Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her former co-star and director Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a campaign to tarnish her reputation during and after the production of their film It Ends With Us. The allegations, detailed in legal documents obtained by TMZ, include claims of a hostile work environment, inappropriate conduct, and emotional harm to Lively and her family.
The lawsuit alleges that tensions during the production escalated to the point of an "all-hands-on-deck" meeting, attended by Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, to address her concerns about Baldoni's behavior. According to the filing, the demands discussed during this meeting included prohibiting Baldoni from showing nude videos or images of women, referencing his alleged "pornography addiction," and making inappropriate comments about sexual conquests. Lively also requested an end to mentions of her weight and deceased father.
The suit states these demands were approved by Sony, the studio behind It Ends With Us. However, disagreements over how the film should be marketed further strained the relationship between Lively and Baldoni. Lively preferred an upbeat campaign highlighting her character's resilience, while Baldoni sought to emphasize the film's themes of domestic violence.
In her filing, Lively accuses Baldoni and his allies of engaging in a "social manipulation" campaign to ruin her reputation. She included text messages allegedly sent by Baldoni's publicist to a studio publicist, which purportedly stated Baldoni "wants to feel like [Ms. Lively] can be buried."
The tension between the two stars had already fueled rumors during the movie's promotional period. Despite reports of their feud, It Ends With Us, based on the bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, became a commercial success, grossing over $350 million worldwide.
Lively's lawsuit, however, paints a darker picture of her experience on set, claiming Baldoni's actions caused severe emotional distress to her family and harmed her professional reputation. "The smear campaign caused harm to her business and led to her family experiencing severe emotional distress," the lawsuit states.
In response, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, dismissed the allegations as a "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious" attempt to repair Lively's public image. Freedman accused Lively of being difficult to work with, claiming she was a "nightmare on set" who threatened not to show up for filming or promotional events. He stated, the claims are designed to "fix her negative reputation."
The legal battle comes after months of speculation and reports about behind-the-scenes drama. Earlier allegations against Baldoni included an incident where he reportedly asked his trainer about Lively's weight, which she interpreted as fat-shaming. Baldoni, however, claimed the question stemmed from concerns about his back injury.
