Blake Lively, the well-known actress from Gossip Girl, has filed a bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit against It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni, accusing him of creating a hostile work environment and launching a smear campaign against her.
The lawsuit, encompassing detailed allegations, paints Baldoni, known for his prior feminist advocacy, as behaving contrary to the values he publicly espouses.
Supportive of Lively, her co-stars from the classic film Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants — America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel — voiced their solidarity through a joint statement on Instagram. They wrote, "Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort to discredit her voice."
The heartfelt statement reflects Lively's long-standing friendship with her co-stars, who expressed concern about the alleged hypocrisy surrounding Baldoni's actions, considering the film's premise discusses domestic violence.
After filing the lawsuit, Lively detailed instances of Baldoni's troubling behavior on set. She claims he improvised inappropriate sexual content during filming, including unapproved kissing and sex scenes. Lively alleges Baldoni entered her dressing room uninvited and let his friends watch her film sex scenes, which, according to her account, contributed to the anxiety she felt during production.
One particularly alarming incident involved the actress asserting, "On the second day of filming, Mr. Baldoni made the rest of the cast and crew wait for hours [while] he cried... claiming social media commentators were saying [I] looked old and unattractive based on paparazzi photos from the set." This scene reportedly set the tone for subsequent tensions between Lively and Baldoni, leading to her feeling objectified and degraded.
Lively, who had recently become a mother again before filming began, alleged Baldoni expressed concern over her appearance and secretly contacted her fitness trainer, implying his desire for her to lose weight before filming progressed. Lively described how Baldoni once commented on her attire and pressured her to reveal more of her outfit around the crew, leading to feelings of being "exposed."
The fallout from Lively's allegations has already struck Baldoni professionally; talent agency WME has dropped him as a client amid these serious claims. Lively continues her representation with the agency, signaling their support for her during this tumultuous period.
Moving beyond personal interactions, the lawsuit outlines what Lively describes as concerted efforts by Baldoni and his public relations manager, Melissa Nathan, following her complaints. Lively accuses them of developing a systematic plan to retaliate against her — designing strategies to smear her reputation and suppress negative narratives about Baldoni.
Experts on crisis management, such as Nathan, are often enlisted by high-profile clients to mitigate public relations disasters. According to reports, Nathan allegedly coached Baldoni on how to redirect public sympathy away from Lively, leading to claims she was being subjected to targeted attacks.
Lively has openly expressed her hope for the lawsuit's outcome to shine light on "sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct" and to bring necessary protections for others facing similar trials.
The situation escalated when Lively reported Baldoni's alleged misconduct to the production company, Wayfarer Studios. The studio promised to establish safety measures, including assigning full-time intimacy coordinators and banning retaliatory actions against her. Despite these agreements, Lively contends Baldoni's behavior continued, resulting in what she describes as heightened tension on set.
Legal representatives for Baldoni have vehemently denied Lively's allegations, asserting they are baseless and aimed at public humiliation. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, described the claims as "completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious."
The It Ends With Us project, based on the acclaimed novel by Colleen Hoover, was already the subject of significant public anticipation, making the surrounding controversy all the more captivating to followers of the narrative. The serious nature of the allegations, combined with the social and cultural dynamics of Hollywood, has left fans and industry professionals alike considering the broader systemic issues of misconduct and accountability.
The entertainment industry awaits not only the next developments from this lawsuit but also its potential ramifications for workplace safety and conduct standards moving forward.
