Blake Lively accuses 'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment

Blake Lively has accused her 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star, Justin Baldoni, of sexual harassment, alleging that he tried to orchestrate a smear campaign against her. According to Variety, Lively claims Baldoni's behaviour caused her and her family significant emotional distress. In response, Bryan Freedman, a lawyer representing Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, dismissed the allegations as 'shameful' and 'categorically false'.

Lively's complaint states that tensions on the set escalated to the point where a meeting was called to address her concerns about a hostile work environment. The meeting, which included her husband, Ryan Reynolds, focused on several issues. Lively and Reynolds demanded that certain behaviors stop, including the sharing of nude videos or images of women, any mention of Baldoni's alleged past issues with pornography, and discussions about sexual conquests in front of Lively.

Lively also requested that no further sex scenes be added beyond those she had originally approved when signing on to the project. According to her complaint, these demands were accepted by the studio, but Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios later launched a 'social manipulation' campaign aimed at tarnishing her reputation.

Baldoni responded to the accusations, calling them unfounded. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Freedman accused Lively and her team of making false claims to 'fix' her negative public image, which had been shaped by her own remarks and actions during the film’s promotional campaign. These public interviews and press events, Freedman argued, allowed the internet to form its own conclusions about her behaviour.