American actress Blake Lively has initiated a lawsuit against her co-star and director Justin Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and accusing him of orchestrating a defamation campaign against her, according to Variety.
In the lawsuit, the Gossip Girl actress asserts that Baldoni attempted to damage her reputation and caused significant emotional distress to her and her family.
This legal action follows a rocky press tour for It Ends With Us, where Baldoni was notably absent from promotional events, and Lively faced criticism for her perceived overly light-hearted attitude while promoting a film about domestic violence.
Social media users speculated that Baldoni was excluded from the promotional efforts due to disagreements with Lively, with many suggesting that he was the only cast member genuinely focused on raising awareness about domestic violence.
Lively’s lawsuit claims that Baldoni and Jamey Heath, a producer on the film, engaged in inappropriate behavior, including recounting details of their past sexual relationships and discussing their history with pornography addiction.
Additionally, Lively alleges that Baldoni claimed to have the ability to communicate with the dead, specifically her father, Ernie Lively, who passed away in 2021. Lively described this as deeply unsettling and invasive.
Lively expressed hope that her legal action would expose harmful retaliatory tactics used to discredit those who speak out about misconduct, and would serve to protect others from being targeted in similar ways.
The filing notes that a meeting took place in January 2024 to address Lively’s concerns and her conditions for continuing her work on the film.
Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, was reportedly present. During the meeting, Lively alleged that Baldoni discussed her weight with her trainer, pressed her to disclose her religious beliefs, and made inappropriate comments about his sexual life.
Furthermore, Lively accused Heath, who is also the CEO of Wayfarer Studios, of showing her a video of his wife giving birth in the nude.
The lawsuit also states that Baldoni and Heath entered Lively’s makeup trailer without her consent, including during breastfeeding sessions with her infant child. Lively’s complaint emphasized that her concerns were not only personal but also for other women on set, some of whom had voiced similar complaints.
The actress reportedly requested that Baldoni refrain from adding any more sex scenes beyond those already scripted and approved by her before filming. According to the lawsuit, Sony Pictures, the film’s distributor, complied with her request, but Baldoni allegedly retaliated by attempting to ruin Lively’s reputation through “social manipulation.”
Lively’s complaint further detailed that she asked for no further mentions of Baldoni or Heath’s “pornography addiction,” no more graphic descriptions of their genitalia, and no addition of explicit scenes outside of the approved script. She also demanded that Baldoni stop claiming he could communicate with her deceased father.
In the lawsuit, Lively revealed that Heath and Baldoni had hired a crisis public relations expert, and she had obtained thousands of pages of emails and text messages through a subpoena. These documents indicated a covert smear campaign aimed at tarnishing her image.
One message from a publicist working with Baldoni’s team suggested that their goal was to “bury” Lively’s reputation, while another email described how fortunate Baldoni was at the time, adding that they needed to push him further.
The complaint also detailed a sophisticated digital campaign, which involved contractors using social media platforms and online forums to spread content designed to damage Lively’s reputation, presenting it as authentic content.
During the film’s promotional phase, Lively faced backlash for her comments encouraging people to watch the film in a light-hearted manner and for repeatedly promoting her haircare line and alcoholic beverage brand, Betty Buzz.
Critics called her promotion “tone-deaf,” especially considering the serious subject matter of the film, which dealt with domestic violence. Some social media users even suggested that Baldoni was the only one genuinely speaking out about domestic violence.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, responded to the lawsuit by labeling Lively’s accusations as “categorically false.” He claimed that Lively had made numerous demands and threats, including threatening to refuse to show up on set or promote the film, which could have caused its failure at the box office if not met.
Freedman further alleged that Lively’s claims were designed to “publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.” Lively, however, denied any involvement in planting or spreading negative information about Baldoni or Wayfarer Studios through her representatives.
Following the lawsuit’s filing, the talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) dropped Baldoni as a client. Both Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, are represented by the agency.
It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover expressed her support for Lively, sharing a heartfelt message on Instagram. Hoover wrote, “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
Lively’s sister, Robyn Lively, also shared exposé, urging people to read it for an accurate understanding of what Lively had endured during the film’s production.
She emphasized that her sister is one of the kindest and most honest individuals she knows, describing her as a loving mother, wife, and sister who worked under harsh conditions on set.
Robyn also addressed criticism of the film’s marketing campaign, pointing out that Lively was not the creative force behind it and should not be solely blamed for its execution.
Lively’s co-stars from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants—America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn—showed their support for her in a joint Instagram post.
They expressed their dismay over the retaliation Lively faced for seeking a safe work environment and condemned the exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories. They were especially struck by the realization that even someone as celebrated and resourceful as Lively could face such a powerful backlash for standing up for herself and others on set.
