Topline
Blake Lively, star and producer of the summer hit “It Ends With Us,” accused her director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment on set and orchestrating a smear campaign against her—which he has denied through a libel lawsuit against the New York Times, and while threatening a lawsuit against Lively.
Lively filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni last week. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Lively filed a complaint last month to the California Civil Rights Department and followed it up a week later with a lawsuit in New York federal court making a series of allegations against Baldoni, including various instances of alleged sexual harassment and retaliation.
Baldoni challenges Lively’s allegations—and makes claims of his own—in his own lawsuit filed against the New York Times, which had published an article detailing an alleged smear campaign orchestrated by his publicist and a crisis management expert against Lively (Baldoni’s claims are examined in this story.)
Also named in Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit is producer Jamey Heath, and Lively’s lawsuit claims she and the film’s producers held an all-hands meeting on Jan. 4, 2024 in which Lively raised concerns about Baldoni’s and Heath’s alleged misconduct.
Lively’s lawsuit contains text exchanges between Baldoni, crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan and publicist Jennifer Abel that appear to show them discussing smear campaign tactics against Lively, including a text from Nathan claiming she can “bury anyone” and texts from Baldoni showing Abel examples of tweet threads targeting female celebrities, stating “this is what we would need” (Baldoni’s Times lawsuit counters these text exchanges, alleging the Times and Lively’s lawsuit omitted texts that show he and his PR team did not intend to “bury” anyone).
Unwanted Kisses, Porn Talk And Watching Her Breastfeed: What Lively Accuses Baldoni Of In Suit
Lively claims Baldoni improvised unwanted kisses while filming, spoke frequently of a pornography addiction and sexual encounters, and entered her trailer while she was undressed and breastfeeding her infant child. (Baldoni’s lawsuit, however, counters Lively’s claim that the entrance to her trailer was unwanted, depicting texts that appear to show Lively telling Baldoni: “I’m just pumping in my trailer if you wanna work out our lines.”) In her lawsuit, Lively alleged Baldoni made comments about her weight and in one instance called her personal trainer without her knowledge because he wanted Lively, who had given birth less than four months prior to the incident, to lose weight within two weeks to film a scene in which Baldoni picks her up, though no such scene existed, according to the lawsuit. (Baldoni, in his Times lawsuit, claims he had contacted the trainer to ask how much Lively weighed, which he said was a “reasonable inquiry into crucial information needed to ensure safety and avoid injury,” citing his “back issues” and “multiple bulging discs.”)
Lively Had Baldoni And Heath Sign Contract: What Did It Say?
In November 2023, a lawyer representing Lively sent an email to Wayfarer Studios lawyers containing a list of 17 provisions Lively requested to be fulfilled before she would resume filming, or else she would pursue legal action. Among the provisions in the contract were requirements that no one touch one another or comment on another’s appearance, discuss sex or enter another’s trailer while they are undressed. The contract also prohibited retaliation for raising concerns about conduct that violates terms of the contract. The parties met in January to approve a plan for implementing these provisions and resuming production. Lively’s lawsuit says Wayfarer Studios responded, acknowledging “our perspective differs in many aspects,” but “regarding your outlined requests, we find most of them not only reasonable but also essential for the benefit of all parties involved.” Lively, Baldoni, Heath, additional producers and representatives from Sony met in January and agreed to a list of 30 conditions that Baldoni and Heath would not violate, which include Heath and Baldoni no longer showing Lively videos or images of nude women, refraining from discussing pornography or sex, using an intimacy coordinator during scenes featuring both Lively and Baldoni and no unwanted touching or sexual comments without consent. The agreement barred Heath and Baldoni from asking Lively to enter her trailer while she was nude and prohibited the addition of more sex scenes into the movie.
What Do The Texts In Lively’s Lawsuit Say?
Some of the texts included in Lively’s lawsuit appear to show Nathan and Abel orchestrating negative coverage of Lively and celebrating the apparent success of their alleged smear tactics while admitting they did not agree with Baldoni’s alleged on-set behavior. “He doesn’t realise how lucky he is right now,” Nathan said in a text to Abel, which the lawsuit says is in reference to Baldoni. “The whispering in the ear the sexual connotations like Jesus f*cking Christ, other members feeling uncomfortable watching it I mean there is just so much,” Nathan continued, which the lawsuit says is in reference to Baldoni’s alleged behavior (Baldoni’s lawsuit depicts texts omitted from Lively’s lawsuit, including Nathan telling Abel it “doesn’t matter if it’s not true” because the truth doesn’t win). “The majority of socials are so pro Justin and I don’t even agree with half of them lol,” Nathan said in a text to Abel. In several text messages, the two discussed influencing negative media coverage of Lively. Nathan texted a Daily Mail article to Abel, which had the headline: “Is Blake Lively set to be CANCELLED? String of ‘hard to watch’ videos that have surfaced following ‘tone deaf’ Q&A to promote It Ends With Us could tarnish 36-year-old star’s golden Hollywood image for good,” to which Abel said: “Wow,” and “You really outdid yourself with this piece.” Nathan responded: “That’s why you hired me right? I’m the best.” (Baldoni’s lawsuit, however, claims The New York Times omitted an upside-down smiley emoji after Abel’s text in her complaint, suggesting she was joking. Baldoni’s lawsuit also includes a text from Nathan to Abel regarding the Daily Mail piece, stating: “Damn. This is not fair because it’s also not me.”). In a text from Abel, she said she discussed a negative piece about Lively with a friend who writes for several tabloids and magazines, whom Abel said “hates Blake” and “will do anything for us.” Abel also described having “reckless thoughts of wanting to plant pieces” of how “horrible Blake is to work with.” In other texts sent from Baldoni, he requested Abel implement a “TikTok strategy” and said he wanted his social media presence to highlight only domestic violence advocacy to combat any potential suspicion of misconduct over his lack of press tour appearances with Lively.
How Much Was Nathan Charging For Her Services?
It’s unclear how much Nathan was paid, but Lively’s lawsuit includes texts between Nathan and Abel discussing payment. In August, Nathan sent a text to Abel discussing pricing for her services. One quote, $175,000 for a three-to-four month period, would include “full reddit, full social account take downs, full social crisis team on hand for anything – engage with audiences in the right way, start threads of theories.” Another quote, two $25,000 payments per month for a minimum three months, would also include “creation of social fan engagement to go back and forth with any negative accounts, helping to change narrative and stay on track,” which Nathan said would be “untraceable.”
Was Norwegian Journalist Kjersti Flaa Part Of The Alleged Smear Campaign?
Flaa, who shared a years-old interview depicting an uncomfortable interaction with Lively in August, denied she was part of any smear campaign. Flaa had uploaded the interview clip to her YouTube channel under the title: “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.” In the clip of the unusually tense interview, Flaa congratulates Lively, who was pregnant, on her “little bump,” to which Lively responded: “Congrats on your little bump,” though Flaa was not pregnant. Flaa then asks Lively about the clothes she wore in the film she was promoting, prompting Lively to say: “Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes.” A New York Times report in December detailing the alleged smear campaign against Lively cited Flaa’s video as part of the “online backlash” Lively faced. The Times report noted it was unclear whether Flaa had been in contact with Nathan or her team, but that Flaa had previously voiced support for Johnny Depp during his defamation trial in 2022, at which time Depp was represented by Nathan. Flaa denied any involvement with the alleged smear campaign in a video on Instagram: “I have nothing to do with Justin Baldoni and the alleged smear campaign against Blake Lively,” Flaa said, dismissing accusations she collaborated with or was paid by Baldoni’s PR team as “conspiracy theories.”
What To Watch For
Baldoni’s lawyer pledged he would file his own lawsuit against Lively, separate from his libel suit already filed against the New York Times, though it’s unclear what the lawsuit would allege.
What Celebrities Have Stood Behind Lively?
Amber Heard told NBC News the alleged smear campaign against Lively is “horrifying and destructive,” stating she has seen it “firsthand and up close,” likely referring to the social media backlash she faced amid her legal battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp. Lively’s “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” co-stars—America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn—published a joint statement on Instagram slamming the “vindictive effort ensued to discredit her voice” and the “unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety.” After Lively filed her complaint in California, “It Ends With Us” author Colleen Hoover posted a photo with Lively to her Instagram story, calling her “nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.” Paul Feig, who directed Lively in “A Simple Favor” and its upcoming sequel, praised her as “one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people” he has worked with in a post on X, stating she “did not deserve any of this smear campaign.”
Key Background
Rumors circulated the internet during the “It Ends With Us” press tour that Lively and Baldoni were feuding, as social media users noted the two stars had never appeared at a red carpet event or interview together. Fans also noticed neither Lively nor Hoover followed Baldoni on Instagram. A Hollywood Reporter article published in August that said Baldoni had hired Nathan, who had previously represented Depp during his defamation trial, added to the speculation.
Further Reading
The Entire Justin Baldoni Vs. Blake Lively Feud Explained: Baldoni Lawyer Says He Plans To Countersue (Forbes)
