Colleen Hoover has spoken out in support of Blake Lively after the actor filed a complaint against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director on the film adaptation of Hoover’s It Ends With Us.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that Lively had filed a complaint against Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, production company Wayfarer Studios, and public relations professionals working with them. The accusations include sexual harassment, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Lively claims that Baldoni and Heath made sexual comments to her, and that the two worked with publicists to discredit her, fearing that she might publicly come forward about their conduct.
Lively was the subject of a slew of negative news stories and social media posts after It Ends With Us premiered in August. She was accused of being difficult to work with and of being insensitive to domestic violence, one of the book and film’s largest themes.
People magazine reports that Hoover defended Lively in an Instagram story, writing, “@blakelively, 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.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
