Blake Lively accused and denounced the actor and director of It Ends With Us Justin Baldoni Of sexual harassment and of having organized a defamatory campaign against him. It is the shock of Hollywood that arrives at the end of 2024, but which actually saw the first signs arise this summer, during the cryptic promotion of the film in which Baldoni and Lively never participated together.
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It is Lively, with a complaint filed with the California civil rights department, who sheds light on the facts, alleging that Baldoni attempted to organize a defamatory campaign against her, underlining how his behavior caused her and her family “serious emotional damage”.
According to the documents stated by Lively, a meeting was held in January 2024 to address the actress's claims and her requests to return to work in It Ends With Us just after the end of the actors' and screenwriters' strikes. In that meeting, where her husband, Ryan Reynolds, was also present, Lively complained that Baldoni had questioned her weight, pressured her to reveal her religious beliefs and talked about her sex life in inappropriate way. It was also brought up in the conversation Jamey Heathone of the film's producers and CEO of Wayfarer Studios. According to Blake Lively, both Baldoni and Heath entered her trailer without permission, “even when she was breastfeeding her newborn son.” The document goes on to state that “the concerns raised by [Lively] they weren't just for her, but also for the other women in the cast and crew, some of whom had spoken out about it.”
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Lively allegedly asked Baldoni to don't add more sex scenes outside of those foreseen in the film's script, which she had approved before filming began. According to the complaint, Sony Pictures approved Lively's requests, but the complaint goes on to accuse Baldoni of “social manipulation” and of launching a campaign to “destroy” Lively's reputation.
In the document, Lively alleges that Baldoni and Heath behaved unprofessionally, including describing “their past sexual relationships” to her and telling her about their “prior addiction to pornography.” Lively also claims that Baldoni said she could communicate with the dead, including her father, Ernie Lively, who died in 2021. A spokesperson for Lively referred Variety to a statement the actress gave to the New York Times, in which she said: “I hope my legal action will help bring back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics against those who speak out about misconduct and help protect others who may be targeted.”
Baldoni's legal team rejected Lively's claims. “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives are revolting such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to “fix” his negative reputation, gained through his own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activity that were publicly observed, in real time and unedited, and which allowed the Internet to generate its own views and opinions.”reads Freedman's statement to Variety regarding the complaint.
Freedman characterizes the allegations against Wayfarer Studios as false, offensive, and intentionally inflammatory, with the goal of damaging the studio's public image and fueling a certain narrative in the media.
To manage tensions, the studio chose to hire a crisis manager ahead of the film's marketing campaign. This decision was motivated by Lively's repeated threats and demands, including the risk that she would not show up on set or promote the film if her demands were not met. Additionally, Lively allegedly used her representative Leslie Sloan to spread false and negative information in the media, exacerbating the need for preemptive planning. The statement stresses that Wayfarer Studios took no action against Lively or the media, but merely responded to requests for clarification and monitored the situation. Finally, it should be noted that the internal planning and communication strategies adopted are part of the normal procedures of public relations professionals.
Meanwhile, 24 hours after the sexual harassment complaint, Justin Baldoni has been fired from his agencythe WME. WME also represents Lively and, given the seriousness of the allegations in her complaint, felt it was necessary to act quickly.
