Blake Lively has accused her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and leading a campaign to damage her reputation, according to a legal complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department.
The complaint, which precedes a potential lawsuit, also names the studio behind the film and Baldoni’s publicists as defendants.
Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni accusing him of sexual harassment and a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation, TMZ reports. pic.twitter.com/vIbj66VB64
— Pop Base (@PopBase) December 21, 2024
Celebrate Trump’s Historic 2024 Victory with the Exclusive Trump 47th President Collection!
The complaint, first obtained by the Associated Press, alleges that Baldoni and the studio orchestrated a “multi-tiered plan” to harm Lively’s reputation after she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, addressed concerns about “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” by Baldoni and another producer during the film’s production.
Lively claims the plan included planting negative theories about her on online forums, engineering social media campaigns, and pushing news stories critical of her.
According to the complaint, Baldoni employed publicists and crisis managers to carry out a “coordinated, and well-financed retaliation plan” designed to undermine her credibility.
“To safeguard against the risk of Ms. Lively ever revealing the truth about Mr. Baldoni, the Baldoni-Wayfarer team created, planted, amplified, and boosted content designed to eviscerate Ms. Lively’s credibility,” the complaint states.
It further alleges that Baldoni leveraged domestic violence survivor narratives in the film’s marketing to protect his own image.
Bryan Freedman, an attorney representing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives, called the claims “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.”
He argued that the studio proactively hired a crisis manager because of Lively’s “multiple demands and threats made during production.”
Freedman also alleged that Lively threatened to not appear on set or promote the film unless her demands were met.
While Freedman did not specify those demands, Lively’s complaint lists 30 measures agreed upon after her concerns were raised about the work environment.
These included a ban on showing nude videos or images of women on set, prohibiting discussions about pornography or genitalia, and restricting Baldoni from asking Lively’s trainer about her weight without her consent.
The demands also barred Baldoni from improvising kissing scenes or adding sex scenes beyond what was included in the approved script.
In a statement to the New York Times, Lively said she hopes her legal action will shed light on retaliatory tactics used to silence individuals who speak out about misconduct. “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,” she said.
Lively denied allegations that she planted negative information about Baldoni or the studio and referred further questions to the Times.
It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, was released in August and exceeded expectations with a $50 million debut.
However, the film’s release was overshadowed by speculation about tension between Lively and Baldoni.
The internet isn’t happy with how Blake Lively has been conducting herself in “It Ends With Us” PR, comparing her interviews to Justin Baldoni’s.
After seeing interviews side-by-side, what do you think? pic.twitter.com/CsCoQ3MI1b
— Evie Magazine (@Evie_Magazine) August 13, 2024
While Lively and Reynolds took centerstage during the press tour, Baldoni’s promotional efforts were notably muted.
Baldoni, who has previously directed Five Feet Apart and authored Man Enough, addressed criticism of the film for allegedly romanticizing domestic violence.
He told the Associated Press that while critics are “entitled to their opinion,” the team was intentional in its approach to the subject matter.
The legal proceedings are expected to bring further scrutiny to the production of the film and the professional dynamics behind the scenes.
.
