‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ co-stars support Blake Lively amid ‘smear campaign’

Washington [US], December 23 (ANI): Blake Lively’s ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ co-stars–America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel–have publicly voiced their support for the actor following her allegations of sexual harassment and a smear campaign by ‘It Ends With Us’ director and co-star Justin Baldoni.

The trio shared a joint message on Instagram on Sunday, a day after Lively filed a formal complaint detailing her experiences during the filming of ‘It Ends With Us’. The complaint accuses Baldoni of creating a hostile work environment and orchestrating a coordinated effort to damage her reputation.

“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,” they wrote.

“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. Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding.”

“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,” they added.

The post was signed by Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel. Ferrera and Tamblyn also shared the message on their individual Instagram accounts.

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According to Lively’s complaint, filed last Friday, the actress raised concerns during an all-hands meeting on set, which was attended by her husband, Ryan Reynolds, reported The Hollywood Reporter. As per the publication, Lively alleged that Baldoni engaged in inappropriate behaviour, including showing her nude images and videos of women, discussing his past “pornography addiction,” making remarks about cast and crew genitalia, and commenting on Lively’s weight.

The complaint also alleges that Baldoni’s team engaged in a “social manipulation” campaign to discredit her, citing text messages from Baldoni’s publicist about wanting to ensure Lively was “buried.”

Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has strongly denied the allegations. “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives,” Freedman said in a statement. He accused Lively of attempting to fix her “negative reputation” with baseless claims.

Following the allegations, Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency, WME, which also represents Lively and Reynolds.