Colleen Hoover with Blake Lively (left) and Justin Baldoni | Image: Instagram/@colleenhoover
Colleen Hoover publicly expressed her unwavering support for Blake Lively amid the latter’s lawsuit against “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni over allegations of sexual harassment and a damaging smear campaign.
Hoover, who authored the book “It Ends With Us,” from which the movie is based, took to Instagram to share a photo of her and Lively sharing a hug as she reminded the latter to “never wilt.”
“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,” wrote the author.
Image: Instagram/@colleenhoover
Hoover’s support came after Lively made headlines for accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us,” and an alleged attempted smear campaign during the promotion for the movie.
In her complaint, Lively accused Baldoni and his Wayfarer studio of embarking on a “multi-tiered plan” to damage her reputation and “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” by Baldoni and a producer on the film. Incidentally, Lively is also one of the producers of the movie.
“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,” said the actress in a statement.
Baldoni denied the allegations through his legal counsel, saying that they are “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.”
After the lawsuit was filled, Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency, WME, which also represents Lively as an artist.
“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations after it grossed $351 million worldwide.
Despite the film’s commercial success, the release was shadowed by controversy after Baldoni took a backseat in promoting the film while Lively took centerstage alongside the rest of the cast members and crew and her husband Ryan Reynolds, who was on the press circuit for “Deadpool & Wolverine” at the time.