The situation between Blake Lively and her It Ends with Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni continues to grow in the aftermath of her sexual harassment complaint against him and Wayfarer Studios. A number of celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Lively’s Traveling Pants sisters were quick to send their support after accusations that Baldoni launched a smear campaign against the actress amidst her response to his allegedly toxic on-set behavior. The number of people in her corner continues to grow as others have spoken out about the brouhaha, including actresses Kaitlin Olson and Whitney Cummings.
Whitney Cummings has delivered a scathing assessment of Justin Baldoni, particularly how he’s created a brand around being a feminist. The standup comedian isn’t buying it, and in a viral TikTok roast, she says she doesn't like when men — “especially symmetrical ones” — fight for women’s rights in order to get laid. She was amused when she discovered his philanthropic work, saying:
Feminist men always have the same causes: free the nipple and normalize breastfeeding. ‘Women, I think your breasts should be able to be out.’ He’s also on the board of another charity … and his bio says, ‘Changemaker.’ Changemaker? When you change that V-neck a couple times? You mean you change the pomade that you use? What else have you changed? Oh, your wife’s mind on her stance on polyamory?
Justin Baldoni was, in fact, set to receive the Voices Of Solidarity Award, which is given to men who show “courage and compassion” in the cause of advocating for women, but that has since been rescinded. Whitney Cummings continued to go off with several brutal assumptions about the actor, saying:
Why do I feel like to women he’s, like, ‘It should be her-story, it shouldn’t be history, that’s his story, it should be her-story,’ but when guys are around he’s like, ‘Yeah that’s dumb.’ Justin Baldoni is totally the guy who’s like, ‘You look so much prettier without makeup. Unless you’re starring in the movie that I’m directing, in which case you need to wear caulk, grout, shellac, be in makeup for two and a half hours. Justin Baldoni is the kind of guy who’s like, ‘I’m gonna go to the SlutWalk to advocate for these sluts that are being shamed, and if I see one slut that’s being shamed, I will invite her to my house that is a safe space for her to be a slut.’
That’s not even where she stopped, either.
Others chose to show their support in other ways. Kaitlin Olson, whose husband Rob McElhenney owns the Wrexham football club with Blake Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, took to her Instagram Stories (via People) to share her opinion of the Gossip Girl alum, writing:
Blake Lively is a kind, lovely, honest and generous person (and an incredible mom.) FYI.
The High Potential star has said she and Blake Lively have only met a couple of times due to their spouses’ business dealings, but one person very in the know has also defended Lively by speaking out against Justin Baldoni. Bart Johnson, who is married to the A Simple Favor actress’ sister Robyn Lively, didn’t hold back in his assessment of the Jane the Virgin actor, writing on X (Twitter):
He’s a fraud. He puts on the ‘costume’ of a hero, man bun and all. Used all of the trendy catchphrases & buzz words for his podcasts. None of it’s genuine. It’s all theater. And everyone fell for it. For years. Rewatch his videos with a more critical eye and watch him compliment and praise himself with faux humility and self deprecation. What a performance.
As for what’s next for Blake Lively’s lawsuit, it sounds like this isn’t something that’s going to be resolved anytime soon, but it’s clear that she’s got plenty of support in the entertainment business, regardless of the alleged efforts to “astroturf” the actress by ruining her reputation.
In the meantime, the book-to-movie adaptation It Ends with Us is now available to stream with a Netflix subscription while we wait to see how these sexual harassment accusations play out.
