Harassment case: 'Sisterhood of Traveling Pants' stars back Blake Lively
What's the story
Gossip Girl star Blake Lively recently filed a legal complaint against her co-star and director in It Ends With Us, Justin Baldoni. She accused him of sexual harassment on set and running a "smear campaign" against her.
Following the allegations, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn—Lively's co-stars from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants franchise—have come out in support of Lively.
Public support
'We are inspired by our sister's courage...'
In a joint statement posted on Instagram, Ferrera, Bledel, and Tamblyn wrote: "As Blake's friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation."
"We are inspired by our sister's courage to stand up for herself and others."
They added that even a woman as strong and celebrated as Lively can face retaliation for demanding a safe working environment.
Legal action
Lively's allegations against Baldoni detailed in complaint
In the legal complaint, Lively and her team alleged that Baldoni had engaged in a PR campaign with a crisis firm to tarnish her reputation.
This was reportedly in response to her objections to his behavior on set, which allegedly included "improvised physical intimacy" during filming, inquiries about her sex life with husband Ryan Reynolds, unwanted discussion of his genitalia, and criticism of her weight.
Exploitation criticism
'Sisterhood' co-stars criticized exploitation of domestic violence survivors
Lively's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars also voiced their shock over her alleged experience while filming It Ends With Us.
They said: "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."
"Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding."
Legal aftermath
Lively and Baldoni's statements following legal complaint
After filing her complaint, Lively told The New York Times: "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct."
Reacting to Lively's allegations, Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni's production company, called them "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."
Reportedly, It Ends With Us writer Colleen Hoover has also supported Lively.