Justin Baldoni has filed a lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion related to the film It Ends With Us
Jenny Slate speaks out on Blake Lively case
Justin Baldoni has filed a lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, alleging defamation and extortion related to the film It Ends With Us.
The lawsuit claims that Lively and her team spread false information to damage Baldoni’s reputation and take control of the film. Baldoni’s attorney asserts that there is substantial evidence supporting these claims.
Court papers obtained by the Daily Mail say that the alleged takeover reportedly extended to forcing Baldoni and his family to the basement after they arrived on the red carpet for the movie’s premiere on August 6, 2024, due to “Lively demanding he not be present.”
The lawsuit claims: “Security personnel, acting as though there was a risk of “escape,” escorted Baldoni’s group to the basement of the building. There, they were confined to a makeshift holding area surrounded by concession stand stock, with only foldout tables and chairs arranged in a square.”
Blake was first accused of being “tone deaf” by not seeming to address the domestic violence theme of the movie when she promoted it over the summer. She has also faced accusations she is ‘rude’, with one source claiming “everyone was a little bit afraid” of Blake on set. Interactions with fans and unearthed clips from previous interviews only added to this.
And further claims suggest she used the film – which went on to flop at the box office – to inappropriately plug her hair and drinks brands. After apparently ‘fearing her career was over’, she is now suing her co-star Baldoni, who also directed the film, for sexual harassment.
The 40-year-old has denied Blake’s claims and in a statement via his lawyers said he believes it’s a bid to ‘fix her negative reputation.’ Here we look at what Blake’s claims against Justin are, from their reported backstage feud to alleged ‘fat-shaming’ on set and claims of inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Blake has filed against Justin months after the release of their It Ends with Us film, she claims he subjected her to a campaign of ‘sexual harassment’ which caused her ‘severe emotional distress’.
According to legal papers seen by US outlet TMZ, Blake requested there should be “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.”
Other demands mentioned in the lawsuit reportedly included there should be: “No more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by Blake Lively outside the scope of the script Blake Lively approved when signing onto the project.”
Justin’s team have responded with a lengthy statement that said: “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. 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 showing 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 commencing 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 has since accused Justin of causing “severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation and embarrassment” in a new lawsuit. The 37-year-old actress filed a second lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star on Tuesday in a New York federal court. In the documents, which have been obtained by The Mirror US, Lively has accused Baldoni of making her suffer “belittlement, frustration, and mental anguish” as well as lost wages.
The lawsuit also alleged Lively and other cast and crew members experienced “invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” by Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath. Lively also claimed Baldoni “ignored well-established industry protocols in filming intimate scenes.”
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