Blake Lively has filed a significant lawsuit over the weekend, accusing her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, of sexual harassment and orchestrating a widespread retaliatory smear campaign against her. As a result of the alleged workplace misconduct, Lively’s planned hosting of the Season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live was canceled.

The hosting duties were ultimately assigned to Jean Smart. The complaint indicates that the negative publicity surrounding the on-set drama compelled Lively to withdraw, as she felt she “could not continue with public appearances or events without being required to openly discuss what transpired on set.”

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The lawsuit states, “The effects on Ms. Lively’s professional life were immediate and substantial,” noting that she canceled a crucial corporate event for her haircare brand and withdrew from her role as host for the September 2024 premiere of Saturday Night Live.

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Filed with the California Civil Rights Department, the lawsuit claims that Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, engaged in a “sophisticated press and digital plan” in retaliation for Lively exercising her right to speak out about their alleged misconduct on set.

The complaint describes a meeting that took place to resume filming the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s popular novel, which addresses themes of domestic violence. During this meeting, Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and Baldoni discussed Baldoni’s “disturbing behavior,” which included adding improvised kissing and sex scenes, discussing his porn addiction, claiming he could communicate with Lively’s deceased father, and joking about missing an HR meeting after Lively expressed discomfort with his comments.

The 80-page lawsuit also includes troubling communications between Baldoni, his team, and crisis PR expert Melissa Nathan, who was brought on board amid the controversy following the film’s release on August 9.

In response to the allegations, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, stated that it is “shameful” for Lively and her representatives to make such serious and “categorically false accusations” against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, describing it as a desperate attempt to repair her reputation, which he claims was damaged by her own remarks and actions during the film’s promotional activities.

Following the news of the lawsuit, Baldoni has been dropped by his agency, WME, which also represents Lively. Additionally, author Colleen Hoover publicly supported Lively, stating, “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive, and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”

Person: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Jean Smart, Colleen Hoover, Ryan Reynolds, Bryan Freedman, Melissa Nathan

Company Names: Wayfarer Studios, WME, Target

Titles: It Ends With Us, Saturday Night Live, Colleen Hoover novel

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