Jana Kramer Questions Blake Lively’s 'It Ends With Us' Domestic Violence Messaging

Jana Kramer, who is a survivor of domestic violence, is commenting on the backlash Blake Lively has received for not emphasizing the domestic violence theme enough in her promotional efforts for "It Ends With Us."

The movie, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel, centers on Lily Bloom (played by Lively) as her relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle (portrayed by Justin Baldoni) becomes abusive, just as she rekindles a connection with her childhood sweetheart, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar).

In her recent statement, Jana Kramer appeared to refer to Blake Lively’s interview with BBC News at the film’s London premiere on August 8, where Lively remarked that Lily is “not defined” by her experiences with domestic violence.

Kramer has weighed in on Lively’s comments about Lily and domestic violence regarding "It Ends With Us."

As a survivor of domestic violence, the 40-year-old shared her perspective on the Monday, August 26, episode of her “Whine Down” podcast, telling listeners, “I would love the messaging to go to DV with media, instead of talking about riffs and everything else."

"The movie is about domestic violence. I haven’t seen the movie," she said, per Us Weekly. "I have a tough time watching movies that deal with domestic violence given my history with it.”

Over the past few weeks, Lively has received some backlash for not focusing enough on the film’s domestic violence themes during her promotional interviews.

According to Kramer, she initially thought "It Ends With Us" was a “rom-com, bring your girls to the movie[s]” type of film based on its marketing, only later realizing the film’s true subject matter.

“Then I started hearing stuff about the interviews, and for me, I was just, like, it made me sad because I just want the messaging to be about domestic violence and how to help people and how to get help,” she said.

The country music singer said, “It’s hard for people to talk about domestic violence when they haven’t, themselves, been, in real life, had the hands of domestic violence on them.”

Kramer has previously opened up about experiencing abuse during her marriage to Michael Gambino in 2004. Gambino was convicted of premeditated attempted murder in 2005 and was sentenced to six years in prison.

"So, for people to say it doesn’t define you, it does define you," she told listeners. "It has made me who I am. And though people can say, ‘It doesn’t define you,’ it is one of the biggest pieces of me, is domestic violence, and has been the biggest thread in my life.”

He died by suicide in 2012.

Kramer’s recent comment seemed to refer to Blake Lively’s interview with BBC News, where she mentioned that Lily is “not defined” by her experiences with domestic violence.

“She defines herself, and I think that that’s deeply empowering to remind people that no one else can define you," Lively explained about the character during the interview. "No experience can define you. You define you."

Lively also faced criticism for her response during an August interview with Chicago-based reporter Jake Hamilton on how she would handle a fan approaching her about their own domestic violence situations.

“Maybe asking for, like, my address, or my phone number. Or, like, location share?! I could just location-share you and then we could …” she answered before trailing off.

She later circled back, adding, “What’s been beautiful about this movie is that, unfortunately, we all know at least someone … who have experience[d] this. The beauty of this has been to see people and to see this movie alongside women who haven’t experienced this — thank goodness — go, ‘Woah. I fell in love too.’”

After the film’s premiere on August 9, Lively took to Instagram to share domestic violence resources with her fans.

“1 in 4 women aged 18 and older in the US alone have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime,” she wrote. “Intimate partner violence affects all genders, including more than 12 million people every year in the United States. Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence."

If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for support.