Following months of speculation about on-set tension between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni during the filming of "It Ends with Us," Lively has formally accused Baldoni of sexual harassment. Court documents reveal that the complaint, lodged with the California Civil Rights Department, alleges sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence, among other claims.
The documents detail a January 4th meeting held to address a "hostile work environment" that threatened the production. Attendees included Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni (co-chairman and co-founder of Wayfarer Studios), director and actor Jamey Heath, and others. Lively asserts that she had voiced concerns about Baldoni and Heath's behavior months before filming even began, not only on her own behalf but also for other female cast and crew members.
The complaint outlines specific demands Lively made, including the cessation of displays of nude images or videos of women, discussions about personal sexual experiences or genitalia, the inclusion of unscripted sex scenes, and comments about Lively's weight or deceased father. Although an agreement was reportedly reached, Lively contends that Baldoni subsequently engaged in a "social manipulation" campaign to damage her career and reputation.
In a statement to The New York Times, Lively expressed her hope that her legal action would expose retaliatory tactics used against those who speak out about misconduct. She also denied allegations of planting negative information about Baldoni or Wayfarer. Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, vehemently denied the accusations to The Times, calling them false and salacious, and claiming they were intended to harm Baldoni publicly. He further asserted that Wayfarer and its representatives did not retaliate against Lively and framed her complaint as an attempt to repair her reputation.
Rumors of a feud between Lively and Baldoni emerged during the film's press tour, fueled by observations such as Baldoni conducting much of the press tour solo and the two rarely appearing together or mentioning each other in interviews.
