Blake Lively’s Brother-in-Law Defends Her Amid It Ends With Us Drama

Blake Lively’s brother-in-law Bart Johnson is claiming that there’s more to the story amid the It Ends With Us drama.

After Johnson, 53, shared a sweet Instagram tribute to Lively, 37, in honor of her recent birthday, he received a comment from a fan critiquing the actress for “promoting happiness in a domestic violence setting without any regard for any victims.”

The High School Musical star quickly came to Lively’s defense. “Ellen I’m really sorry you feel that way. I’m sure you have a huge heart and want the best. I can promise you the truth has not come out yet. Blake worked harder on this film than anything I’ve seen her do my entire life,” he wrote on Wednesday, August 28. “Because it meant so much to her. The message is in the book. And in the movie. Not in short clips / interviews. She is the reason the message / this movie/ is getting out.”

Johnson, who’s married to Blake’s sister Robyn Lively, also acknowledged that nobody is perfect. “Were mistakes made? Yes. I make mistakes in life,” he wrote. “But they aren’t under a microscope. Anyway, I respect your views. I got nothing but love for you. ❤️.”

In response, the user thanked Johnson for his “lovely comment.” Johnson replied, “Thanks for that kind response Ellen to that Ellen. Means a lot. ❤️❤️ The truth hasn’t come out yet. It’s going to.”

Based on Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name, It Ends With Us centers around Lily Bloom (Blake) and her abusive relationship with Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni). As they navigate their romance, Lily crosses paths with former flame Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar).

The off-camera dynamic between Blake and her It Ends With Us costars has been making headlines since the movie came out earlier this month. When the cast promoted the film, fans were quick to notice that Baldoni — who starred in and directed the movie — was not part of group interviews.

Reports later surfaced that Blake — who also served as a producer of the film — worked alongside husband Ryan Reynolds’ collaborator Shane Reid on another cut of the movie.

“It’s very typical to have many cuts of the film during the post-production process,” a source shared with Us Weekly. “This is the nature of post-production and part of the editing process.”

A separate insider told Us that Blake didn’t receive approval from Baldoni to make changes. “There were two camps on the film — team Blake and team Justin,” the second source said. “This creative struggle set the tone for the negative experience behind the scenes and grew into them not speaking anymore.”

Blake has also received criticism for the way she has answered questions about the film, which has themes of domestic violence, and for her behavior in resurfaced interviews from years prior. After the backlash, Blake shared domestic violence resources via social media.

While Blake and Baldoni have yet to publicly address their alleged rift, Sklenar released a lengthy statement encouraging fans to not lose sight of the movie’s message.

“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,” he wrote via Instagram earlier this month. “It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.”

It Ends With Us is in theaters now.

If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.