Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni: Current Developments

In 2019, Justin Baldoni’s announcement of a film adaptation for the best-selling novel *It Ends With Us* generated significant excitement. Colleen Hoover’s book has achieved considerable cultural prominence in recent years, selling 20 million copies and gaining widespread internet popularity on TikTok, accumulating over one billion tags on the platform. Fan enthusiasm further intensified upon the casting of Blake Lively, known for her role as Serena van der Woodsen in *Gossip Girl* during the 2000s, as the lead character. Supporters lauded her as an ideal selection for Lily Bloom, a young woman whose past experience with domestic abuse is mirrored in her adult life. The narrative follows Lily, a Boston florist, as she contends with a complex romantic entanglement involving her charismatic yet abusive boyfriend, Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin Baldoni of *Jane the Virgin*, and her empathetic first love, Atlas Corrigan, played by Brandon Sklenar. The film, launched in early August, achieved global box office success, grossing over $350 million (£280 million). However, internal issues reportedly arose despite its commercial performance. Prior to the film’s release, speculation emerged regarding a dispute between Baldoni and Lively. Last week, Lively initiated a legal complaint against Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and the orchestration of a smear campaign, accusations Baldoni vehemently refutes. The following provides an overview of the situation: The promotional tour for *It Ends With Us*, a film addressing domestic abuse, diverged from conventional expectations. It featured pink carpets, abundant floral displays, and the promotion of Lively’s haircare brand and her husband’s gin company. Rather than focusing on advocacy, Lively emphasized fashion and floral aesthetics during red carpet appearances. During the London premiere, journalists received instructions to pose “fun and light-hearted” questions, with an event organizer advising against “questions on domestic abuse.” A comment Lively made at the New York premiere—”you are so much more than just a survivor or just a victim”—provoked criticism on social media. Ashley Paige, a domestic abuse survivor, expressed disapproval of Ms. Lively’s phrasing, stating to the BBC that her personal trauma “shaped my identity.” Lively also faced criticism for remarks made in a separate promotional video, where she encouraged viewers to: “Grab your friends, wear your florals and head out to see it.” Ms. Paige contended that Lively was promoting the film as if it were “the sequel to Barbie.” In addition to the press tour being characterized as “tone-deaf,” inquiries arose concerning the absence of joint red carpet photographs of Lively and Baldoni at the film’s New York premiere on August 6. Furthermore, the two did not conduct any joint interviews throughout the press tour. At the London premiere, which Baldoni did not attend, Lively’s team cautioned against “ask[ing] any questions about Justin.” Online observers also noted that several cast members, including Lively and author Hoover, did not follow Baldoni on social media. Neither Lively nor Baldoni publicly addressed the feud rumors during the press tour; Baldoni’s sole public comment about Lively was to Today, where he described her as a “dynamic creative.” Regarding the 37-year-old, he stated: “She had her hands in every part of this production, and everything she touched made [it] better.” Despite its commercial success, the film garnered mixed critical reception, with some reviewers suggesting it romanticized domestic abuse. Tim Robey of The Telegraph awarded it two stars, labeling it a “queasy drama” that “repackages domestic violence as slick romance.” He further commented that the film “splices abuse and glossy courtship in the big city to deeply dubious effects.” The movie also generated discussion on TikTok, where some users noted that the trailer did not clearly indicate the narrative involved an abusive relationship, instead presenting it as a love story. This perceived misrepresentation led some viewers to find the film traumatic, as they were unaware of its domestic abuse content. During the film’s promotional period, Baldoni engaged Melissa Nathan, a crisis manager whose past clients include Johnny Depp and Drake. Subsequent to the press tour, Lively encountered extensive social media criticism concerning her remarks during the tour and from older interviews. Among the resurfaced interviews was a 2016 YouTube video posted by Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa, titled “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job,” featuring her interview with Lively. Flaa has since stated that she had “nothing to do with Justin Baldoni and his smear campaign.” Brandon Sklenar, the actor portraying Atlas in the film, publicly supported Lively, asserting in an Instagram post that individuals were “vilifying” the women associated with the production online. He expressed that it was “disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected” and mentioned that a person close to him, who had experienced a relationship akin to Lily’s, attributed the film to “saving her life.” Four months following the film’s release, Lively initiated a legal complaint against Mr. Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment. The complaint also named Wayfarer Studios, Mr. Baldoni’s production company responsible for *It Ends With Us*, as a defendant. The legal document accuses Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath of “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour.” The filing further alleges that other female cast and crew members have also reported their conduct. The complaint additionally states that Ms. Lively, Mr. Baldoni, and other individuals involved in the film’s development participated in a January meeting to address “the hostile work environment” on set. Her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, was present at this meeting with her, as per the complaint. During the meeting, participants consented to a series of demands, which included Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath refraining from “no more descriptions of their own genitalia,” the continuous presence of an intimacy coordinator on set whenever Ms. Lively shared scenes with Mr. Baldoni, and the prohibition of producers’ and directors’ “friends” from being on set during Ms. Lively’s nude scenes. The demands also suggested that Mr. Baldoni had inquired about Ms. Lively’s weight from her trainer and claimed that Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath had discussed their “pornography addiction” with Ms. Lively. Ms. Lively’s filing further alleges that Mr. Baldoni and his team targeted her public image subsequent to the meeting. She accuses him of orchestrating a scheme to “destroy” her reputation through media and online channels, which involved employing a crisis manager who directed a “sophisticated, coordinated, and well-financed retaliation plan” against her, utilizing a “digital army” to disseminate seemingly authentic social media content. Her team asserted in the filing: “To safeguard against the risk of Ms Lively ever revealing the truth about Mr Baldoni, the Baldoni-Wayfarer team created, planted, amplified, and boosted content designed to eviscerate Ms Lively’s credibility.” The filing also stated: “They engaged in the same techniques to bolster Mr Baldoni’s credibility and suppress any negative content about him.” Ms. Lively claims in the filing that these actions resulted in “substantial harm” impacting “all aspects” of her life. Mr. Baldoni’s legal representatives informed the BBC that the allegations are “categorically false” and asserted that a crisis manager was engaged due to Ms. Lively’s threats to undermine the film if her demands were not satisfied. In response to the legal complaint, Mr. Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, stated on Saturday: “It is shameful that Ms Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives.” Mr. Freedman accused Ms. Lively of issuing multiple demands and threats, such as “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film,” which he claimed would have “ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.” Following the submission of her complaint, Blake Lively has received public support from Hollywood figures including America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel. Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel, who co-starred with Lively in the 2005 film *The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants*, released a joint statement on Instagram on Sunday, declaring their “stand with her in solidarity.” They wrote: “Throughout the filming of It Ends with Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.” Colleen Hoover, the author of *It Ends With Us*, also expressed support, characterizing Ms. Lively as “honest, kind, supportive and patient.” In December, Baldoni received a women’s solidarity honor from Vital Voices, a global non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women. The organization has since withdrawn the award, citing the legal complaint filed by Lively, which alleged “abhorrent conduct” by the actor, his studio, and a crisis public relations team, deeming it “contrary to the values” of Vital Voices. Subsequent to the legal complaint, Liz Plank, Baldoni’s podcast co-host, announced her departure from *The Man Enough* show. The podcast promotes itself as fostering “a safe environment” for discussing topics including the manifestation of “masculinity” in relationships, alongside “sex, success,” and “mental health.” Additional reporting was provided by Grace Dean. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Details on our external linking policy are available.