Blake Lively’s Co-Star Brandon Sklenar Is The First To Break Silence On It Ends With Us Drama! Here's What He Said!

One of the cast members from It Ends With Us finally addressed the alleged drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni!

As you know, the co-stars are feuding and have been for a bit. Fans first caught wind of their rift when Blake — and even the rest of the cast — had not done any promotion or interviews with the 40-year-old director. They wouldn’t even take a photo with Justin at the movie premiere earlier this month!

A lot of reports have circulated about what caused the feud, with a majority agreeing that it all came down to creative differences. However, some claimed it was because of Justin’s “borderline abusive” and overall problematic behavior on set. Yikes!!

Meanwhile, Blake was reportedly “rude” on set and took over the project from Justin. What further painted the Gossip Girl in a negative light? Many people slammed the way she handled the press tour for a movie about domestic violence. Several years-old interviews also have resurfaced showing her disrespectful and problematic behavior. Oof.

But regardless of her old interviews, it sounds like they are potentially both to blame for the on-set tension at the end of the day. Of course, we don’t 100 percent know what went down as Blake, Justin, and their other co-stars have not publicly spoken out about the rumors. Well, all except for Brandon Sklenar. He broke his silence regarding the scandal on Tuesday!

Taking to Instagram, the 34-year-old actor took a moment to “address all this stuff swirling online,” and in the process, DEFENDED Blake against those “vilifying” her online! While Brandon does not outright deny the rumors, he noted that he doesn’t want the film’s message that she and the other women believe in to get lost due to all the chatter:

“Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves. Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point. What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.”

The 1923 star went on to share that “someone very close to me has been struggling with a relationship that has mirrored Lilly’s [sic] closely.” And thus, he felt a “responsibility to bring this to life and help spread that message further.” Whoa. He continued:

“Prior to my involvement in this film, she had not heard of the book. It was only then that she read it. She credits Colleens book and subsequently this film with saving her life. There isn’t a single person Involved in the making of this film that was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this. A responsibility to all the women who have experienced generational trauma – Domestic abuse – Or struggle with looking in the mirror and loving who they see. This movie is a harsh reality check for the men who need to get their s**t together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.”

Brandon stressed that the film was “meant to inspire,” “validate,” recognize,” and “instill hope” for everyone. And it was not intended to be used to “spread hate” online:

“It’s meant to build courage and help people feel less alone. Ultimately it’s meant to spread love and awareness. It is not meant to once again, make the women the ‘bad guy,’ let’s move beyond that together. All I ask is that before you spread hate on the internet, ask yourself who its helping. Ask yourself if your opinions are based in any fact. Or if you simply want to be a part of something. Let’s be a part of something better together. A part of a new story being written for women and all people everywhere. Lead with Love and please be kind.”

Brandon notably tagged Blake, Isabela Ferrer, Jenny Slate, and author Colleen Hoover in the post — and not Justin. Sooo should we take this to mean he is Team Blake all the way? Hmm. Check it out (below):