It ends with us author Colleen Hoover is backing Blake Lively amid the actress’ sexual harassment allegations against the film adaptation’s director and star Justin Baldoni.
In an Instagram Stories post on Saturday, Dec. 21 — the same day Lively’s complaint against her co-star Baldoni, 40, came to light — Hoover, 45, shared her support for the actress and linked to The New York Times‘ situation reporting.
“@blakelively, you’ve been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met,” Hoover wrote alongside a photo of herself and Lively, 37, hugging at a screening of the film. “Thank you for being exactly who you are. Don’t ever change. You never will.”
Colleen Hoover shares a message of support for Blake Lively.
Colleen Hoover/Instagram
Everything Blake Lively Claims in Justin Baldoni’s Lawsuit: Unwanted Kissing, Naked Watching and Smear Campaign
Lively’s complaint, obtained by PEOPLE, alleges that Baldoni behaved inappropriately on set It ends with us this resulted in a meeting with the producers to address Lively’s concerns about his behavior and that of the film’s executive producer, Jamey Heath.
After the meeting, the complaint states, Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, allegedly agreed to a series of conditions, including “no more improvisational kissing” and “no more personal, physical touching or sexual comments by Mr. Baldoni or Mr. Heath that should tolerate [Blake Lively] and/or any of its employees, as well as any cast or crew without their express consent.”
Other requests included “no more sex scenes, oral sex or climax on camera.” [Lively] outside the scope of the script [Lively] approved at the signing of the project” — which Baldoni and the producers reportedly agreed to. However, Lively alleges in the complaint that Baldoni began a campaign of retaliation against her soon after.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, called Lively’s allegations “false, outrageous and intentionally malicious with the intent to publicly injure her” in a statement to PEOPLE on Dec. 21.
Lively’s complaint includes as evidence private messages and e-mails that appear to show that Baldoni Crisis PR representatives are planning “[plant] stories about [Lively’s] weaponizing feminism”, as well as carrying out a “complete removal of the social account”, by starting “threads of theories” and generally working on “change [the] narrative” surrounding Lively’s allegations.
Lively claims she “suffered grief, fear, trauma and extreme anxiety” because of Baldoni’s alleged behavior.
According to the complaint, which is a precursor to filing a discrimination lawsuit in California, “the emotional impact on Ms. Lively was extreme, not only affecting her, but her family, including her husband and four children.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/it-ends-with-us-043024-5-247f6083d7e34c2592d2919065d27112.jpg)
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in the movie ‘It Ends With Us’.
Nicole Rivelli
Justin Baldoni wanted to smear Blake Lively online — and used Hailey Bieber as an example: a lawsuit
Lively has previously been candid about her friendship with Hoover. Earlier this month, the actress shared an Instagram post celebrating the author’s birthday, including photos of the pair enjoying a snack together as a song from Wicked played in the background.
“Everyone who knows this woman is changed by it,” wrote Lively, who played Lily Bloom in this year’s film adaptation of Hoover’s novel. “She is calm and composed. Her integrity is her foundation. Her humor brings you out of nowhere. Her quiet strength is powerful. And she always chooses the kindest path.”
“She loves her fans. She loves her friends. She loves her community,” Lively added in part. “She loves her family. But most of all she loves Diet Pepsi. And oh God, do we love her.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Hoover also praised Lively’s work on the film as star and producer, telling PEOPLE in August that she gave a “stunning, stunning and emotional” performance in the film.
“There are not enough words to describe her phenomenal talent,” Hoover said at the time. “Blake Lively really brought Lily Bloom to life in a way that exceeded all my expectations. When I was writing Lily’s character, I thought I had a pretty solid image in mind, but Blake’s portrayal added so much depth and complexity to the character that I didn’t even anticipate. ”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education