Justin Baldoni has been dropped as a client by WME.
According to Deadline, the decision was made by WME leadership on Saturday, December 21, for the talent agency to part ways with Baldoni, partly due to the complaint of sexual harassment filed against the actor/director by his It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively on Friday, December 20.
Lively, for her part, is still represented by WME.
On Friday, Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, wherein she alleged his behavior on the set of It Ends With Us — on which he starred, directed and produced — caused her “severe emotional distress.” (Lively executive produced the film as well, and starred as protagonist Lily Bloom.)
Breaking Down Blake Lively’s Accusations Against Justin Baldoni
The lawsuit claims that a meeting was held during the film’s production in January 2024 to address Lively’s claims of the “hostile work environment” on set. The meeting was attended by numerous people who worked on the film, including Baldoni and Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds.
As stated in the complaint, Lively’s demands for the meeting included “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
In a statement to Us Weekly, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman addressed Lively’s “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” allegations, claiming that the actress had filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” regarding the production of the film.
Lively, on the other hand, has accused Baldoni’s team of intentionally dragging her name through the mud through a calculated “astroturfing” campaign.
Blake Lively Claims Justin Baldoni Texted About Ruining Her Reputation
In his statement to Us, Freedman further alleged that Lively made “multiple demands and threats” while filming It Ends With Us, such as “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.”
In a statement to The New York Times in December, Lively said, “I hope that 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.” The actress also denied spreading negative information about Baldoni.
Us has reached out to reps for both Lively and Baldoni for comment.
