The Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni Feud Explained
By Movieguide® Contributor
Since the release of IT ENDS WITH US in August, costars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been at odds with each other through a he-said-she-said public feud.
The public difficulties between the two stars began after fans noticed that Lively and Baldoni were not promoting their movie together despite them being costars and romantic leads. Shortly after, Lively began accusing Baldoni of inappropriate conduct, explaining why she wasn’t appearing with him in public. Baldoni, however, defended his name and accused Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of acting as stuck-up Hollywood elites who balk when they don’t get their way.
In the months since, Lively and Baldoni have continued to promote their side of the story, continuing to smear the name of the other. As time has gone on, the stakes have gotten higher and the accusations more severe.
The two came to a head at the end of December when Lively and Baldoni both filed a lawsuit.
Lively’s lawsuit was against Baldoni himself, claiming he sexually harassed her while on set and then embarked on a slander campaign after the news came to light. The complaint also names Baldoni’s movie studio, Wayfarer, along with his public relations representatives, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.
“Wayfarer and its associates have violated federal and California state law by retaliating against [Lively] for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns,” Lively’s attorney said in a statement. “Now, the defendants will answer for their conduct in federal court. Ms. Lively has brought this litigation in New York, where much of the relevant activities described in the Complaint took place, but we reserve the right to pursue further action in other venues and jurisdictions as appropriate under the law.”
The lawsuit claims Baldoni attempted to coax Lively into sexual acts not present in the script such as improvised physical scenes, multiple moments of nudity, and having her character orgasm on screen, in addition to discussing his sexual past with Lively such as his experience with pornography and his and his wife’s habits in the bedroom.
“Mr. Baldoni…[was] also constantly hugging and touching cast and crew,” the lawsuit added. “When Ms. Lively or others avoided this touching, Mr. Baldoni…would retaliate by becoming irritated, cold and uncollaborative. The result was an unwelcoming and mercurial environment for Ms. Lively, her employees, and others on set.”
Meanwhile, Baldoni has denied all of these accusations and filed a counter-lawsuit against the New York Times for coordinating an attack on his name with Lively and her team. He claims that the newspaper violated its duties by leaving out information that did not serve its narrative about his character. He is suing the publication for $250 million.
“In this vicious smear campaign fully orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative,” Baldoni’s lawyer said in a statement.
“In doing so, they pre-determined the outcome of their story, and aided and abetted their own devastating PR smear campaign designed to revitalize Lively’s self-induced floundering public image and counter the organic groundswell of criticism amongst the online public. The irony is rich,” the lawyer continued.
Baldoni has further responded to Lively’s accusations, claiming that the story she tells omits key details that paint him in a completely different light than he actually acted.
While the feud between these actors has been months of hearsay, leaving the public with more questions than answers, these lawsuits will finally decide who was right and who was wrong, though fans will probably continue to fight for their celebrity regardless of the verdict.
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