It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover shared her support for Blake Lively Saturday following news of the actress’ lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director in the movie.
Hours after Lively went public with her lawsuit, which alleges both on-set sexual harassment and a smear campaign against her, Hoover turned to social media to voice her support for Lively.
“@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met,” Hoover wrote in her Instagram Stories atop a photo of she and Lively hugging at an It Ends With Us screening. “Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
During the promotional push for the movie, Hoover appeared at press events and premieres alongside Lively and many of her It Ends With Us co-stars, while Baldoni often promoted his film alone, leading to the initial speculation about a behind-the-scenes rift.
A Rolling Stone report confirmed the drama on the set of It Ends With Us, while Lively’s lawsuit exposed the alleged efforts by Baldoni and his team of publicists and crisis management experts to smear Lively online via press leaks and social media posts.
Lively’s lawsuit — which claims “severe emotional distress” from the experience — also provided an in-depth look at what Lively alleges was a toxic production. In addition to Baldoni, producers (namely lead producer Jamey Heath), a public relations executive for Wayfarer Studios, and a crisis management expert were also named in the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, obtained by Rolling Stone, Lively alleges that the work environment with Baldoni at the reins became so hostile that an emergency meeting was held with Sony Pictures. A list of demands for Baldoni were then drawn up, per the suit, including that he refrain from talking about his previous “pornography addiction,” sexual conquests, and the cast and crew’s genitalia.
In the aftermath of the film’s troubled production, Lively’s lawsuit alleges that Baldoni, Wayfarer’s publicity department, and a “crisis management” team engaged in a “social manipulation” campaign in an attempt to “destroy” her reputation. The lawsuit also includes alleged messages sent from Baldoni’s publicist that read the director “wants to feel like [Lively] can be buried” and “We can’t write we will destroy her.”
Lively said in a statement to the New York Times, “I hope that my legal action helps 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.”
