Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively
Cindy Ord, Gotham/WireImage/Getty Images (2)Justin Baldoni He made several claims about And it ends with us The premiere and after-parties in his $400 million lawsuit against the costar Blake Lively.
Baldoni, 40, filed a lawsuit against her husband, Lively, 37. Ryan ReynoldsAnd their publicity team on Thursday, January 16, It is seeking $400 million In damages. In the court file he obtained we, Baldoni included a photo of And it ends with us The first show is where he and his family (including his wife Emily and his parents) in the basement of the theater surrounded by bowls of popcorn and soda bottles.
Baldoni He claimed in court documents He and his camp were not initially invited to the event at Lively's request, and only received the green light to attend at the last minute. In the documents, Baldoni alleged that his team was “confined to a temporary holding area surrounded by a stock of concession stands, with only folding tables and chairs arranged in a square” to minimize interactions with Lively and her guests.
“Surrounded by close friends, family, bottles of soda and lots of love, the irony of being held captive in the basement on what was arguably one of the most important nights of Baldoni’s career to date was not lost on anyone.” He reads.
Justin Baldoni accuses star Blake Lively of making a concerted effort to cut him out of the filmmaking process for his 2024 drama It Ends With Us. In addition to claiming that Lively tried to take away creative direction from him, Baldoni, who also directed the film, claims that Lively, 37, tried to prevent him from participating in the film (…)
He also held a separate party with his team, claiming it was “dry” since the majority of domestic violence incidents involve alcohol. He also claimed that Lively's pool, which was allegedly paid for by his production company, was not He offered a drink called “Rayle Can Wait.”
“Lively's disastrous marketing efforts, press interviews and tone-deaf appearances backfired and led to widespread criticism of Lively's promotional approach for the film's highly sensitive focus on domestic violence,” the documents said. “Past videos of Lively resurfaced online — videos that seemed to reinforce the public perception that Lively was an insensitive “mean girl” more interested in selling her products than acknowledging the community of domestic violence survivors. Social media commenters were quick to point out That her alcoholic beverage association was particularly bad, given that the World Health Organization estimates that an incredible 55 percent of domestic violence incidents are alcohol-related, Lively made this harmful and irresponsible message worse by naming a drink at her first after-show party after the show “Ryle You Wait”.
For her part, Lively denied Baldoni's recent legal allegations.
“This latest lawsuit filed by Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its partners is another chapter in the abuser’s playbook. This is an old story: a woman speaks out with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the attacker tries to turn the tables on the victim. Lively's lawyers said we In a statement. “This is what experts call a Darvo. Deny. Attack. Reverse perpetrator-victim. Wayfarer has chosen to use the resources of its billionaire founder to issue media statements, launch baseless lawsuits, and threaten litigation to overwhelm the public's ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation for sexual harassment allegations.” .
Lively's lawyers also claimed that Baldoni's team was “trying to change the narrative” by falsely claiming that she had taken over production and alienated him from the rest of the team. And it ends with us He slanders.
“The evidence will show that actors and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer,” Lively’s statement continued. “The evidence will also show that Sony asked Ms. Lively to supervise Sony's production of the film, which they then selected for distribution and became a huge success. Their response to the sexual harassment allegations: She wanted it, and it's her fault. Their justification for what happened to her: Look what she was wearing.” “In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and will fail.”
Baldoni's team did not respond to Lively's response. we I have reached out for comment.
Earlier this month, leaked audio footage also discussed Baldoni's announced breakout gig.
Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against The New York Times has further highlighted the clear creative differences between him and It Ends With Us star Blake Lively. Baldoni (40 years old) is suing The Times for $250 million on claims of defamation and false invasion of privacy due to the newspaper’s reports of a lawsuit being filed against him on sexual charges (…)
During his appearance on the January 7 episode of The Megyn Kelly ShowHis attorney Brian Friedman played part of an alleged audio message Baldoni sent to his team recalling the events that occurred at the film's August 2024 New York City premiere.
“On what would have been one of the most beautiful nights of my career, I was literally sent downstairs with all my friends and family for over an hour because I wasn't allowed to see me. She didn't want me anywhere near her,” Baldoni said in the alleged audio message. Or close to the rest of the cast.”
He continued: “So they took me out of the carpet and took us downstairs. We were there together, my friends and family, the people who love me the most. We start laughing at the ridiculousness of this whole thing and I realize, on a night that was supposed to be financially joyous, I was downstairs with the people I love so much and we were all happy and laughing because none of this matters, none of it.”
Baldoni, who also Direct the movienoted that they were not in the film business “to attend and celebrate a premiere like this.”
He said: “We work in this field because we are artists and we believe in what we do and because we want to create art that touches people's hearts and souls and can influence people.” “And that's what we did, and that's what you both did. I believe it will follow each one of us, and truth will prevail, and light and love will triumph.”
Rumors started A rift spirals into the group When eagle-eyed fans noticed, Baldoni was absent from joint press interviews for the film and did not take group photos with cast members at the premiere.
After months of speculation New York Times I mentioned that Baldoni charged energetically of sexual harassment in a lawsuit we obtained. (Friedman called Lively's accusations “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally indecent” in a statement to Us.)
The alleged audio recording mirrors what Baldoni and other plaintiffs claimed in their December 2024 lawsuit, in which they sued The New York Times over its coverage of Lively's accusations. (Official spokesman New York Times He said we That the outlet plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”)
“The Wayfarer team and their families, including Baldoni and (Producer Jamie Heath“They were separated from the main cast, banned from participating in the exclusive party, and forced to organize their own event at additional cost,” the filing said. “Baldoni's red carpet engagement was cut short, and his family and friends were held in a temporary holding area in the basement before being escorted to a separate stage after Lively's departure.”
“Not only did Lively steal the film, she also deprived Baldoni and his team of any real opportunity to celebrate their hard work,” the lawsuit continues.
