legal complaint, Lively has been supported by an array of family and colleagues, with It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover speaking out in support of her friend.
"Blake Lively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met," read her moving post. "Thank you for being exactly the human you are. Never change. Never wilt."
Lively's family has also made statements in support of her, with brother-in-law Bart Johnson speaking out most recently, and his surprising comments on Justin Baldoni's character have since gone viral.
"He’s a fraud. He puts on the ‘costume’ of a hero, man bun and all," Johnson posted to X. "Used all of the trendy catchphrases & buzzwords for his podcasts. None of it’s genuine. It’s all theater. And everyone fell for it. For years."
He continued: "Rewatch his videos with a more critical eye and watch him compliment and praise himself with faux humility and self-deprecation. What a performance."
Legal representatives for Justin Baldoni have responded to Blake Lively's allegations in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter.
"It is shameful that Ms Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations,” read the statement, referring to Lively's legal complaint as "yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions”.
We will continue to update this story.
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