Actor Justin Baldoni dropped by agency as feud with Blake Lively escalates

Justin Baldoni has been reportedly removed by agency WME following allegations of sexual harassment by Blake Lively, who has filed a complaint claiming a campaign to tarnish her reputation.

In Short

• Justin Baldoni was dropped by WME after Blake Lively accused him of sexual harassment
• The agency continues to manage Lively
• Lively alleged a coordinated campaign to damage her reputation involving false narratives

It Ends With Us actor-director Justin Baldoni has been reportedly ousted by his agency WME after Blake Lively accused him of sexual harassment on the film's set. Lively has filed a complaint against Baldoni and the studio of a campaign for orchestrating to tarnish her reputation. Baldoni's attorney has dismissed the accusations, calling them false.

The decision to drop Justin Baldoni from WME was taken on Saturday morning, following Lively's complaint on Friday, reports Deadline. The Gossip Girl actor continues to be managed by the same talent agency.

The complaint obtained by The Associated Press and reported by The New York Times alleges a pre-lawsuit filing with the California Civil Rights Department, naming Justin Baldoni, the studio behind It Ends With Us, and Baldoni’s publicists as defendants.

The complaint accuses Baldoni and the studio of orchestrating a “multi-tiered plan” to damage Blake Lively’s reputation after she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, confronted Baldoni and a producer about “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour” during the movie’s production.

According to the filing, the alleged plan included spreading false narratives on online forums, coordinating a negative social media campaign, and placing critical news stories about Lively. It also claims Baldoni deviated from the film's original marketing strategy, instead leveraging domestic violence “survivor content” to bolster his public image.

“These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media,” attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement, representing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives.

Freedman dismissed Lively’s allegations of a coordinated campaign, saying the studio “proactively” hired a crisis manager “due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production.” He mentioned that Lively threatened not to appear on set and not promote the film “if her demands were unmet.” The demands were not specified in the statement.

“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,” Lively said in a statement to the Times.

It Ends With Us, which released in August, is an an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel of the same name.

With inputs from Associated Press