Blake Lively’s explosive lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni has reignited the conversation on the safety of women in workspaces. Since then, the case has caught media and public attention, with several celebrities coming out in support. The Gossip Girl alum has filed allegations of sexual harassment and has accused Baldoni of instigating smear campaigns against her to ruin her reputation. Baldoni, however, has denied all the allegations, calling them “false.”
Lively took legal action against the actor and director, mentioning the details of sexual harassment and the smear campaign by Badloni’s PR team in her lawsuit. She added that his conduct on set inflicted immense emotional distress on not just her but her family as well.
Blake Lively is reportedly suing Justin Baldoni for sexual harrassment and for allegedly launching a smear campaign against her.
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In the official complaint, Blake Lively mentioned Taylor Swift twice as the pop sensation was part of Baldoni’s PR team’s scenario planning document,’ where they allegedly strategized their attack on Blake. The Love Story singer has also been a very close friend of Lively’s for over a decade. As per sources, Justin Baldoni’s crisis management team allegedly conspired to use their friendship against Lively, attempting to frame Swift for “weaponizing feminism
However, it looks like Lively has received unwavering support from Taylor Swift. A source stated to the Daily Mail that “Taylor is startled by the revelations surrounding the Blake Lively takedown and she is encouraging Blake to get to the bottom of it.”
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Apart from Taylor Swift, the filing includes the names of her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and Hailey Bieber. Her colleagues, Anna Kendrick, Leighton Meester, and Ben Affleck, were also name-dropped in the lawsuit.
Colleen Hoover, whose novel serves as the source material for It Ends With Us, has also voiced her opinion supporting Blake. Furthermore, Jenny Slate, who played the character of Allysa Kincaid, spoke to TODAY, expressing her admiration for Blake. “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side,” said Slate.
Notably, Justin Baldoni’s crisis management team is the same that Johnny Depp hired during the Amber Heard defamation case and online speculators have been drawing connections between the two incidents. As per sources, Justin had also tried to release articles and screenshots defaming Hailey Bieber. His PR team allegedly had a part in sharing articles that read, ‘Hailey Bieber Bullying Women.’
On the day Blake Lively filed the lawsuit, the New York Times released an investigative article on the case. Their article took a deep dive into the accusations against Baldoni and his team. The allegations include horrific details of Baldoni’s behavior with Lively on the film set which included inappropriate behavior and an overall lack of professional boundaries.