Thank U So Much, Jameela Jamil, for Defining Feminism for Us 

As part of the ongoing litigation between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, this week, hundreds of exhibits were unsealed, including texts between Lively and Taylor Swift, emails between Lively and Ben Affleck, emails between Ryan Reynolds and Matt Damon, Jenny Slate’s (damning) deposition against Baldoni, and texts between Baldoni’s publicist, Jennifer Abel, and Jameela Jamil. Some were merely juicy; others were very grim. And Jamil did not look great.

The two were texting in August 2024 about a TikTok criticizing Lively for being tone-deaf during the It Ends With Us press tour, since she talked about wearing florals and promoting her hair care brand, despite the movie dealing with domestic abuse. “She’s a suicide bomber at this point.” Jamil texted Abel. In another text, Abel says, “I hate her so much,” to which Jamil replies, “So much; I’ve never seen such a bizarre villain act before; She’s OVER over.”

And in another text, Abel writes, “Did you see Blake post the survivors link?” referring to a link Lively posted on her Instagram story in response to the press tour backlash. Jamil replied, “Dead” and added that Lively’s post was “so cold.” When Abel joked that she should ask Baldoni to post the same survivors link to his Instagram, Jamil responded: “Ahahaha no keep him away from her,” adding, “keep him silent,” and “keep him in Sweden.”

Jamil—who’s seemingly incapable of just sitting back and letting a news cycle pass—posted a few Instagram stories Thursday night, trying to defend herself from the headlines calling her out for saying Lively is a “suicide bomber” while also claiming to be a feminist.

“Guys — guys — feminism means fighting for the political, social and economic equity of women, for women. Just gender equity. It does not mean you have to like every single woman,” she said in an Instagram video, per the Hollywood Reporter. She didn’t name Lively or the lawsuit directly, but posted the video shortly after TMZ wrote that her “feminist, women-first image may be taking a serious hit … ’cause newly revealed texts show her absolutely torching Blake Lively behind the scenes!”

She continued: “That’s all feminism is. It’s a moral and political stance. It is not a sleepover where we braid each other’s pubes, OK? So if you are fighting for women’s rights, but you don’t get along with every single woman, it doesn’t make you a bad feminist.”

She’s not wrong! Feminism does mean we can dislike other women, regardless of reason. I literally agree with her.

It’s just unfortunate when the woman you were hating on is the one involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit in which Baldoni is accused of creating a sexist, uncomfortable, creepy, and hostile working environment. It’s also unfortunate when your publicist is also his publicist. And it’s especially unfortunate when, instead of simply taking the L—or saying nothing at all—you feel compelled to jump online and explain feminism to the rest of us, while still aligning yourself with the machinery working to discredit a woman alleging workplace abuse.

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