In a bombshell legal action that has sent shockwaves through Hollywood, actress Blake Lively has filed a meticulously detailed sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director in the film "It Ends With Us," alleging a systematic campaign to destroy her professional reputation and creating a hostile work environment.
The 22-page lawsuit, first obtained by The Hollywood Reporter and TMZ, paints a disturbing portrait of alleged misconduct that goes far beyond typical on-set tensions, revealing a complex web of personal and professional conflicts that erupted during the production of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel.
A Hostile Work Environment
According to the lawsuit, the situation became so critical that an emergency all-hands meeting was called, with Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds among the attendees.
Lively alleges that these demands were initially approved by Wayfarer Studios, with the cast under a contractual obligation to promote the film in a specific manner – focusing on her character's strength and resilience, rather than dwelling on the film's domestic violence narrative.
The Alleged Smear Campaign
The most explosive allegations center on what Lively describes as a calculated "social manipulation" campaign. The lawsuit includes 22 pages of text messages that purportedly show Baldoni's team discussing how to "bury" Lively's reputation.
In a particularly charged text message, Baldoni's publicist reportedly wrote that he "wants to feel like [Ms. Lively] can be buried," to which the crisis PR firm responded, "we can't write we will destroy her."
In fact, one of the reasons that Lively got so much hate on social media was the fact that she tried to downplay the dominant and disturbing themes of abuse and made light-hearted fun comments. But what none of us knew was that the network had instructed her to do this. So although it came across as tone-deaf given the serious subject matter, she wasn't acting on her own - but on instruction from her bosses. So the whole 'focus on florals' wasn't actually her idea or her choice. But nobody cares about that, right?
Author's Support
Colleen Hoover, the book's author and an executive producer of the film, has publicly rallied behind Lively. In an emotional Instagram post, she wrote, "@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."
Baldoni's Pushback
Justin Baldoni's legal team, led by attorney Bryan Freedman, has vehemently denied all allegations. In a scathing statement, Freedman characterized the lawsuit as "a desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation" and described the claims as "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious."
The defense suggests that Lively was difficult on set, "threatening to not show up" and potentially sabotaging the film's release if her demands were not met.
Context of Controversy
The lawsuit emerges from a complicated promotional period for "It Ends With Us," released in August 2024. Lively faced criticism for her seemingly lighthearted approach to promoting a film about domestic violence, including fashion-forward red carpet moments and playful promotional videos.
Baldoni, by contrast, focused more intensely on the film's serious themes of domestic abuse – a narrative inspired by Hoover's own mother's experiences with domestic violence.
Potential Industry Implications
The lawsuit threatens the potential sequel to "It Ends With Us," as Wayfarer Studios currently holds the rights to the next film in the series. This legal battle could affect the project's future.
Lively's Statement
In a statement to TMZ that has since gone viral, Lively expressed her broader motivation: "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."
The first hearing is expected to draw significant media attention, with both Lively and Baldoni's legal teams preparing for what promises to be a high-stakes legal battle.
The saddest thing about all of this is that if Baldoni's team or PR people did in fact launch a smear campaign against her, it was so successful that Lively has millions of haters now, regardless of the truth and regardless of how any lawsuit turns out in the end. That's the power of the internet.
Whatever happened between Lively and Bladoni will have very real effects on Lively's future career, and could even bring about her downfall, as the internet now calls her a 'Mean girl' and says that she deserves whatever happens to her.
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