Blake Lively Accuses ‘It Ends With Us’ Co-Star Justin Baldoni Of Sexual Harassment And Smear Campaign

Topline

Blake Lively filed a complaint on Friday accusing “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and carrying out a smear campaign against her, after Lively and Baldoni—whose attorney has denied the claims—appeared to feud during production.

Key Facts

Lively, who filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, alleges the “It Ends With Us” cast and crew held an “all hands” meeting on Jan. 4, 2024, to discuss the inappropriate conduct and hostile work environment that Lively, her employees and other cast and crew members experienced “at the hands of” Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath, the CEO of Wayfarer Studios.

Several demands were made during the meeting, including Blake requesting she no longer be shown videos or images of nude women, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous “pornography addiction,” no more discussions of “sexual conquests” in front of Blake and others, no more mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia or Blake’s dead father, according to the filing.

Lively requested Baldoni not to include additional sex scenes, scenes involving oral sex or “on-camera climaxing” beyond what was already included in the script.

Following Lively’s requests and the demands at the all-hands meeting, Baldoni launched a public relations campaign designed for “social manipulation” that would “destroy” Lively’s reputation, the complaint alleges.

The smear campaign worked to publicly show Lively had a “less than favorable reputation,” explored planting stories about her to the media—including a DailyMail story titled, “Is Blake Lively set to be CANCELLED?”—and falsely blamed Lively for production members losing their jobs.

Bryan Freedman, an attorney representing Baldoni and Wayfarer, decried the complaint as “shameful” and full of “categorically false accusations” in a statement to Variety.

Crucial Quote

Lively told Deadline she hoped the complaint “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.”

Big Number

$100 million. That’s how much billionaire Steve Sarowitz, Wayfarer’s co-founder, indicated he was willing to spend to “ruin the lives of” Lively and her family, the complaint alleges.

Surprising Fact

Lively faced criticism on social media as she promoted “It End With Us,” with many accusing the star of avoiding the film’s theme of domestic violence. In the lead-up to the film’s release, however, Lively and other cast members say they promoted the film in accordance with an agreed-upon marketing strategy, which directed cast members to focus on the “strength and resilience” of Lively’s character instead of describing the film as a story about domestic violence, according to the complaint. Lively also alleges Baldoni pivoted away from the marketing plan, instead promoting themes of domestic violence and “survivor content” to protect his image.

Key Background

Rumors of misconduct and alleged drama during the production of “It Ends With Us” circulated online in the months before the film’s release. Fans on social media noted Lively and Baldoni rarely appeared on the press tour together, while others noticed several cast members and Colleen Hoover—the author of the novel the movie is based on—did not follow Baldoni on social media. During post-production, Baldoni reportedly hired a crisis public relations manager who specializes in publicity and reputation management. Some “It Ends With Us” cast members took to social media to respond to allegations of drama, including Brandon Sklenar, who wrote the claims “should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film.” Both Baldoni and Lively also alluded to disagreements on set, though it was not immediately clear whether they clashed with one another.

Further Reading