The feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is heating up. Last year, the actor accused the director of harassment. She filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, alleging that the director treated her and other artists “inappropriately” during the filming of “It Ends with Us”.
By the way, the movie is adapted from the novel of the same name, which is based on real events. The author’s mother, Colleen Hoover, was sexually abused by her father.
Justin Baldoni does not accept his guilt. While celebrities are seeking their rights in the courts, we are telling the chronology of the scandal.
Allegations regarding Blake Lively
On December 21, 2024, Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of harassing her and trying to ruin her reputation. The actor filed a complaint with the California Department of Civil Rights.
“I hope my lawsuit helps lift the lid on these sinister retaliatory tactics designed to harm people who speak out about abuse and help protect others who may be targeted,” the New York star said.
Threats from influential people
On December 23, Justin Baldoni’s lawyer said his client was being bullied. The lawyer said in his official statement that the case involved “two powerful individuals with unlimited resources.”
“Undoing” by Justin Baldoni
On December 22, it was learned that Justin Baldoni was fired from his acting company after Blake Lively accused him of harassment. According to Radar Online, the decision to expel the player was made by the management.
On December 24, Justin Baldoni’s award for defending women was revoked. The director received the Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices on December 9, 2024. It is given to distinguished men who show compassion by defending women’s rights. However, after Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, the organization changed its decision, saying that the director’s behavior was “contrary to the spirit of the award.”
Justin Baldoni’s counterclaim
On December 31, Justin Baldoni filed a claim for damages of $ 250 million (25.4 billion rubles). Note ed.) for libel and invasion of privacy. True, the accusation was not directed at the actor, but at The New York Times for the article titled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside the Hollywood Smear Machine.” The plaintiffs allege that the newspaper relied on “selected and altered news stories that lacked necessary context and were deliberately put together for the purpose of misleading.”
“The New York Times article relied almost entirely on Blake Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative, repeating it almost verbatim while ignoring ample evidence that contradicted her claims and revealed her true motives,” the director’s lawsuit says.
The director’s lawyer described the actor’s complaint as an attempt to clear his reputation and restore his name. According to him, the entire set knew about the tense relationship between Justin and Blake. “Listen, they never get along. Justin is a very spiritual and unconventional person. He’s what you might call a “hippie-dippy.” He thinks he can talk to dead people. Can he say that Blake talked to his dead father? Yes of course. Did it bother him? He says no,” the lawyer explained.
Justin Baldoni vs. Ryan Reynolds
Earlier in January, Justin Baldoni made accusations against Blake Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds. According to TooFab, the actor caused psychological trauma to the director during a meeting in New York. It was noted that the director wanted to discuss plans for the next day of shooting with Ryan and Blake. Representatives of the film company Sony were also present at the meetings.
But it was not a calm conversation. Instead he received a list of complaints. “Reynolds launched a tirade against Baldoni in what he later described as a traumatic encounter, saying no one had ever spoken to him that way in his life. Reynolds became even more angry when Baldoni refused to apologize for something he didn’t do. The Sony representative later stated that he often remembered this meeting and his only regret was that he did not stop Reynolds when he scolded Baldoni.
A lightning-fast response came from a source familiar with the situation. A Daily Mail source claimed that Ryan Reynolds “never yelled” at Justin Baldoni on the day of the meeting. It was announced that the actor only “aggressively” condemned the director for insults towards Blake Lively and comments about her figure.
“I didn’t mean any harm”
Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Brian Friedman, later said that he never intended to “hurt” Blake Lively. “One hundred percent no. Justin Baldoni said this from the beginning: “I don’t want to do anything bad to him. “I don’t want to hurt him,” the lawyer shared. Friedman also denies that the director intended to slander the actor.
When asked if he acknowledged that there was tension between celebrities on the set of It Ends With Us, the lawyer replied: “There is always some behavior that can make people uncomfortable, and I don’t think someone did it on purpose. So the real question in this case is, does this amount to sexual harassment?”
Moreover, Friedman is ready to deliver numerous messages that will supposedly prove his client’s innocence: “I am ready to take and publish all the text messages that are out there so that the world can see the truth and determine it for itself. ”
New statement from Blake Lively
After Justin Baldoni’s lawyer promised to file a new lawsuit and publish all messages from his correspondence with the director, the actor’s side did not remain silent. On January 6, Blake Lively’s lawyers filed an objection. In their opinion, the actor was also subjected to other “attacks” by his colleague.
“The classic tactic to deflect blame for this abuse is to ‘blame the victim,’ claiming that she initiated the behavior, caused it, misunderstood the intent, or even lied.” Another classic tactic is to switch places between the victim and the perpetrator and assume that the perpetrator is actually the victim. In their statement, the lawyers stated that these concepts normalize and trivialize allegations of serious abuse.
Ryan Reynolds’ mockery
On January 8, Justin Baldoni’s lawyer tried new tricks. According to him, Ryan Reynolds used all possible resources against the director. He especially made fun of his hairstyle in his movie.
Brian Friedman accused Ryan Reynolds of making an offensive reference to his client in the superhero action movie Deadpool and Wolverine. According to the lawyer, the long-haired character Naispool is a caricature of Baldoni.
Nicepool dresses like Deadpool but doesn’t wear a mask and generally acts like a true narcissist. The character is deliberately sweet and tries to hide her less-than-ideal character. The credits show him being played by Gordon Reynolds. Fans of the actor know that this is what the person he interviewed a few years ago called his alter ego.
That’s it for now. We are monitoring the situation, so the material will be updated.
Source: People Talk
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
