Amber Heard Responded to Blake Lively's "Horrifying" Justin Baldoni Allegations

Amber Heard is sharing a message of support for Blake Lively amid the It Ends With Us actress’s bombshell claims against former co-star Justin Baldoni. In a statement shared with NBC News on Monday, December 22, Heard became the latest celebrity to weigh in on Lively’s allegations, which Lively expounded upon in a complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department. Lively claims that Baldoni sexually harassed her, created a toxic environment on set, and then orchestrated a social media campaign to ruin her reputation.

Baldoni hired the exact same PR crisis manager that Johnny Depp used during his 2022 defamation trial against his ex-wife, and Heard shared that she “saw this firsthand” as she talked about the alleged smear campaign.

“Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on,’” Heard told NBC News. Heard then appeared to compare the alleged attempt to destroy Lively’s credibility with her own experience, adding, “I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.”

Heard’s ex-husband retained the same publicist, Melissa Nathan, during his defamation trial, and after a jury unanimously voted that Heard had defamed Depp, he received $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Heard, who received $2 million in compensatory damages, said at the time that the ruling “sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.”

Heard is the latest star to declare herself Team Blake, with It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Schumer, and Paul Feig all publicly voicing their support.

Per an in-depth investigation conducted by The New York Times, Lively claims that she experienced "severe emotional distress” as a result of Baldoni’s alleged sexual harassment. She revealed that a meeting took place with Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, to address her demands for continuing to work on the film: "No more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni's alleged previous 'pornography addiction,' no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew's genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake's weight, and no further mention of Blake's dead father."

The New York Times report, which includes a review of the filing as well as text messages and emails obtained through subpoena, also delved into Lively’s claims that Baldoni tried to orchestrate a social media campaign to damage her reputation and "change the narrative." She cited private messages sent between Baldoni–who also served as a director for the film–and his crisis PR team as evidence.

In a statement to InStyle when the news first broke, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, called Lively's allegations "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.” According to NBC News, he also responded to Heard’s claims, saying, "every move [Heard and Lively’ have made has been out there for everyone to see, widely filmed, and documented for the public to make up their own minds—which they did, organically.”

Read the original article on InStyle