As soon as the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s massively popular book It Ends With Us was announced, fans knew it would be a big deal. But no one could have anticipated the events that would follow.
Blake Lively is suing Justin Baldoni, the It Ends With Us director and her co-star, for sexual harassment and an alleged negative PR campaign to ruin her character and name in Hollywood. Several celebrities are championing Lively and sharing their love for the actress and the bravery she is showing by speaking out.
Amber Heard
Amber Heard stood by Lively and shared a statement with NBC. She talked about the cruel reality that aren’t true are shared on social media and said, “I saw it firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.” Heard’s statement came after news broke that Melissa Nathan, the crisis manager who Baldoni began working with in the summer 2024, had worked for Johnny Depp at the time of Depp and Heard’s 2022 defamation trial.
Colleen Hoover
Hoover has also supported Lively and shared a statement via Instagram Stories, “Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
Hoover and Lively have both been vulnerable when it comes to shedding light on dark topics. The author has shared that she wrote her novel after watching her mother be abused by her father. Some of the most disturbing parts of the lawsuit allege the harsh experiences Lively, who had recently given birth to her fourth child, was put through. Lively explained that she “was not given enough breaks to feed her baby” or “proper lactation breaks” which led to mastitis. This would be terrible to hear about on any movie set, but particularly one that is supposed to raise awareness of abuse against women. Postpartum is a uniquely vulnerable time and no one should be treated this way.
Lively’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Co-Stars
Long before Lively played florist Lily Bloom in It Ends With Us and at the beginning of her career, she co-starred in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants alongside Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Amber Tamblyn. The bonds forged on that movie set lived on. Now the stars put out a joint statement and said, “we stand with her in solidarity” and “we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort” against Lively.
Bledel, Ferrera, and Tamblyn also wrote that they are shocked by Baldoni’s “hypocrisy” because the lawsuit alleges that he and his PR team put out accounts from domestic violence survivors “to silence a woman who asked for safety.” This is just one heartbreaking part of the lawsuit.
Paul Feig
Paul Feig directed Lively in A Simple Favor and will direct her again in the sequel, and he said “She truly did not deserve” what happened and “it’s awful she was put through this.” It’s difficult to hear what the on-set experience of It Ends With Us was like for Lovely as it was absolutely the total opposite of what someone would hope making a movie would be like.
Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer is no stranger to speaking up, and according to Us Weekly, she wrote “I believe Blake” on her Instagram Stories on Dec. 22, 2024.
Gwenyth Paltrow
As Us Weekly shared, Gwyneth Paltrow said of Lively’s company Blake Brown on Instagram Stories, “Just added to my Christmas wish list.” Although the actress and GOOP founder didn’t talk about Baldoni specifically, she has addressed sexual harassment before. In 2019, she said Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed her at the age of 22.