Jenny Slate is supporting her It Ends with Us co-star Blake Lively after Lively filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in the film. In the lawsuit, Lively accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and participating in a smear campaign with the intent to harm her reputation.

In a statement provided exclusively to TODAY.com, Slate said she stands by her “loyal friend” and “trusted source of emotional support.”

“As a castmate and friend of Blake Lively, I voice my support as she takes action against those who have reportedly planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” Slate said. “Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support to me and so many who know and love her.”

She continued: “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing and completely threatening. I praise my friend, I admire her courage and I stand by her side.”

In It Ends with Us, Slate portrays Allysa, the sister of Baldoni’s character and sister-in-law of Lively.

In the complaint filed Dec. 20, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during the filming of “It Ends with Us.” She also said Baldoni retaliated and engaged in a public relations campaign to ruin her reputation ahead of the film’s August 9 release. Lively was at the center of a wave of criticism on social media around the time It Ends with Us came out.

The complaint also names Jamey Heath, the lead producer of “It Ends with Us” and CEO of the film’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, which was co-founded by Baldoni. Lively accused him and Baldoni of “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior,” the complaint says. PR manager Jennifer Abel, crisis management expert Melissa Nathan and Nathan’s company The Agency Group are also mentioned. Lively accuses them of planning and executing the PR campaign.

“I hope my legal action will help lift the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak out about wrongdoing and protect others who may be targeted,” Lively said in a statement to TODAY .com from December 21st.

Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and all of its representatives, said in a statement to TODAY.com on Dec. 21 that Lively’s allegations were “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” and “another desperate attempt to solve the problem to ‘repair'”. their negative reputation.”

Freedman also issued a statement on behalf of the Agency Group, saying in part: “The standard scenario planning designed by TAG PR proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful and.” reacted organically to what the media was saying.” picked up on themselves.”

TODAY.com has reached out to Abel for comment.

“It Ends with Us,” based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestseller of the same name, is about a woman named Lily (Lively) who finds that her relationship with husband Ryle (Baldoni) is repeating the cycle of domestic violence that she witnessed by her own parents.

Hoover shared her support for Lively on her Instagram Story on December 21, saying, “@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.” Thank you for that you are exactly the person you are. Never change. Will never wither.”

Both the book and the film were met with controversy after some said the plot romanticized domestic violence. Additionally, before the film’s release, fans began speculating about possible tensions between Lively and Baldoni when they did not appear together to promote the film.