Getty ImagesA recent Women's Solidarity Honor given to Justin Baldoni has been revoked after actress Blake Lively accused his It Ends With Us co-star of sexual harassment and launched a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
Baldoni was honored by Vital Voices, a global non-profit organization focused on women's empowerment, with the award earlier this month.
The organization announced Monday evening that it was rescinding the award following Lively's legal complaint alleging “abhorrent conduct” by the actor, his studio and its crisis public relations team, which it said was “contrary to the values” the nonprofit espouses. .
Baldoni's legal team told the BBC that the allegations were “completely false” and said they had appointed a crisis manager because Lively had threatened to derail the film unless her demands were met.
In the romantic drama, Lively plays a woman who finds herself in a relationship with her charming but abusive boyfriend, played by Baldoni.
the Voices of Solidarity Award Vital Voices said in a statement that the award was given to Baldoni on December 9 during an awards ceremony in New York. The award was presented by comedian Hasan Minhaj and celebrates “outstanding men who have shown courage and compassion in standing up for women and girls.”
He posted about the award on his page Instagram pageSaying he was “deeply honored and humbled” he pointed to the continuing work that needs to be done to help future generations of men.
“I hope we can teach our children, while they are still young, that vulnerability is strength, sensitivity is a superpower, and empathy makes them strong,” he said in the post.
In a statement on Monday, Vital Voices explained that it had canceled the award and notified Baldoni of the decision.
Less than two weeks after the awards ceremony, Lively, best known for her role on the TV show Gossip Girl, filed a complaint. Legal complaint She accuses Baldoni and his team of attacking her public image. It says in the complaint that the attacks followed a meeting to discuss “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” by Baldoni and the film's producer.
According to a filing with the California Department of Civil Rights, a list of 30 demands related to the couple's alleged misconduct was presented at the meeting to ensure they could continue production of the film. The list included requests such as not mentioning Baldoni's “pornography addiction,” not describing genitals and not adding intimate scenes that she did not agree to when she read the script.
Lively also accused Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of leading a “multi-level plan” to destroy her reputation in the media and online, including hiring and using a crisis manager who led and used a “sophisticated, coordinated, and well-funded retaliation plan” against her. A “digital army” to spread social media content that looks authentic.
In response to the legal complaint, Baldoni's attorney, Brian Friedman, said in a statement on Saturday that the accusations are “categorically false.”
Friedman accused Lively of making numerous demands and threats, including “threatening not to show up for filming, and threatening not to promote the film,” which could ultimately lead to “its demise during release, if her demands are not met.”
He claimed Lively's claims were “deliberately lewd with the intent to publicly hurt and reshape the narrative in the media.”
