Justin Baldoni has received an onslaught of social media support when he spoke out about domestic violence while surprising fans at an It Ends With Us screening – days after costar Blake Lively was slammed over her promotion of the movie.

In the lead-up to the movie’s release, rumors of an ongoing feud between Justin, 40, and Blake, 36, have dominated headlines – and it has resulted in both of the stars facing intense scrutiny online.

But now, Justin – who on top of acting in the film also directed it and served as one of its producers – was praised online after he made a powerful speech about the movie’s serious theme.

The film, which is based off Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, follows a woman named Lily Bloom, played by Blake, who becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship with a man named Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin.

And the actor reminded viewers to be mindful of how the story may affect others while visiting a Los Angeles movie theater at The Grove over the weekend.

Just before the film was set to start, Justin shocked movie-goers by walking into the cinema; he then addressed the crowd and shared an important message about ‘intimate partner violence.’

‘Thank you for choosing to leave your houses and come and sit and have this experience,’ the actor said.

‘This film is about love, it’s about hope, it’s about romance. But it’s also about something very serious – intimate partner violence.

‘So I just want to say it is prevalent, it is everywhere. There’s a good chance that a few people in this room have been touched by it.

‘If you see somebody at the end of this film sitting alone and shaking or emotional, maybe consider going up to them and asking them if you can support them in some way.’

Justin added that even those who didn’t relate to what the characters went through should still take time to ‘reflect’ on its themes.

‘I ask anybody who watches this film to maybe be reflective at the end and [ask yourself], “What’s the cycle that you can break in your life?”‘ he concluded.

A clip of his speech was uploaded to TikTok by a woman named Shelsy, and it quickly went viral, gaining more than 961,000 views in a matter of hours.
And immediately, people flocked to the comment section to praise Justin for his words.

‘What a kind soul,’ one person gushed, while another agreed, ‘He’s so articulate. Refreshing.’

‘He deserves full credit to the success of the movie,’ someone else added.

‘Every producer and writer and director out there needs to be booking him,’ a fourth comment read.

A fifth said, ‘Hearing him say this feels very healing.’

‘This is how you promote: in person, in regular clothes, genuine, with love,’ a different user wrote.

‘Very demure, very considerate, very empathetic. You are truly a gem,’ someone else commented, while tagging Justin. ‘Thank you for being a voice to the voiceless.’

‘Bro genuinely cares bout the message, what a good dude,’ another supporter said.

Blake was previously scrutinized for the way she answered an interview question about the movie’s very serious themes.

When a reporter asked the Gossip Girl alum how people who related to what her character went through could talk to her about it if they saw her in person, her sarcastic response left people outraged.
Rather than encouraging domestic violence victims to seek help from professionals or sharing resources available to them, she laughed at the concept of making herself available to them.

‘For people who see this movie and relate to the topics of this movie on a deeply personal level, they’re really going to want to talk to you,’ the interviewer said.

(Armani)