Blake Lively's Brother-in-Law Slams 'Microscope' on Her 'Few Bad Moments,' Says the 'Public Got Played' by Justin Baldoni

12/23/2024 02:05 PM

Johnson also said in a comment on Instagram amid the legal action that the cast of 'It Ends with Us' "unfollowed" Baldoni "for a reason"

• Blake Lively's brother-in-law Bart Johnson is expressing his support for the actress following her complaint against her It Ends with Us costar and director Justin Baldoni
• Johnson, who is the husband of Blake's half-sister Robyn Lively, wrote in a comment on a New York Times Instagram post, "Looks like she's doing a hell of a job to me and trying to do good things for the right reasons"
• The complaint accuses Baldoni of both sexual harassment and launching a retaliatory smear campaign against Blake

Blake Lively's brother-in-law Bart Johnson is championing her publicly following the actress's complaint filed against her It Ends with Us director and costar Justin Baldoni.

Johnson left a comment on an Instagram post from The New York Timesabout the complaint, which includes Lively's allegations of sexual harassment and claims that Baldoni, 40, launched a retaliatory public smear campaign to "destroy" her reputation.

"Her complaints were filed during the filming. On record. Long before the public conflict," wrote Johnson, 54, who is the husband of Lively's half-sister Robyn Lively. "The cast unfollowed him for a reason. Read this article before spiting [sic] ignorance."

"His PR team was stellar. Gross and disgusting but highly effective," Johnson continued. "Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary. No one is with out faults. But the public got played."

Related: Blake Lively's Sister Robyn Shows Her Support After the Actress Sues Justin Baldoni: 'Finally Justice'

Months after rumors of behind-the-scenes discord on the set of the adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel, Blake, 37, said in the filing, obtained by PEOPLE, that following Baldoni's alleged behavior, "behind closed doors she has suffered from grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety."

A precursor to filing a discrimination lawsuit in California, the complaint states there was a meeting held to address Baldoni's alleged actions and "the hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production." It was attended by various producers, along with Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds.

The complaint also alleges that Sony Pictures, who distributed the film, and Wayfarer Studios, of which Baldoni is co-chairman and co-founder, approved of Blake's requests. However, the A Simple Favoractress claims in the filing that Baldoni then took part in a "social manipulation" campaign to "destroy" her reputation soon after.

Blake's complaint includes screenshots of alleged texts and emails between members of Baldoni's team planning the smear campaign.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Related: Blake Lively's Brother-in-Law Bart Johnson Defends Her amid It Ends With Us Drama: 'Truth Hasn't Come Out Yet'

Johnson made further comments on the Times' Instagram post, including pointing out that no one is perfect, including his sister-in-law — and that while "mistakes were made," Lively is only human.

"Just IMAGINE being a stay at home mom raising 4 kids, married to the busiest man in Hollywood and at the same time being a girl boss running multiple companies while writing, producing, running non profits and working 16+ hour days from home so you can be with your kids ... he continued. "Launching 2 new businesses you been working on/developing for many years (launch scheduled by distributors, not you, btw) all while getting attacked by a VERY expensive PR smear campaign because you filed a sexual harassment claim for the very film you have to go out and promote with just the right tone or you get cooked!? Looks like she's doing a hell of a job to me and trying to do good things for the right reasons."

Johnson then appeared to reference resurfaced videos that went viral earlier this year documenting past interactions with journalists.

"But yeah let's post from our couch how much we hate her for making mistakes," Johnson wrote. "That makes sense. I mean, she's been rude in these interviews that magically played on repeat. I saw it. None of us have ever been wrong or mean. Never. We should discount decades of good for those few bad moments. Glad the microscope isn't on me every day of my life."

He also replied to one commenter, "To clarify, to ME a 'girl boss' means a woman that is kicking a$$ as an entrepreneur and/or business owner in what has been previously dominated by men, and showing they are every bit as capable and qualified if not more so in that space. She's my hero as is any woman charging it like this. You're free to define it as you wish, but that's on you."

Since filing her complaint, Lively has received support from various prominent figures, from It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover to A Simple Plan director Paul Feig.

"@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met," Hoover wrote alongside a photo of herself and Lively hugging at a screening of the film. "Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."