Blake Lively sues her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni over sexual harassment claims and attempts to “destroy” her reputation, according to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ Saturday.
Lively claims Baldoni sexually harassed her on set of the movie, and accused the actor of “a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation,” TMZ reported. The movie is based off the romance novel by Colleen Hoover and has faced backlash over its handling of domestic abuse since its summer debut.
During filming there was an “all-hands-on-deck meeting,” meant to address the claims of a hostile working environment which Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds attended, the outlet reported.
The lawsuit reportedly lists the demands that were addressed in the meeting which includes, “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
Another demand included that there would be “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project.”
JERSEY CITY, NJ – JANUARY 12: Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively are seen on the set of ‘It Ends with Us’ on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
The demands were “embraced” by the studio, the lawsuit claimed. Baldoni is further accused of engaging in a “social manipulation” campaign meant to “destroy” Lively’s reputation, TMZ reported. (RELATED: Justin Baldoni Hires Crisis PR Amid Hellish Rumors Of Rift With Blake Lively).
Blake Lively sues ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment, campaign to ‘destroy’ reputation https://t.co/Dheyxam7mO pic.twitter.com/oyk7ieFL8I
— New York Post (@nypost) December 21, 2024
“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,” Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
Freedman said Lively made multiple threats during the movie’s production including “threatening to not showing [sic] up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.”
The suit comes after speculation of issues between the co-stars as rumors spread on TikTok after Baldoni was seen being absent from press events and the lack of group photos from the film’s New York premiere, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
