Blake Lively accuses It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment, attempt to destroy her reputation after rumored feud

1 month ago 5

In a shocking development, Blake Lively has initiated legal proceedings against Justin Baldoni, citing serious allegations of sexual harassment and manipulative behavior during the production of It Ends With Us, currently available for streaming on Netflix.

TMZ, which has obtained access to the legal documents, reports that the allegations against Baldoni include inappropriate discussions about his previous “pornography addiction,” detailed accounts of his intimate relationships, inappropriate comments about the production team's private parts, insensitive remarks about Lively's weight and deceased father, and the unsolicited sharing of explicit content featuring women.

Bryan Freedman, representing Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its associates, has firmly rejected Lively's allegations in a statement, describing the lawsuit as “shameful” and containing “categorically false accusations.”

During production, the cast of the Colleen Hoover adaptation reportedly confronted Baldoni's concerning conduct and the toxic workplace atmosphere in a comprehensive meeting. The gathering was notably attended by Lively's spouse, actor Ryan Reynolds.

Throughout the filming process, Lively explicitly demanded that there be “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on-camera climaxing by [Lively] outside the scope of the script [Lively] approved when signing onto the project.”

Beyond the sexual harassment claims, the lawsuit details creative conflicts between Lively and Baldoni regarding character interpretation, with Lively pushing for an emphasis on strength rather than domestic abuse. Post-release, Lively alleges these disagreements escalated into an organized effort to damage her professional standing.

Freedman's statement continues, “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix' her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions.”

“These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media,” he continues. “Wayfarer Studios made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film, to work alongside their own representative with Jonesworks employed by Stephanie Jones, due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met. It was also discovered that Ms. Lively enlisted her own representative, Leslie Sloan with Vision PR, who also represents Mr. Reynolds, to plant negative and completely fabricated and false stories with media, even prior to any marketing had commenced for the film, which was another reason why Wayfarer Studios made the decision to hire a crisis professional to commence internal scenario planning in the case they needed to address.”

Blake Lively At NY Food And Wine Festival Betty Booze Event

Freedman concludes: “The representatives of Wayfarer Studios still did nothing proactive nor retaliated, and only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and factual reporting and monitored social activity. What is pointedly missing from the cherry-picked correspondence is the evidence that there were no proactive measures taken with media or otherwise; just internal scenario planning and private correspondence to strategize which is standard operating procedure with public relations professionals.”

The film, which premiered in theaters last August, centers on Lily Bloom, an ambitious florist portrayed by Lively, who finds herself in a romantic relationship with Ryle Kincaid, a charismatic neurosurgeon played by Baldoni. Their seemingly perfect romance takes a dark turn as Ryle exhibits patterns of physical and emotional abuse. The situation becomes more complicated when Lily's former love interest (portrayed by 1923 star Brandon Sklenar) unexpectedly returns to her life.

SL RECOMMENDS

Like most websites, Socialite Life uses affiliate links where available, which means we earn a little commission if you click through and buy something. Also, as Amazon Influencers, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Sale

nutribullet Flip Portable Blender with Insulated Cup, Black, NBPB50350AK