Jameela Jamil\u00a0is further speaking out after unsealed court documents in\u00a0Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni\u2019s ongoing legal battle revealed text messages in which she referred to Lively as a \u201csuicide bomber\u201d and \u201cvillain.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the unsealed texts<\/a>, Jamil was messaging Jennifer Abel, a publicist who represented both Jamil and Baldoni. In the private text exchange from August 2024 between Jamil and Abel, the pair were responding to a TikTok video that criticized Lively\u2019s remarks during the\u00a0It Ends With Us\u00a0press tour as not being serious enough, given that the film centered on domestic abuse. Jamil texted about Lively, \u201cShe\u2019s a suicide bomber at this point.\u201d Jamil also texted, \u201cI\u2019ve never seen such a bizarre villain act before.\u201d<\/p>\n More from The Hollywood Reporter<\/p>\n When initially speaking out about her comments, Jamil took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday to share a video in which she clarified her belief<\/a> that being a feminist does not preclude someone from having personal differences with other women.<\/p>\n But now the actress is addressing the messages further. When discussing it, she never addressed Lively or Baldoni by name throughout her posted video.<\/p>\n \u201cI am ready to say some things, mostly to clarify timing \u2018cause timing is key for context,\u201d Jamil said in a video shared on her\u00a0TikTok<\/a>. \u201cI think it\u2019s really weird that my private text messages from 18 months ago have suddenly been released now. My name has deliberately been unredacted to cause as much trouble as possible for me even though these text messages have nothing to do with the case.\u201d<\/p>\n The case began when Lively\u00a0filed a complaint against her\u00a0It Ends With Us\u00a0co-star and director<\/a>\u00a0in December 2024 for sexual harassment. Lively also alleged that Baldoni and company engaged in a \u201csocial manipulation\u201d campaign to \u201cdestroy\u201d her reputation. Meanwhile, Baldoni\u2019s legal team slammed the complaint as \u201cshameful\u201d and one that includes \u201cserious and categorically false accusations.\u201d\u00a0Baldoni responded with his own lawsuit, but that was\u00a0dismissed in June<\/a>. A trial for the case is set for May 18.<\/p>\n Jamil reiterated that she wasn\u2019t speaking about the case in the texts and reminded everyone to \u201ccheck the dates\u201d because they were sent in August 2024 when the lawsuit \u201cwasn\u2019t filed until December 2024. There were four months between when I was saying those things and a lawsuit coming to light. I had no idea about any of this stuff, so I was just purely venting to my friend about how I felt about the press rollout for that fucking terrible movie.\u201d<\/p>\n Jamil went on to explain that she didn\u2019t like the way the film\u2019s promo was being handled given her personal experience with domestic violence: \u201cI grew up with domestic violence in my home, I was a victim of domestic violence in my 20s. It made me feel some type of way. It made lots of people feel some type of way. And the way that the interviews were set up for the success of making a really beautiful bonding interview and was met with callous or sarcastic or cold or diluted answers. It offended me.\u201d<\/p>\n She continued, \u201dDid I choose to pile on publicly? No. And I could have when everyone else was. But I know personally what it\u2019s like to be in the firing line as a women in media. It\u2019s a very specific violence and betrayal. I was watching this person perpetuate their own controversy and I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t need to be a part of that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Jamil said that she \u201ctook it to the group chat, talked about it with my friend who happens to be being treated very badly by some very powerful wealthy celebrities, some of whom are involved.\u201d Adding, \u201cI don\u2019t know about you, but when it\u2019s my girlfriend being upset by anyone, I don\u2019t care what\u2019s going on or who did what or who\u2019s to blame, I see red, I am 10 toes down, balls to the fucking wall. I will ride at dawn for my girlfriends and they will do the same for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Jamil then went on to address her calling Lively a \u201csuicide bomber.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe calling her a \u2018suicide bomber\u2019 is just a reference to me watching someone use their own terrible answers in interviews to blow up their own career or their own project. I found that both funny and very agitating. And I\u2019m just kidding around in private text messages,\u201d Jamil said. \u201cI would never have put that out there for the world not because I\u2019m ashamed but because I don\u2019t want to cause harm or trouble for that person. I don\u2019t want to make anyone feel bad. I just want to be able to express that to my friend. That\u2019s healthy [and] that\u2019s normal.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that her messages have been unsealed which resulted in her receiving backlash (ATMZ story<\/a>\u00a0noted that the star\u2019s \u201cfeminist, women-first image may be taking a serious hit\u201d in light of the unsealed documents), Jamil said her being \u201cdragged into this feels incredibly sinister.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that my name was unredacted, all of it, just felt very targeted and very weird and an attempt to throw me under the bus. And I know that\u2019s happened to several people now and I find it very gross and upsetting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n As for her thoughts on \u201cthe matter,\u201d Jamil said, \u201cThe matter is constantly updating. We\u2019re constantly getting new information. This is an active suit. I tend to never speak during an active lawsuit or court case because, A, you never know what\u2019s going to come out the next day that\u2019s gonna blow up in your face. And, B, it\u2019s inappropriate to participate when you have a giant platform the way I kind of do.\u201d<\/p>\n Going forward, Jamil said she\u2019s going to \u201cwait to see how this all shakes out\u201d but doesn\u2019t really know the details about the lawsuit and hasn\u2019t spoken to Abel about it given she\u2019s involved. Jamil then reiterated that there are more important things happening in the world that she is focused on rather than the ongoing legal battle between Lively and Baldoni.<\/p>\n \u201cI care more about what\u2019s happening in Palestine and Sudan and Congo and the United Kingdom and the United States. And the fact that people don\u2019t have money for healthcare or food. I\u2019m less interested with anything that\u2019s happening with wealthy celebrities\u2026 They\u2019re the last people i\u2019m worried about. I believe they\u2019re both gonna be fine. No matter what happens they\u2019re both gonna be safe and healthy and happy and fine and loved. My personal concern is elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n She doubled down, \u201cI actively don\u2019t give a shit and don\u2019t want to hear about these people ever again. We were already sick of them. We\u2019re all sick of their faces. We\u2019re sick of hearing about this boring movie. It\u2019s got more press coverage than all of the genocides combined, I swear to God. And I don\u2019t think we should be directing energy towards it any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite feeling \u201cannoyed at how this has all been handled in a way to sort of set me up\u201d and \u201cthat people don\u2019t actually do due diligence and check the timing \u2026 while you\u2019re playing fucking detective\u201d she\u2019s \u201cnot annoyed for saying \u2018villain\u2019 at the time\u201d because that\u2019s how she \u201cfelt at the time based on the information that was right in front\u201d of her.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this is the first time you\u2019ve learned that i\u2019m a British gossipy girl, then where have you been?\u2026 I pray for all of us that we will be released from this topic and these people soon,\u201d she ended her video with.<\/p>\n Along with Jamil, Lively\u2018s unsealed text messages <\/a>with\u00a0Taylor Swift, email to Ben Affleck, and statements from\u00a0Jenny Slate<\/a>\u00a0and Isabela Ferrer\u2019s depositions\u00a0about Baldoni\u00a0were also unveiled.<\/p>\n Best of The Hollywood Reporter<\/p>\n Sign up for THR’s Newsletter<\/a>. 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