American actress Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her co-star and director Justin Baldoni, alleging misconduct and sexual harassment on the set of the film “It Ends With Us.” According to The New York Times, Baldoni allegedly orchestrated a smear campaign against Lively to deflect blame. Public relations advisors Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel have also been named in the lawsuit.
Reports of a poor work environment surfaced as early as the film’s release last summer. Despite the film’s $350 million revenue, the lead actors were never seen together at promotional events.
Speculation was fueled by online content creators and was partly driven by Baldoni’s PR team, as The New York Times found. Court documents reveal that the team engaged in “social manipulation,” successfully portraying Lively negatively on social media.
The formal complaint against Baldoni was filed this weekend. It alleges he openly discussed his pornography addiction and sexual activities on set, made inappropriate comments about colleagues’ bodies, and shared explicit photos and videos.
Lively’s husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, was brought in as a mediator to address the issues. After Reynolds unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram, PR efforts seized on this for further social media speculation.
Baldoni’s lawyer has called the lawsuit “wrong, ridiculous, and aimed at damaging his public reputation.” Lively’s agency, WME, has decided to cut ties with Baldoni due to the severity of the allegations.
Source: NOS