Blake Lively Files Lawsuit Against Justin Baldoni Over Alleged Harassment & Retaliation Working On ‘It Ends With Us’

Blake Lively has filed a legal complaint accusing her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, of sexual harassment and orchestrating an online smear campaign.

The 80-page document also names Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, and producer Jamey Heath among the defendants. The lawsuit alleges workplace harassment, failure to address misconduct and retaliatory efforts to discredit Lively publicly.

The complaint details incidents of alleged harassment during the production of the 2024 film, claiming that Baldoni engaged in unapproved physical intimacy during scenes and pressured Lively to simulate full nudity. Further allegations include Baldoni discussing his past porn addiction, commenting on his and Lively’s sex lives, and breaching her privacy during vulnerable moments, such as while breastfeeding. According to Lively, these actions created a toxic and unsafe work environment.

In a statement, Lively expressed her motivation for taking legal action: “I hope my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”

Baldoni’s legal team, led by Bryan Freedman, has denied the claims, calling them “categorically false” and accusing Lively of attempting to fix her reputation after negative public perception during the film’s promotion. Freedman labeled the allegations as “salacious” and “intentionally misleading.”

Lively’s complaint also alleges that Baldoni hired a crisis PR firm to preemptively discredit her and safeguard his public image. The PR strategy reportedly planted stories and social media posts to portray Lively negatively while bolstering Baldoni as a feminist ally. Included in the filing are text messages and emails obtained through subpoenas, which Lively says corroborate her claims.

The actress claims her attempts to report Baldoni’s behavior to Sony’s HR department were redirected to Wayfarer, where she alleges her grievances went unaddressed. According to the complaint, other cast members also raised concerns about Baldoni’s conduct during production.

The alleged retaliation reportedly extended to the film’s marketing campaign. Lively asserts that Baldoni deviated from the agreed promotional strategy to focus on domestic violence survivor narratives, a move she believes was aimed at deflecting from her allegations and tarnishing her credibility.

The lawsuit claims the smear campaign caused her to withdraw from hosting Saturday Night Live and negatively impacted her business ventures. “The emotional impact on Ms. Lively has been extreme,” the filing states, noting that the stress has also affected her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their children.