Jameela Jamil is addressing her views on feminism amidst the media headlines generated by her previous comments on Blake Lively. Lively is currently suing her "It Ends With Us" director and co-star, Justin Baldoni, for sexual harassment and retaliation, with the trial set to commence in May following the December 2024 filing of the suit. Recently unsealed court documents have revealed Lively's text exchanges with Taylor Swift and emails to Ben Affleck, as well as messages from Sony Pictures executives and statements made by the movie's co-stars, Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, in their depositions.
One of the most notable inclusions in these documents is a private text exchange from August 2024 between Jamil and Baldoni's publicist, Jennifer Abel, who also represented Jamil. The exchange was in response to a TikTok video that criticized Lively's remarks during the "It Ends With Us" press tour as not being serious enough, given that the film centered on domestic abuse. Jamil texted about Lively, stating, "She's a suicide bomber at this point." She also remarked, "I've never seen such a bizarre villain act before."
On Thursday, Jamil shared a video on her Instagram Stories to clarify her belief that being a feminist does not preclude someone from having personal differences with other women. Although the video does not specifically mention Lively or the situation surrounding "It Ends With Us," several media outlets have focused on Jamil's texts, with TMZ's story noting that the star's "feminist, women-first image may be taking a serious hit" in light of the unsealed documents.
"Guys," Jamil said in her video, "feminism means fighting for the political, social, and economic equity for women. It's about gender equity. It doesn't mean you have to like every single woman. It doesn't mean you have to be friends with every single woman. You can actually disagree with other women. You can criticize them. You can do whatever you want, as long as you are also fighting for their human right to the same things that men have in this world."
She continued, "That's all feminism is. It's a moral and political stance. It's not a sleepover where we braid each other's hair or anything like that. So if you are fighting for women's rights but don't get along with every single woman, it doesn't make you a bad feminist."
Jamil is known for her roles in series such as "The Good Place," "She-Hulk," and "Poker Face," as well as the recent Netflix feature "People We Meet on Vacation." She also has a voice role in the Pixar movie "Elio," which was nominated Thursday for the best animated feature Oscar.
