Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her former It Ends with Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and a calculated effort to damage her reputation. In a statement to TMZ, Lively said, “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.”
According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lively details incidents during the production that escalated to the point of an emergency meeting to address what she describes as a hostile work environment. Her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, was among those present.
The lawsuit outlines specific grievances against Baldoni, including demands for him to cease showing nude videos or images of women, discussing his alleged past pornography addiction, speaking about sexual conquests, referencing cast and crew’s genitalia, inquiring about Lively’s weight, or mentioning her late father. Another demand highlighted in the suit called for “no more adding of s3x scenes, oral s3x, or on-camera climaxing by [Blake Lively] outside the scope of the script [she] approved when signing onto the project.”
Lively also claims that while these demands were initially approved by the studio, tensions grew over marketing strategies for the film. She preferred a narrative focused on her character’s resilience, whereas Baldoni allegedly pushed for a campaign centered on domestic violence, diverging from the agreed plan.
The lawsuit accuses Baldoni and his team of orchestrating a “social manipulation” campaign to destroy Lively’s reputation, citing texts allegedly sent by Baldoni’s publicist to the studio publicist. One text purportedly stated that Baldoni “wants to feel like [Ms. Lively] can be buried” and added, “We can’t write we will destroy her.”
Lively alleges that this campaign has caused harm to her professional career and inflicted severe emotional distress on her family. In response, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has dismissed the lawsuit as a baseless attempt by Lively to repair her image, calling the claims “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”
Freedman also accused Lively of being difficult during production, stating she “threatened not to show up to set, threatened to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.”
The legal battle follows months of escalating tension between Lively and Baldoni, including allegations that Baldoni asked his trainer about Lively’s weight. While Lively reportedly interpreted the question as fat-shaming, Baldoni has maintained it was related to concerns about his back injury. This high-profile dispute continues to unfold, capturing significant attention in the entertainment industry
