It Ends With Us actress Blake Lively alleges that her co-star Justin Baldoni both ‘sexually harassed’ her, and launched a ‘smear campaign’
In the newly-released lawsuit she has filed against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively also claims she issued Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath with a list of 30 demands aimed at addressing the ‘hostile work environment’ on set.
The claim forms part of a wider complaint the actress has made against Baldoni, whom she accuses of both ‘sexual harassment’ and fronting a ‘smear campaign’ to ‘destroy’ her reputation.
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A rumoured rift
News of 37-year-old Lively‘s new lawsuit is hardly a surprise to anyone that followed the blockbuster‘s promotional tour, during which a rift between she and Baldoni ceaselessly hit headlines.
As well as never being paired together in conversations with press – despite portraying lovers in the romantic drama – the duo reportedly avoided each other at every red carpet event aimed at advertising it.
And in a complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department on Friday (20 December), Lively now claims she attempted to tackle the tensions head on during filming, by stating the issues she had with Baldoni and Heath at a meeting which took place on 4 January.
The filing alleges that 30 conditions were demanded by the star’s team ‘to address the hostile work enivironment that had nearly derailed production of the film’.
The full list of Lively’s demands, according to the New York Times
1) No more showing nude videos of images of women, including producer’s wife, to BL [Blake Lively] and/or her employees.
2) No more mention of Mr Baldoni’s or Mr Heath’s previous ‘pornography addiction’ or BL’s lack of pornography consumption to BL or to other crew members.
Both Baldoni and Heath came under fire in Lively’s list of demands (James Devaney/GC Images)
3) No more discussions to BL and/or her employees about personal experiences with sex, including as it relates to spouses or others.
4) No more mention to BL or her employees of personal times that physical consent was not given in sexual acts, as either the abuser or the abused.
5) No more descriptions of their own genitalia to BL.
6) No more jokes or disparaging comments to be made to BL and/or her employees about HR complaints Wayfarer [Baldoni’s production studio] has already received on set, or about ‘missing the HR meeting’.
7) No more inquiries by Mr Baldoni to BL trainer without her knowledge or consent to discuss her weight.
8) No more mention by Mr Baldoni of him ‘speaking to’ BL’s dead father.
9) No more pressing by Mr Baldoni for BL to disclose her religious beliefs, or unsolicited sharing of his.
10) If BL and/or her infant is exposed to COVID again, BL must be provided with immediate notice as soon as Wayfarer or any other producers become aware of such exposure, without her needing to uncover days later herself.
11) An intimacy coordinator must be present at all times when BL is on set in scenes with Mr Baldoni.
12) No more personal, physical touching of, or sexual comments by, Mr Baldoni or Mr Heath to be tolerated by BL and/or any of her employees, as well as any female cast or crew without their express consent.
13) No more improvising of kissing. All intimate touch must be choreographed in advance with BL and an intimacy coordinator. No biting or sucking of lip without BL consent. And all intimate on camera touch and conversations must be ‘in character’ and not spoken from Mr Baldoni to BL personally.
Lively demanded that intimacy coordinators be on hand for all scenes involving Baldoni (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
14) BL to have a representative on set at all times and with a monitor during scenes involving nudity, sexual activity, or violence with Mr Baldoni.
15) All actors participating with BL in intimate scenes involving her being in any state of nudity or simulated nudity must be classified as acting, working actors, not ‘friends’ of the director or producers, and must be pre-approved by BL.
16) No more filming of any BL nudity without a fully-executed, SAG-compliant nudity rider in place. Any such footage already shot without this rider in place and in direct violation of SAG requirements may not be used without BL’s and her legal representatives prior, written consent.
17) Any scene by BL, or another performing depicting the character of ‘Lily’ that involves nudity or simulated sex must be conducted strictly in accordance with the above-referenced nudity rider and must adhere to the BL-approved script.
18) An intimacy coordinator must be on set for all scenes involving nudity and/or simulated sex and must have a monitor to ensure compliance.
19) No monitors to be viewed or accessible on set, or remotely during closed set except by BL-approved essential crew and personnel.
20) No more entering, attempting to enter, interrupting, pressuring or asking BL to enter her trainer or the makeup trailer by Mr Heath or Mr Baldoni while she is nude, for any reason.
21) No more private, multi hour meetings in BL’s trailer, with Mr Baldoni crying, with no BL appointed representative to monitor.
22) No more pressing by Mr Baldoni to sage any of BL’s employees.
23) Producer Alex Saks to be given standards rights, inclusion, and authority per her job description and as represented to BL when signing on.
24) Sony must have an active, daily role in overseeing physical production for the remainder of the film to monitor safety for cast and crew, schedule, logistics, problem solving and creative.
Lively has accused Baldoni of ‘sexual harassment’ (Lia Toby/Getty Images)
25) Engagement of an experienced producer to supervise the safety of the case and crew, schedule, logistics, problem solving and creatives for the remainder of the shoot (examples: Todd Lieberman, Elizabeth Cantillon, Miri Yoon, Lynette Howell).
26) Engagement of a BL-approved, A-list stunt double to perform Lily in scenes with Mr Baldoni involving rape and/or violence. BL to perform only close-up work or work from a BL pre-approved shot list in scenes with Mr Baldoni involving sexual violence.
27) No more adding of sex scenes, oral sex, or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project.
28) No more asking or pressuring BL to cross physical picket lines.
29) No more retaliatory or abusive behaviour to BL for raising concerns or requesting safeguards.
30) An in-person meeting before production resumes with Mr Baldoni, Mr Heath, Ms Saks, the Sony represenrative, the new producer, BL, and BL’s spouse Ryan Reynolds to confirm and approve a plan for implementation of the above that will be adhered to for the physical and emotional safety of BL, her employees and all the cast and crew moving forward.
Baldoni’s response
Baldoni’s representatives have since vehemently denied all of the accusations being made against him, according to a statement given to Variety.
His lawyer Bryan Freedman said the legal complaint was ‘yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions’.Featured Image Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images/James Devaney/GC Images/
Journalist who accused Blake Lively of being a ‘nightmare’ speaks out amid Justin Baldoni sexual harassment lawsuit
Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa claims she had ‘nothing to do’ with the ‘dirty work’ that Blake Lively alleges Justin Baldoni enacted
Following the news that Blake Lively is suing her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni for alleged ‘sexual harassment’, a journalist who previously endured a ‘nightmare’ interview with the actress has spoken out.
A New York Times story hinted at a connection between Baldoni and reporter Kjersti Flaa – who claimed earlier this year that a run-in with the Gossip Girl actress made her want to ‘quit her job’.
The implication was that the pair had collaborated on a ‘smear campaign’ against her.
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Startling all the way back in 2023, fans of US author Coleen Hoover’s best-selling romantic drama novel It Ends With Us were elated to hear that actress Blake Lively would be starring as main character Lily Bloom in the film adaptation.
Not only would Justin Baldoni be featuring as Lily’s love interest Ryle Kincaid, but he’d also direct the movie, having been involved since 2019.
Despite proving a financial success, the promotion surrounding the movie somewhat tainted the experience of many viewers, with Lively being branded ‘tone deaf’ for focussing heavily on her character’s aesthetic in press chats, as opposed to the real subject of the film – domestic abuse.
Despite playing lovers in the blockbuster, rumours of a rift between Lively and Baldoni also set tongues wagging this summer, with the pair rarely paired together for interviews, and appearing to actively avoid one another on red carpets.
It was also around this time that Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa released a clip of a 2016 interview she underwent with Lively – who was promoting her stint in Café Society at the time – accusing her of poor behaviour.
The YouTube video – which was captioned, ‘The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job’ – went viral upon its release, after showing Lively directing blunt responses at the journalist.
Flaa later told press she released the controversial clip because ‘it’s about time that people behaving badly in Hollywood gets called out for it’, adding, ‘it’s not okay, even if you are rich and famous’.
Now, as well as filing a lawsuit against Baldoni for both ‘sexual harassment’ and trying to launch a ‘social manipulation’ campaign against her during the time of the film’s promotion, Flaa has denied being involved with Baldoni’s alleged smear campaign.
A report by The New York Times suggests Baldoni’s crisis management expert Melissa Nathan may have had something to do with the timing of Flaa’s video.
The report adds of the journalist: “It wasn’t the first time she had posted a video aligned with a client of Ms. Nathan.
Baldoni denies all accusations being made against him (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
“In 2022, in the midst of Mr. Depp’s legal battle with Ms. Heard, Ms. Flaa posted clips of her interviews with the actor, tagged #JusticeForJohnnyDepp.”
Flaa has since slammed this theory, taking to Instagram to deny all involvement.
“Just wanted to put it out there. I have nothing to do with Justin Baldoni and his smear campaign against Blake Lively that was reported on by The New York Times today,” she wrote.
“There are conspiracy theories out there accusing me of being paid by his PR team to help with their smear campaign. None of this is true.”
In an almost-10 minute long video, the reporter alleges she had ‘nothing to do with’ the ‘dirty work’ going on ‘behind the scenes’, and that she has ‘never met’ Baldoni.
She adds: “When I read the text messages that was going back and forth between Justin Baldoni’s PR team, I was as shocked and appalled like everyone else, and I would never be take part in anything like that.
“That’s such an insult to me.”
Lively’s lawsuit hinted at a connection between Baldoni and Flaa’s YouTube video (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
During her near-10 minute video on this, she says she has ‘never met’ Baldoni and ‘actually didn’t know he existed’ before this movie.
The actor’s lawyers have since vehemently denied all of the accusations being made against him, according to a statement given to Variety.
Tyla has previously contacted Sony Pictures, Baldoni and Lively’s reps for comment.Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Kjersti Flaa/Taylor Hill/WireImage
The New York Times published the details of Lively’s legal complaint on 21 December, which had obtained private text messages via a subpoena.
The messages appear to detail a strategy to smear Lively’s reputation, devised by Baldoni, his publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis management expert Melissa Nathan.
Alongside details of the lawsuit becoming public, Lively stated: “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.”
Legal representation for Baldoni has since responded.
Attorney Bryan Freedman said: “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.”
Blake Lively has alleged ‘severe emotional distress’ (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Wayfarer Studios is a production company co-founded by Baldoni.
Freedman said Lively‘s suit was ‘yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions.’
He continued: “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
He further stated that Baldoni ‘made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film’ as a result of due ‘multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.’
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni filming It Ends With Us (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Lively’s lawsuit alleges that during filming, a meeting was held so that Lively could outline her demands to Baldoni, and that her husband Ryan Reynolds was in attendance.
As per the lawsuit, the demands included ‘no more showing nude videos or images of women’ to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction’, no more discussions about ‘personal experiences with sex’ in front of Blake and others, no more ‘descriptions of… genitalia’, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.
Tyla has previously contacted Sony Pictures, Baldoni and Lively’s reps for comment.Featured Image Credit: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images/Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Obtained by The New York Times, a legal complaint filed by the Gossip Girl actor accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and alleges he tried to launch a ‘social manipulation’ campaign against her.
Lively’s suit claims this smear campaign and his behaviour caused ‘severe emotional distress’ for both her and her family.
It also claims a meeting was held during production for It Ends With Us to address her claims and alleged demands for working on the film.
Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, was reportedly in attendance for this, according to Variety
Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her co-star (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)
Allegedly, some of her demands included: “No more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
According to the suit, she also allegedly demanded her co-star and director didn’t add any more ‘sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing’ to the film outside of what was in the script she had approved initially.
The legal complaint also claims that Sony Pictures approved the requests, Variety reports.
As well as alleging these demands, the suit accuses Baldoni of aiming to ‘destroy’ Lively’s reputation.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told Variety that the suit is full of ‘categorically false accusations’.
Justin Baldoni starred in and directed the film (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Freedman’s statement to Variety continued: “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, as yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions.”
Calling the claims ‘completely false’, he added: “Wayfarer Studios made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film, to work alongside their own representative with Jonesworks employed by Stephanie Jones, due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.
“It was also discovered that Ms. Lively enlisted her own representative, Leslie Sloan with Vision PR, who also represents Mr. Reynolds, to plant negative and completely fabricated and false stories with media, even prior to any marketing had commenced for the film, which was another reason why Wayfarer Studios made the decision to hire a crisis professional to commence internal scenario planning in the case they needed to address.”
Lively told The New York Times in a statement: “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.”
Tyla has contacted Sony Pictures, Baldoni and Lively’s reps for comment.
