Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her former It Ends with Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign to damage her reputation.
In a statement to TMZ, Lively expressed her hope that her legal action would shed light on harmful retaliatory tactics aimed at those who speak out about misconduct, and ultimately protect others from similar treatment.
The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, details a series of incidents during the production of It Ends with Us, where Lively alleges that the work environment became increasingly hostile.
At one point, an emergency meeting was called to address the issue, and Lively’s husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, was reportedly present.
Lively’s suit outlines several specific grievances against Baldoni.
These include demands that Baldoni stop showing nude videos or images of women, discussing his alleged pornography addiction, making sexual comments about cast and crew members, and referencing Lively’s personal life, including inquiries about her weight and mentions of her late father.
The lawsuit also insists that Baldoni refrain from adding sexual scenes, including oral sex or on-camera climaxing, beyond the scope of what Lively had initially approved in the script.
The lawsuit also addresses disagreements over the film’s marketing strategy. Lively reportedly preferred a focus on her character’s resilience, while Baldoni allegedly pushed for a campaign centered on domestic violence, deviating from the narrative originally agreed upon.
Lively claims that Baldoni and his team launched a “social manipulation” campaign to damage her public image, referencing text messages allegedly sent by Baldoni’s publicist to the studio’s publicist.
One of the messages reportedly stated Baldoni wanted Lively “buried,” adding that they couldn’t write they would “destroy her.”
The lawsuit claims the campaign has caused severe emotional distress for Lively and negatively impacted her career.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, responded by dismissing the lawsuit as a baseless attempt to repair Lively’s image.
He labeled the claims as “false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious,” asserting that Lively was difficult during production, even threatening not to show up to set or promote the film, which led to its release struggles.
This legal battle follows months of tension between Lively and Baldoni, including an incident where Baldoni allegedly asked his trainer about Lively’s weight.
While Lively interpreted the question as fat-shaming, Baldoni has stated it was related to his back injury concerns.