Blake Lively accuses Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her

The movie Never Again has not finished making people talk about him. Last December 20, Blake Lively, lead actress in the film adaptation of the best-selling book by Colleen Hoover, filed a complaint against the director of the film, Justin Baldoni. The star accuses the latter of sexual harassment and of having orchestrated a defamation campaign against her on social networks, according to revelations from New York Times. Since then, several voices from the Hollywood industry have been raised to support the actress.

On set, Justin Baldoni allegedly made derogatory comments towards Blake Lively and other members of the crew. He also allegedly crossed the physical limits set on several occasions. The actress would have confronted him, accompanied by her husband, Ryan Reynolds, during a group meeting and things would have stayed there… Until the release of Never Again in August and the film's promotional campaign. To the controversies which targeted the feature film – accused of romanticizing domestic violence with several awkward outings by Blake Lively – were added suspicions of a disagreement between the star and Justin Baldoni. TikTok users had in fact noticed that the two performers were not posing together during the film's premiere in New York. It was enough to ignite the powder.

“Tactical retaliatory disasters”

The director would thus have called on Melissa Nathana crisis public relations expert known for working with Johnny Depp during his trial against Amber Heard – rcall yourself the sexist campaign that the actor's ex-wife was the victim of during the affair, and even after. In his exchanges with the communicator, Justin Baldoni allegedly asked her to “reverse the narrative” regarding Blake Lively. We remember that the latter had become the target of detractors on social networks and the media. The actress was notably accused of being unsympathetic towards victims of domestic violence and of being a “mean girl”.

On the occasion, an interview dating from 2016 resurfaced on the web, in which the star was particularly cantankerous towards the journalist Kjersti Flaa. During the month of August, the latter published the video on her social networks, explaining that this interview “made her want to quit her job”. Kjersti Flaa, who had previously supported Johnny Depp during his trial, however assured the press that she had not contributed to the defamation campaign denounced by Blake Lively.

According to Justin Baldoni's lawyers, their client finds the star's accusations “shameful” and believes that it is “a desperate attempt to repair his bad reputation due to his own remarks and actions during the film's promotional campaign . » For her part, Blake Lively told TMZ: “I hope that my legal action will help to lift the veil on these sinister retaliatory tactics aimed at harming those who speak out about professional misconduct and help to protect others who might targets. »

In Blake Lively's camp

The actress benefits from the unwavering support of author Colleen Hoover. The latter published a photo of her and the star in her Instagram story, accompanied by the following message: “You have been honest, kind, encouraging and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human being that you are. Never change. Never falter. » In an Instagram publication, the actresses of Four girls and jeans and former playing partners of Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn et America Ferrera, also proclaimed their support for the actress. “As Blake's friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand in solidarity with her as she fights against the hate campaign launched to destroy her reputation,” they wrote.