Director Paul Feig has come to the defence of actress Blake Lively after she was allegedly subjected to a smear campaign around the release of her movie It Ends With Us.

In a legal filing last week, the It Ends With Us actress accused her director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexually harassing her on the set of the romance drama and subsequently coordinating a retaliatory smear campaign to ruin her reputation around the film’s release in August.

Since her allegations were made public, Lively’s friends and collaborators have been rallying around her online. Feig, who directed the Gossip Girl star in A Simple Favor and its upcoming sequel, added his voice to the chorus on Sunday.

“I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with,” he wrote on X. “She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it’s awful she was put through this.”

Lively was also supported by her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel, who issued a joint statement, saying, “We stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation.”

Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow subtly offered her support by promoting Lively’s haircare brand Blake Brown on her Instagram Stories, and comedian and actress Amy Schumer simply wrote, “I believe Blake.”

Bryan Freedman, a lawyer representing Baldoni and his Wayfarer studio, has denied Lively’s allegations, calling them “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” and “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation”.

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