The drama between It Ends with Us costars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has taken a new turn with Lively accusing Baldoni of harassment. The two actors sparked rumors of a feud when they chose to promote their film separately. Lively and Baldoni were also spotted ignoring each other at the It Ends with Us premiere on August 6, 2024, which further fueled the speculation surrounding their dynamic. Months down the line, the truth is finally coming out.
According to TMZ, The Gossip Girl star has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, who also served as the director for It Ends with Us. In the court documents, Lively alleges that her former costar created a hostile work environment during filming. She has also claimed that Baldoni has engaged in a social manipulation campaign to destroy her reputation following the release of the film. The lawsuit includes texts from Baldoni’s publicist which say that the Jane the Virgin actor wanted Lively to be “buried.”
The documents state that things between the costars were so bad that they had to call a meeting during filming to address Lively’s concerns. During the meeting, Lively alleged that Baldoni was showing her nude videos and images of women, talking about his alleged “pornography addiction,” and making comments about her weight and her late father. Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds also attended this meeting to support his wife. Reports of Justin Baldoni’s inappropriate behavior surfaced in August 2024, when an insider told The Daily Mail. that he was “chauvinistic” and “borderline abusive” on set.
Justin Baldoni’s Lawyers Respond to the Lawsuit
Image via Sony Pictures
The lawsuit mentions that one of Lively’s demands to the studio was that no additional explicit scenes would be added to the film beyond what the actress had agreed to in the original script. Sony ultimately agreed to all of Lively’s terms. However, the film underperformed at the box office, and Lively believes it was due to a dispute over the marketing approach. While Lively wanted a campaign that focused on the strength and resilience of her character, Baldoni pushed for a narrative centered around the film’s domestic violence theme.
According to the lawsuit, this creative disagreement is one of the major reasons behind the film’s failure. However, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman spoke to TMZ and claimed that Lively’s lawsuit was an attempt to fix her negative reputation. Freedman added that the actress’s claims against Baldoni are “outrageous” and that she aims to damage his image in the public.
Freedman shared that Lively was the one who caused problems on the set of It Ends with Us. The lawyer alleged that when things did not go her way, she threatened to stop filming and even refused to promote the movie. As of now, representatives for Sony and Blake Lively have not commented on the situation.
It Ends with Us is now streaming on Netflix.
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It Ends with Us |
|---|---|
| Cast | Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar |
| Release Date | August 9, 2024 |
| Stream On | Netflix |
| Directed by | Justin Baldoni |
| Produced by | Alex Saks, Jamey Heath, Blake Lively, Christy Hall |
| Based On | It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover |
| Plot Summary | The film tells the empowering story of Lily Bloom, who, grappling with a painful past, embarks on a new life in Boston, opens her own flower shop, and navigates complex relationships that challenge her to break the cycle of abuse. |
| Musical Elements | Score composed by Rob Simonsen and Duncan Blickenstaff |
| Current Status | Released on August 9, 2024; available for streaming on Netflix as of December 9, 2024 |
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