Jenny Slate speaks out on Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni drama
Jenny Slate is proudly standing by Blake Lively.
Slate, 42, released a statement on Monday in response to Lively’s legal complaint against their “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni, who was accused of sexual harassment and orchestrating a PR smear campaign against Lively, 37.
“As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” Slate told Today.
“Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her,” Slate continued.
The actress added, “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”
In “It Ends With Us,” Slate plays Allysa, the sister of Baldoni’s character Ryle Kincaid, who is abusive toward Lively’s Lily Bloom.
At the time of the film’s release in August, rumors swirled of a feud between Lively and Baldoni, 40, as they refused to appear together to promote the flick.
Slate and the rest of the cast promoted the movie with Lively — who suffered a barrage of bad publicity. She was criticized for how she talked about the domestic violence theme of the film and was also dubbed a “mean girl” due to resurfaced interviews that went viral on social media.
In her complaint against Baldoni, Lively accused her co-star of sexual harassment on the set of the film.
She alleged that Baldoni’s misconduct during filming was so bad that “an all-hands-on-deck meeting” was held to address his behavior with Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, in attendance.
During the sit-down, Lively 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.”
Lively also accused Baldoni and his PR team of leading a smear campaign that caused harm to her business and led to her family experiencing “severe emotional distress.”
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, denied Lively’s claims, telling The Post, “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.”
In the wake of Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni has been dropped by his talent agency WME. His podcast co-host also quit the show.
In addition to Slate, “It Ends With Us” star Brandon Sklenar has also voiced support for Lively amid the drama.
On his Instagram Story, Sklenar posted a link to the New York Times article which has the complete legal filing Lively submitted, and said, “For the love of god read this.”
Additionally, Sklenar tagged Lively’s Instagram account and added a heart emoji next to her handle.
Colleen Hoover, who wrote the book that the film is based on, backed the actress in an IG Story on Saturday too.
“You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met,” the author captioned a photo of her hugging Lively.
“Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt,” Hoover added.
