Brandon Sklenar criticized for ‘mansplaining' as he supports Blake Lively in 'It Ends With Us' drama

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘It Ends With Us’ star Brand Sklenar has been criticized for "mansplaining" after he defended his co-star Blake Lively.

Sklenar has stepped up to defend the actress against negativity, also supporting author Colleen Hoover and the rest of the cast. He has pushed back against the online backlash surrounding the film.

Rumors have been circulating about a supposed rift between Lively and director and co-star Justin Baldoni during post-production, especially regarding the final cut of the movie. However, neither Lively nor Baldoni has commented on these rumors.

'Disheartened' Brandon Sklenar defends co-star Blake Lively amid movie drama

On Tuesday, Brandon Sklenar directly addressed the drama, calling for an end to the "vilifying" narrative targeting Blake Lively, 'It Ends With Us' author Colleen Hoover, and the other women in the cast.

He wrote, "I wanted to take a minute and address all this stuff swirling online. 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." 

Skelnar further added, "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." 

He explained in the statement, "Trust me when I tell you, 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."  

He emphasized the film's significance, highlighting the responsibility men have for their actions and behavior.

He elaborated on the movie’s purpose and broader message, saying, "This film is meant to inspire. It’s meant to validate and recognize. It’s meant to instill hope. 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." 

He concluded his remarks with a request: "All I ask is that before you spread hate on the internet, ask yourself who its helping. Ask yourself if our 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." [sic]

Brandon Sklenar slammed for his take on Blake Lively's on-set drama

Although the comments on Brandon Skelnar's post were disabled, social media users voiced their criticism on other platforms, accusing the star of missing the point.

One user claimed, "Rightly pointing out how either of these women handled the topic of domestic violence isn't vilifying anyone." Another user claimed, "love when a man tells us how to feel." [sic]

A user wrote, "Well sometimes women are villains, Brandon."  Another mocked, "And most of the so-called 'vilifiers' are women- disappointed at tone deaf Blake and oh, sold out Colleen..so shut up and work on ur acting skills." [sic]

Some users have also slammed Sklenar on Instagram, saying, "We are not vilifying. We are giving a honest reaction to a bad promotion. Don't try to make this what it's not." [sic]

Another said, "Thanks for the mansplain about how women should feel."

A user said, "all these hating on your comment are MEN. Pay no mind. haha what you said is 💯 on point. he shouldn’t be mansplaining on this topic." [sic]

Another commented, "The way he removed the comments from the post about one hour after the post was published is 🤌🏼. What an idiotic thing to post too. Thanks for the mainsplaining too 🙃" [sic]

"The mansplaining and the gaslighting," added one more user.

A user on Facebook stated, "It had nothing to do with the 'behind the scenes drama'- it was her promoting her hair care line/drink biz instead of talking about/avoiding the seriousness of the subject."

One individual wrote, "Factual reporting is not vilifying."

One more user shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), "Not Brandon Sklenar gaslighting, mansplaining to survivors and victims about domestic violence. If Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar believed so strongly in the message about domestic violence, why couldn’t they promote #ItEndsWithUs properly?"

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online