22 December,2024 10:22 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
A still from Lively and Baldoni`s film It Ends With Us (pic/Instagram)
Actress Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against her 'It Ends With Us' co-star and director Justin Baldoni recently alleging sexual harassment. Following this, the latter has been ousted from his talent management agency, William Morris Endeavor (WME). WME has severed ties with Justin following the explosive lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and retaliation.
According to Deadline, the decision was made due to the extreme accusations in Blake Lively's complaint. Lively claimed intrusive behaviour to smear campaign in her lawsuit. The agency has yet not issued any official statement confirming the same. On the contrary, Baldoni's legal team has strongly denied these claims and has called them, "false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious."
As of Saturday, December 21, Justin Baldoni, the American actor and filmmaker is no longer a client of WME. His 'It Ends With Us' co-star Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment among other accusations. The lawsuit targets prominent figures from the production house also including lead producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer co-owner Steve Sarowitz, and several others.
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Blake's lawyers have presented text messages between PR professionals Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel which includes one message where they seem to flex the success of their campaign to discredit Blake Lively. The attorneys have obtained messages through subpoena.
According to sources, the row between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is not new. It emerged on the sets of 'It Ends With Us'. The failure of the film and being the center of controversies before its release fuelled up their fight. Baldoni's team blames Blake Lively for the film's failure. This comes after the Gossip Girl has filed an 80-page lawsuit against the 'It Ends With Us' director.
In the complaint, Lively accused Justin created a "hostile work environment" on the sets of the film, including instances of "unwanted touching, inappropriate comments, and attempts to control her appearance." She further adds that the director's team tried to discredit Lively in the public eye after she pointed out his unacceptable behaviour. Lively also mentions âintrusive behaviour on set including digging into Lively's personal life with husband Ryan Reynolds' and alleged that Baldoni intentionally "improvised" kisses and other sexual scenes and added "unnecessary intimate scenes". She also mentioned that the director made several sexually charged and inappropriate comments.