Colleen Hoover, the author of It Ends With Us, has publicly backed Blake Lively following recent controversies with Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and retaliation involving the film adaptation of her book.
Taking to Instagram on Saturday Hoover praised, “Blake Lively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive, and patient since the day we met.”
“Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.” The post also included a link to an article about the lawsuit Lively filed against Baldoni, the film’s director and lead actor.
Us Weekly, TMZ, and The New York Times cited the court document, Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni on Friday, December 20. In the lawsuit, Lively accused Baldoni of orchestrating a “social manipulation” campaign to damage her reputation and creating a “hostile work environment” on set. The legal action followed months of tension during the production of It Ends With Us, which culminated in a January 2024 meeting to address Lively’s grievances.
Baldoni’s attorney denies ‘outrageous’ claims in Lively’s lawsuit
The lawsuit detailed several demands made by Lively, which included “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, denied all the allegations were “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.” Freedman accused Lively of filing the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the film’s troubled production. He further alleged that Lively made “multiple demands and threats” during filming, including threats to not appear on set or promote the film.
While responding to The New York Times, Lively addressed, “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.” She denied spreading any negative information about Baldoni.
