Jenna Kramer responds to Blake Lively’s domestic violence comments, says ‘it defines you’
Jana Kramer hasn’t seen “It Ends With Us” — but she has thoughts about Blake Lively’s controversial press tour.
The “One Tree Hill” alum reflected on her own experience with domestic violence while discussing the film on Sunday’s episode of her “Whine Down” podcast.
“It’s hard for people to talk about domestic violence when they haven’t been a victim of domestic violence themselves in real life,” the 40-year-old actress told an audience over the weekend.
He referenced a recent interview with BBC News in which Lively, 37, claimed it was “very empowering” to show how her character, Lily Bloom, is not “defined” by the abuse she experienced.
“People may say it doesn’t define you, it does define you,” Kramer said. “It made me who I am. And even though people may say it doesn’t define you, it does.” [does],
“The biggest part of my life is domestic violence”, she said, describing it as the “biggest thread” in her life.
Kramer, who previously detailed the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband Michael Gambino, expressed disappointment with the film’s marketing, as she had assumed it was a “romantic comedy, bring your girls along” project.
“I would love to get the message across to DV [the] “It’s better to discuss the media instead of talking about the riffs and everything else,” the singer said, referring to Lively’s apparent feud with co-star and director Justin Baldoni. “The movie is about domestic violence.”
Kramer said she “started hearing some things” and “got sad because [she] I just want to[s] The message should be about domestic violence and how to help people and how to get help.”
Lively was criticized by social media users for endorsing Blake Brown haircare and the Betty Buzz alcohol brand while promoting the film.
The former “Gossip Girl” cast member also faced criticism for giving a sarcastic response to a serious question about the film’s heavy themes during a virtual press junket.
The backlash also brought to light some old interviews in which Lively had previously used a derogatory term for a transgender person and insulted a reporter.
Though the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” star has yet to comment on the controversy surrounding the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book, her co-star Brandon Sklenar came to her defense last week.
“Defaming the women who put their heart and soul into making this film because they believed so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and distracts from the subject matter of this film,” the 34-year-old actor wrote on Instagram.
Without naming her, Sklenar called recent headlines about Lively “besides the point.”
In the wake of the drama, Lively was spotted kissing her husband Ryan Reynolds for the first time on Saturday at friend Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island mansion.
Baldoni enjoyed a trip to Universal Studios last weekend with his wife, Emily, and their two children.
A source told Page Six that the “Jane the Virgin” alum, who is working with a crisis PR manager, made Lively feel “uncomfortable” on set.
