Blake Lively’s ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ co-stars support her after Justin Baldoni claims
Blake Lively’s sisters have her back.
“Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel released a statement on Sunday supporting Lively, 37, after she accused her “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and mounting a smear campaign against her.
“As Blake’s friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” began the joint statement.
“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,” Lively’s “Sisterhood” co-stars continued. “Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding.”
The trio went on, “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. We are inspired by our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others.”
The message was signed by Ferrera, 40, Tamblyn, 41, and Bledel, 43. The post was shared on Ferrera and Tamblyn’s Instagram pages. Bledel does not have an Instagram account.
The three actresses worked with Lively on the 2005 film about four best friends who all fit into the same pair of jeans. They also starred in the 2008 sequel.
On Friday, Lively filed a complaint in California with claims of Baldoni’s alleged misconduct on the set of the film. Baldoni, 40, directed the film, while Lively served as one of the producers.
Lively alleged that “things got so bad during filming, there was an all-hands-on-deck meeting to address what she claims was a hostile work environment.”
As part of the tense sit-down, Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, who attended the meeting, demanded there would be “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Lively, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ and no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Lively.”
They further stipulated that Baldoni “should not make inquiries about Lively’s weight” and make “no further mention of her dead father.”
The complaint also claimed that Baldoni and his allies “engaged in a ‘social manipulation’ campaign to ‘destroy’ her reputation.”
As evidence, the “Gossip Girl” alum included texts from Baldoni’s publicist to a studio publicist saying the actor “wants to feel like [Ms. Lively] can be buried.”
Baldoni has been dropped by his talent agency WME in the wake of Lively’s complaint.
In a statement to The Post, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said, “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation.”
When “It Ends With Us” came out in August, rumors swirled of a feud between Lively and Baldoni, who refused to appear together to promote the flick.
Lively also suffered a barrage of bad publicity upon the movie’s release. She was criticized for how she promoted the domestic violence theme of the film and was even dubbed a “mean girl” after a journalist’s old interview with the actress went viral on social media.
After filling the complaint against Baldoni, Lively received support from Colleen Hoover, who wrote the romance novel that the film is based on.
“You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met,” Hoover, 45, wrote in a message to Lively on Instagram.
“Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt,” the author added.
Lively’s sister, actress Robyn Lively, has also publicly supported her. “FINALLY justice for my sister @blakelively,” Robyn, 52, posted on her Instagram Story Saturday.
Blake’s brother-in-law and Robyn’s husband, actor Bart Johnson, also posted about the lawsuit.
“Her complaints were filed during the filming. On record. Long before the public conflict. The cast unfollowed him for a reason,” Johnson, 54, alleged in the comments section of The New York Times’ Instagram on Saturday. “Read this article before spiting [sic] ignorance.”
