Newly released private text messages reveal that Blake Lively's It Ends With Us costar Brandon Sklenar seemingly supported her throughout her battle with Justin Baldoni. Sklenar initially offered support for Lively and the film's female cast shortly after It Ends With Us came out in August 2024, as he credited "the women of this cast" with standing 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," he wrote in an open letter on August 20, 2024. Sklenar once again publicly backed Lively when she filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2024, where she accused It Ends With Us director and costar Baldoni of creating a hostile work environment. Two days after the suit was filed, Sklenar shared a link via Instagram to New York Times coverage of the case along with the caption, "For the Love of God Read This." Justin Baldoni Claims Blake Lively Tried to 'Trap' Him by Refusing Body Double With a courtroom showdown looming between Lively and Baldoni in May 2026, lawyers for the Gossip Girl alum released a selection of private text messages between her and Sklenar from May and August 2024. Keep scrolling for a breakdown of those text messages - or head here for an even deeper dive into the newly released documents: Post-Production Demands The initial string of text messages between Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar mostly revolved around their post-production schedule in the lead-up to It Ends With Us' release on August 9, 2024. On May 24, 2024, Sklenar sent Lively some rerecorded dialogue for insertion in her cut of It Ends With Us. (By this point, Lively was battling with Baldoni over control of the editing of the film.) Sklenar kept it light by joking that he "deeply loath[es] s***ty obvious adr lines." Lively then discussed Sklenar's availability to promote It Ends With Us since she wasn't willing to rely on Baldoni. "I'm becoming pimp adjacent. Put on a short little skirt and get on that corner, Skelnar [sic]," she quipped. "[Because] I'm not selling this movie on [Baldoni]." Lively credited herself for making "sure" that Baldoni was "really good" in It Ends With Us, though she added: "But he's the abuser, and It shouldn't be centered on him. Regardless of the process." Sklenar responded with an unidentified GIF and "liked" Lively's text about making sure Baldoni was "really good" in It Ends With Us. Brandon Sklenar Threw Shade at '1923' As the conversation progressed, Blake Lively hoped that Brandon Sklenar could make time to promote It Ends With Us given his TV show 1923's shooting schedule. (Sklenar was shooting the second season of 1923 in Texas in the summer of 2024.) "I hope your show gives you space to hustle," Lively wrote. "Especially once It comes out, week 2 will be a time that it will get especially heated for you. Just something to think about and maximize." Sklenar seemingly threw some shade about the 1923 production team accommodating cast members promoting other projects. "I'm working on it," he replied. "They are particularly s***ty about that. But I'm gonna do everything I can to make it happen. It would be a crime to not ride that momentum." "It would be," Blake agreed. Brandon Sklenar, Blake Lively, and Ryan Reynolds in August 2024. Cindy Ord/Getty Images She encouraged Sklenar to get his agent Warren Zavala "on that" to ensure that the actor could actively promote It Ends With Us. "Its what [agents] do," Lively advised, with Sklenar confirming: "On it!" Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar Both Criticized Their Iconic TV Shows In the May 24, 2024, text messages, talk then turned to the way Brandon Sklenar might be able to alter his shooting schedule for 1923. Given her experience on Gossip Girl, Lively offered some suggestions about how 1923 might be more amenable to Sklenar shifting his schedule. "Bank some [scenes] beforehand , and maybe theres something you can do in Austin too," she added. "It doesn't really matter, the impact will be evergreen, but as someone who's show kept me from every opportunity outside of it, I look back now and see how s***ty that was and how I could've (along w my team) pushed harder to make space for the few moments I needed during production to honor the work I did outside of it." Brandon Sklenar; Blake Lively; Justin Baldoni Monica Schipper/Getty Images (3); Gareth Cattermole; Cindy Ord She went on, "They feel like you owe them, so they tend to attempt to dim your light so you don't outgrow them. And it has the opposite effect than they intend. It makes you resent them and wanna get out. If they just made space for you to do the work you needed in a way that worked for everyone you would be indebted and grateful. At least that was my experience on my show, it was all of ours." Sklenar indicated that he was lo