Justin Baldoni sues 'The New York Times' over Blake Lively smear campaign story
'It Ends With Us' actor-director Justin Baldoni and others are suing 'The New York Times' for publishing an article claiming they aimed to harm her reputation.
Hollywood Legal: Blake Lively accuses director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment, launching smear campaign UPDATE: NYT SUED 250M!
- Thread starter playahaitian
- Start date
The garbage they put out these days trying to appeal to everyone, I'd rather watch 80s and 90s action movies.
I don't need to see movies that don't reflect my reality
Aka...one token Black in a group of whites looking for acceptance or thrown in for appeasement.
That's not my reality.
Black movies for Black people by Black people. Or authentically Black characters. Not what they think we act like or would say in certain situations.
I don't need to see movies that don't reflect my reality
Aka...one token Black in a group of whites looking for acceptance or thrown in for appeasement.
That's not my reality.
Black movies for Black people by Black people. Or authentically Black characters. Not what they think we act like or would say in certain situations.
Kate Beckinsale Details Years of On-Set Harassment: “Complaining About Abuse Should Not Beget More Abuse”
In an Instagram video, the actress recalled being physically harmed by a male co-star while filming a fight scene, a publicist forcing her to do a photoshoot “the day after I had a miscarriage" and being "felt up" by a crewmember at age 18.www.hollywoodreporter.com
WTF did she do to herself?!
Not that I was really checking for her, but...
Ain't how she looks now
‘It Ends With Us’ Star Brandon Sklenar Posts Blake Lively’s Complaint Against Justin Baldoni: ‘For the Love of God Read This’
'It Ends With Us' actor Brandon Sklenar supports Blake Lively after her sexual harassment allegations against Justin Baldoni.
variety.com
Justin Baldoni to sue Blake Lively over sexual harassment allegations, wants to release all texts
Director-star Justin Baldoni plans to sue Blake Lively over her allegations that the 'It Ends With Us' filmmaker sexually harassed her, Baldoni's attorney says.
Justin Baldoni to sue Blake Lively over It Ends With Us set allegations, wants to release 'every single text,' lawyer says
Baldoni's attorney told NBC News that the director-star plans to sue Lively over her claims about a smear campaign and sexual harassment: "The question really in this case is, does it rise to the level of sexual harassment?"By
Joey Nolfi
Published on January 3, 2025 02:11PM EST
Comments
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. Photo:
James Devaney/GC Images; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
It Ends With Us director-star Justin Baldoni's attorney has revealed that the actor plans to sue Blake Lively and others following the actress' allegations in a complaint that he sexually harassed her and mounted a smear campaign against her following their work on the blockbuster drama adapted from Colleen Hoover's popular novel about a woman's experience in an abusive relationship.
In a new interview with NBC News that aired Friday morning on Today, lawyer Bryan Freedman said that Baldoni "absolutely" plans to sue Lively over her accusations.
"We're working on it now," Freedman confirmed to the outlet, while also alleging that Lively's complaint about a coordinated smear campaign against her is "100 percent" false.
Amber Heard supports Blake Lively after Justin Baldoni hired Johnny Depp crisis firm: 'I saw this firsthand'
"You know, Justin Baldoni, from the get-go, said, 'I don't want to do anything negative toward her. I don't want to hurt her,'" claimed Freedman. When pressed on Baldoni's prior platform of believing women when they speak out about such issues, Freedman later added that he's "not asking anyone to not believe anyone," and said that he and Baldoni want to release conversations between Baldoni and Lively for others to see.
"I'm more than willing to take every single text message that exists out there, leave them out, put them on a website for the world to see, have them see the truth, and determine the truth for themselves," Freedman said.
Freedman also responded to a question about Baldoni's alleged behavior on set. "I think there's some behavior always that can make people uncomfortable, and I don't think anybody has the intention to do that," he said. "The question really in this case is, does it rise to the level of sexual harassment?"
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According to PEOPLE, plaintiffs in the planned lawsuit will include Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, his publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis manager Melissa Nathan. Per the publication, the group plans to name Lively, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and Baldoni's ex-publicist, Stephanie Jones, who sued Baldoni, Wayfarer, Abel, and Nathan in December.
"A simple reading of the text messages [confirms] that Stephanie Jones of Jonesworks brutally retaliated against Jennifer Abel," Bryan Freedman said in an emailed statement provided to Entertainment Weekly on Jan. 3, adding that "if Stephanie Jones treated her few remaining clients with respect, Ms. Abel would have never sought to leave."
Freedman's statement also claims that Abel, who was fired by Jones last year, was "disparaged" publicly to clients and had her "personal cell phone" confiscated.
In response, Kristin Tahler, Jones' attorney, told EW in a statement that “Team Baldoni can continue with their campaign of disparagement and deflection, but the facts remain indisputable. Jennifer Abel, a former Jonesworks employee, stole over 70 confidential company documents. She was terminated and voluntarily returned her Jonesworks-issued cell phone through a customary meeting involving only an employment attorney, Jonesworks’ Chief of Staff, and an IT specialist."
"Unsurprisingly, Team Baldoni is now trying to rewrite history and distract," the statement continued. "Nevertheless, the conspiracy to smear Jones, her agency and Blake Lively has been exposed. This truth cannot be ignored or escaped.”
EW additionally reached out to Sloane and Nathan for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in 'It Ends With Us'.
Nicole Rivelli/Sony
In December, EW obtained Lively's initial 80-page complaint against former Jane the Virgin actor Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in It Ends With Us. Lively, who also produced It Ends With Us, accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and coordinating an online smear campaign to damage her reputation while they promoted the movie. Others named as defendants in the document include Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios and producer Jamey Heath, among others.
"Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Heath, and Wayfarer engaged in harassing conduct and failed their obligations to investigate complaints of workplace harassment, to prevent inappropriate and harassing behaviors on set, and to provide avenues for cast and crew members to safely raise concerns to neutral parties so that they could be investigated and appropriately addressed," the complaint alleged, further claiming that Baldoni hired a crisis public relations firm to launch a "sophisticated, coordinated, and well-financed retaliation plan" in the event that allegations about Baldoni's on-set behavior were publicized.
Freedman initially responded to the allegations on behalf of Baldoni and Wayfarer in a statement to EW.
"It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives as yet another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation, which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film — interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions," he said. "These claims are completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious, with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."
Justin Baldoni's podcast cohost Liz Plank exits show amid Blake Lively harassment complaint
Baldoni later sued The New York Times for $250 million over its story about the allegations, which also prompted Jones to sue Baldoni and his PR team over the development, alleging that Abel conspired with Baldoni, Wayfarer, and Nathan to execute the smear campaign against Lively without Jones' knowledge, and that she fired Abel in August after reportedly discovering their alleged actions in the matter.
Since Lively's filing went public, author Hoover voiced support for the star, as did Amber Heard, Lively's A Simple Favor director Paul Feig, and Lively's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel.
Outside of the controversy, It Ends With Us was one of the American film industry's biggest financial successes of 2024, grossing $351 million globally on a reported $25 million budget.
Nikki Glaser won't joke about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni at Golden Globes
Don't expect comedian Nikki Glaser to joke about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal troubles at the 2025 Golden Globes: It's 'such a hot-button thing right now.'
Nikki Glaser won't joke about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni at Golden Globes
Don't expect comedian Nikki Glaser to joke about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal troubles at the 2025 Golden Globes: It's 'such a hot-button thing right now.'
Interesting now who gets a comedy "pass"?
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The Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni War: A Who’s-Who Guide to a Messy Scandal
Untangling the messy web of alliances, connections and defections behind the ‘It Ends with Us’ feud.
www.hollywoodreporter.com