Blake Lively’s Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants Co-Stars Rally Around Her

On Dec. 22, Blake Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants castmates America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel released a joint statement in support of Lively after she filed a legal complaint against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director of It Ends With Us, and others associated with the film. The complaint includes allegations of sexual harassment and of running a retaliation campaign against her.

On Instagram, the three actors said they “stand with” Lively. “As Blake’s friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” the statement reads.

They continue, “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.”

The stars said the “most upsetting” aspect of Lively’s allegations was “the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety,” given the film involves themes of domestic violence.

“The hypocrisy is astounding,” they added. “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.”

Tamblyn added additional comments on her Instagram story, saying that Lively confided in her while filming It Ends With Us. “I was a confidant for my sister Blake while she went through some of this experience,” she wrote. “I remember how incredibly painful it was for her. I’m glad all of this has come to light with solid reporting and receipts.”

The stars concluded their statement by leading followers to read Lively’s full complaint and investigative reporting from The New York Times about the case.

Blake’s Legal Complaint

In August, rumors about tension between the co-stars began circulating after the premiere of It Ends With Us. Fans noticed that Lively and Baldoni didn’t do press together, and that many of the film’s actors didn’t follow him on Instagram.

At the time, many reports attributed the rumored feud to creative differences about the film. However, Lively’s complaint alleges that Baldoni engaged in misconduct on set, such as adding intimacy scenes to the film that she hadn’t agreed to beforehand, and talking about nonconsensual sexual encounters.

Before filming resumed following the writers’ and actors’ strikes, Lively met with producers to address the behaviors of Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath, requesting protections such as “no more personal, physical touching of, or sexual comments by, Mr Baldoni or Mr Heath to be tolerated by [Lively] and/or any of her employees, as well as any female cast or crew without their express consent.”

According to the complaint, Baldoni and Heath agreed to the additional protections, but a few months later, Baldoni’s team retained a crisis publicity team to create a retaliatory smear campaign to sway public opinion against Lively.

The legal complaint includes texts and emails between Baldoni, publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, in which they talk about strategies and celebrate victories.

In a statement to People, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, denied Lively’s allegations, calling them “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”