Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Gotham/GC Images; Gotham/WireImage
Justin Baldoni is accusing Blake Lively of a concerted effort to remove him from the filmmaking process for their 2024 drama It Ends With Us.
In addition to alleging that Lively tried to pry creative direction from him, Baldoni, who also directed the film, claims that Lively, 37, tried to ban him from the film’s premiere.
Baldoni’s accusation came in a lawsuit he filed on Tuesday, December 31, against The New York Times. He is seeking $250 million in damages for four complaints, including libel and false light invasion of privacy.
The lawsuit, obtained by Us Weekly, alleges that Lively “systematically sidelined [him] from the marketing of his own Film.”
UPDATE 12/31/21 11.30p.m. ET: Justin Baldoni was one of 10 plaintiffs who filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times following its reporting on costar Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment. The lawsuit’s plaintiffs, which also includes publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel as well as It Ends With Us […]
“Further undermining Baldoni’s role, Lively initially refused to permit his attendance at the Film’s premiere,” the lawsuit states. “Only after significant pressure did she reluctantly agree to allow Baldoni and the Wayfarer team to attend, but under humiliating conditions. The Wayfarer team and their families, including Baldoni and [producer Jamey] Heath, were segregated from the main cast, barred from the exclusive after-party, and forced to organize their own event at additional cost.”
Blake Lively Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
The suit further describes Lively’s alleged effort to ostracize Baldoni and his family at the film’s premiere.
“Baldoni’s participation on the red carpet was cut short, and his family and friends were confined to a makeshift holding area in the basement before being escorted into a separate theater after Lively’s departure,” the suit continues. “Not only had Lively stolen the Film, but she also robbed Baldoni and his team of any genuine opportunity to celebrate their hard work.”
Baldoni, 40, further accuses Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of using bullying tactics to “exile” him from his own film. In addition to her alleged effort to ban Baldoni from the premiere, the suit says that Reynolds, 48, tried to wield his influence to convince Baldoni’s agent to drop him as a client.
Justin Baldoni initially appeared to have nothing but positive things to say about his It Ends with Us costar, Blake Lively, as reports of an on set feud continue circulating online. The drama officially hit theaters in August 2024, and Baldoni, who both directed and starred opposite Lively, has heaped praise on his onscreen partner. […]
“Baldoni and [Wayfarer Studios] grew increasingly fearful of what Lively and Reynolds were capable of, as their actions seemed aimed at destroying Baldoni’s career and personal life,” the suit says.
Lively’s attorney reacted to Baldoni’s lawsuit, saying in a statement to Us Weekly that it does not change the accusations she made against him.
“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today,” the statement read. “This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice ‘not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,’ and that ‘litigation was never her ultimate goal.’ As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”
