PremiumWhy is Blake Lively suing Justin Baldoni? Everything we know about the sexual harassment lawsuit
The world has been shook by the new of Blake Lively using It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment.
Everything about Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni sexual harassment lawsuit
Last Updated: 10.41 AM, Dec 22, 2024
Everyone who knows Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni across the globe and loved the latest film It Ends With Us are still in shock that the two are now standing against each other in a serious legal battle. Lively has filed a lawsuit against Baldoni accusing him of sexual harassment while working on their film together. The shocking news comes after months of speculation and rumors that not everything is all right between the two. However, Justin’s lawyer in a reply has called the lawsuit an attempt to fix her negative reputation. The war has now become legal, and the fans of the two stars are now waiting for the next update with bated breaths. But what exactly happened? Let's scale the history of the row.
Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni Starred When…
It was earlier this year when it was reported that the cast and crew of the most talked about movie It Ends With Us were all involved in a feud. Multiple reports had confirmed the tension on behind the scenes of the movie through several undisclosed sources, but nothing ever came out directly from anyone involved. It was confirmed that nothing is alright between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who is also the director of the film) when the two did not even pose together, forget talk to each other, on the red carpet for the premiere in New York in August 2024.
It was soon said that Justin Baldoni’s problematic behavior made the cast distance themselves from him, and later him hiring a crisis PR manager hinted at a serious row. Turns out now there is a lawsuit in place that accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and causing serious distress to Blake. It all began on August 14, 2024, when TMZ in a report claimed that the missing scene between Blake and Justin wasn't smooth and that there was discomfort. A source had said that the filmmaker-actor lingered too long while kissing her on camera.
The insider also claimed that Blake Lively felt fat-shamed by Justin Baldoni while filming a scene where Ryle, played by Justin, picks up Lily, played by Blake. Baldoni reportedly has a history of back problems, and he allegedly asked the on-set trainer about how much Blake weighs. She felt he was fat-shaming her. The tension was always visible, reports said Blake would be very impatient after finishing her scenes and would want to leave the set as soon as possible.
The Post-Production Fiasco
This all led to a point where the post-production became a battle rather than a smooth process. It was said, according to several reports, that two different cuts of the movie were created, which led to a lot of creative differences between the two. The entire team fell apart, with many standing together against Justin Baldoni. Even author Colleen Hoover was reportedly on Blake's side. Even on Instagram, both Blake and Colleen do not follow Justin, while he follows both.
The Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
So months after the release, and right after the digital premiere, a lot of us thought it was a thing of the past and the team may have resolved their issues in a discreet manner. Turns out that is not the case, as Blake Lively has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni. It is said that Blake’s demands to get on the film were discussed amongst the team, where even her husband Ryan Reynolds was present.
Some of the demands that were addressed, according to the lawsuit as per TMZ, included "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."
"No more adding of sex scenes, oral sex, or on-camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project," were also included. These demands were agreed by Sony, who have produced the film, but it was soon after this that Baldoni became a part of a "social manipulation" campaign to "destroy" her reputation soon after.
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, in their reply, has called the lawsuit an attempt to fix her negative reputation. He called the allegations “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt." Bryan claims Lively caused problems on the sets of their film that is now on Amazon Prime Video, "threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.”
Both the actors are yet to publicly comment on the row themselves. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.