Blake Lively's Brother-in-Law, Bart Johnson, Defends Her Amid 'It Ends With Us' Drama

A social media user took to Johnson's Instagram post celebrating Lively's birthday to share their disapproval of the way Lively has been promoting her new film, It Ends With Us -- which details a woman grappling with domestic abuse.

In their comment, they claimed the film was being promoted as "happiness in a domestic violence setting without any regard for any victims."

Johnson didn't let the comment go unnoticed, replying with: "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," the 53-year-old actor continued. "Blake worked harder on this film than anything I've seen her do in my entire life. Because it meant so much to her."

Johnson -- who is married to Lively's sister, Teen Witch star Robyn Lively -- added that the focus should be on the "message" in the book and the film, rather than "short clips" and "interviews".

"She is the reason the message/this movie/is getting out. Were mistakes made? Yes. I make mistakes in life. But they aren't under a microscope. Anyway, I respect your views. I got nothing but love for you," he concluded.

Johnson's words come after he shared his love for his sister-in-law on her birthday.

"For 30 years I've had the privilege of being fiends [friends] with this kind, loving, committed, hard working and inspiring strong women!! Someone that wants to make the world a better place and has been such an exceptional role model in a million kinda ways to care for others, spread kindness and my personal favorite, putting her family first and being an AMAZING wife and mother," he captioned his reel filled with moments of the duo.

"When I grow up I wanna be just like her. I’ve got a long ways to go. LOVE YOU BLAKE!!!," he said.

Johnson's wife, Robyn has also stepped in as the big sister in support of Blake during this time.

Robyn also shared a number of photos of the pair together for Lively's birthday  -- including a throwback -- with the caption: "That's my bday queen right there! I love this girl, my sister, my best friend, my little piggy back buddy! You are one of the best humans I know. HAPPY birthday sissy britches! 💞🥳."

A fan quickly came to the defense of the Gossip Girl alum, commenting on Robyn's post, "Blake is a lovely human being!" The fan added, "I hope she knows that the multitudes of people who love her is so much greater than the negative voices."

The 52-year-old actress replied to Blake's fan with, "Thank you for this."

The fan's empathetic comment and Lively's family support comes amid speculation of drama between Blake and fellow lead and director of the film Justin Baldoni. Videos from users and creators on TikTok put a spotlight on the perceived drama, sharing their theories on why they strongly believe there's friction between the two.

The speculation seemingly began after Baldoni did not appear in any photos with Blake and fellow cast members at the film's New York premiere on Tuesday.

Then, actress Jenny Slate, who plays Allyssa, gave a sideways answer when asked about working with Baldoni during an interview with Deadline on the red carpet. Rather than answer directly, she sidestepped to, "What an intense job to have to do so many things," referring to him both acting and directing.

Her response further ignited rumors that something happened between Blake and Baldoni.

Meanwhile, sleuths on TikTok also discovered that Blake, Hoover, and the other cast members don't follow Baldoni on Instagram, while he follows them.

Another factor those online believe could have created a rift between Lively and Baldoni is Ryan Reynolds' involvement -- after Lively confirmed Reynolds rewrote the rooftop scene in the film. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Reynolds wrote a large portion of dialogue for the scene, but did not the whole scene.

Other attacks on Blake stem from how she and Baldoni appeared to be promoting the film very differently, with Blake leaning into fashionable red carpet moments and participating in prank videos ... while Baldoni has been focusing more on how the movie depicts domestic violence, bringing more awareness to the issue.

It Ends With Us is in theaters now.