Hollywood rarely keeps its dirty laundry under wraps for long, and this latest clash of titans is no exception. Blake Lively, the 37-year-old starlet known for her grace, wit, and razor-sharp career choices, has officially declared legal war on Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director in the turbulent 2024 film It Ends With Us. Lively isn’t just pointing fingers—she’s bringing receipts.
On January 31, the celebrity filed a bombshell lawsuit in New York federal court, accusing Baldoni, 40, of sexual harassment and masterminding a meticulously crafted smear campaign designed to torpedo her reputation.
According to Lively, the campaign was a retaliatory strike after she went public with allegations of misconduct during filming. In true Hollywood fashion, this legal slugfest comes hot on the heels of Baldoni filing his own lawsuit against The New York Times for their coverage of the fallout.
Behind the Camera, Behind the Curtain
The allegations paint a picture far darker than the idyllic romance of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel that inspired the film. Lively claims Baldoni’s behavior on set veered into deeply inappropriate territory, citing improvised “intimacy” scenes that lacked rehearsal, choreography, or even the presence of an intimacy coordinator.
But it doesn’t stop there. According to the lawsuit, Baldoni proposed adding a graphic sex scene where Lively’s character orgasms on camera. His rationale? He wanted the characters to “climax together on their wedding night”—an idea he justified by referencing his own personal life, claiming simultaneous orgasms with his partner were part of his marital bliss.
The creep factor ratchets up further: Lively alleges Baldoni probed her for intimate details about her real-life relationship with husband Ryan Reynolds and subjected her to off-color conversations about past sexual exploits and, bafflingly, former porn addictions.
Adding insult to injury, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath allegedly referred to women on set as “sexy,” a word that’s about as subtle as a sledgehammer in a professional environment.
The Smear Campaign
If these allegations weren’t damning enough, Lively’s lawsuit accuses Baldoni, his PR team, and crisis management allies Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan of orchestrating a retaliatory takedown campaign. The lawsuit describes a “carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced” strategy to silence Lively and derail her career.
The goal, Lively claims, was clear: discredit her allegations and shift the spotlight away from Baldoni’s alleged misconduct. According to Deadline, the campaign allegedly included targeted media manipulation and a spin-heavy promotional pivot that reframed the movie’s narrative.
Rather than focusing on the resilience of Lively’s character, Lily, during press events, Baldoni reportedly steered the conversation toward the darker aspects of the story—allegedly to cover his tracks after multiple cast and crew members unfollowed him on social media.
Lively’s lawsuit doesn’t just seek justice for herself. It calls out the “ongoing retaliation, threats, and harm” inflicted on the entire It Ends With Us cast and crew, dragging not just Baldoni but his collaborators into the crosshairs.
Baldoni Fires Back
Of course, Baldoni didn’t take this sitting down. His legal team, led by Bryan Freedman, has denied all allegations. Freedman, no stranger to high-stakes Hollywood litigation, described Lively’s initial December complaint as “demonstrably false” and vowed to expose the so-called “manipulation” behind her claims.
As if this wasn’t enough drama for one day, Baldoni filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times the same day Lively dropped her latest legal bombshell. The director and nine others—including PR heavyweights Nathan and Abel—accuse the paper of cherry-picking evidence to push a one-sided narrative.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that The Times misrepresented communications and ignored key context to paint Baldoni as the villain.
Freedman has hinted that the countersuit against Lively will be an even bigger spectacle. “When we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative,” he told Deadline last week.
The Bottom Line
It’s hard to say where this legal circus will land, but one thing’s clear: the gloves are off. In the age of #MeToo and amplified accountability, Hollywood’s power dynamics are under a microscope, and this case will undoubtedly send ripples through the industry.
As for It Ends With Us, the film’s legacy may be less about the story it told onscreen and more about the battle waged offscreen. Keep your popcorn ready—this saga is far from over.
Last modified: January 7, 2025
