Blake Lively has claimed that she backed out of hosting Saturday Night Live earlier this year because her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni, orchestrated a “smear campaign” against her.
The 37-year-old actor made the allegations in a lawsuit against Baldoni accusing him of sexual harassment and exhibiting behavior that caused her “severe emotional distress.”
In the Gossip Girl alum’s complaint, her lawyer claimed she was unable to continue with other work because of the backlash she was receiving as a result of Baldoni’s campaign.
This purportedly included the opportunity to host the season 50 premiere of SNL on September 28, 2024, which was instead hosted by Jean Smart. The Independent has contacted NBC for comment.
“The effects of Ms. Lively’s professional life were immediate and substantial. Given the ongoing nature of the campaign and the associated negative public sentiment, Ms. Lively did not believe she could proceed with public appearances or events without being forced to openly discuss what happened on set,” the filing reads.
“For example, Ms. Lively cancelled on a critical Target corporate event for her hair company, and she backed out of her scheduled role to host the premier episode of the 50th anniversary season of Saturday Night Live in September 2024.”
The lawsuit also states that Lively had several requirements for her to work on It Ends With Us, which Baldoni also directed. Her requirements 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, and no more inquiries about Blake’s weight.”
Additionally, “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project,” were other requirements included in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says that the distributors of the film, Sony Pictures, approved Lively’s requests. However, the Age of Adaline star claims in the filing that Baldoni then began a campaign to “destroy” her reputation in response. She cited texts from Baldoni’s crisis PR representative as evidence.
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The lawsuit states Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni, and their lawyers attended a meeting to address her complaints from the It Ends With Us set.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has called Lively’s allegations “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.” Freedman alleged that Lively had caused issues on the film set by “threatening to not [show] up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.”
Hours after Lively’s lawsuit was made public, Baldoni was reportedly dropped by his management, the WME agency.
During the press tour for the movie, based on the Colleen Hoover book of the same name, Lively was criticized for her “tone-deaf” approach to promoting the work, which focuses on domestic violence and abuse.
Amid the ongoing backlash against Lively, one journalist shared her “nightmare” interview with the actor recorded in 2016, stating that the interaction – deemed “incredibly rude” by fans – made her “want to quit” her job.
The interviewer has since denied any involvement in the alleged smear campaign.
Now, Lively’s close friends and former colleagues have spoken out, showing their support for her decision to file the lawsuit. Hoover took to her Instagram Stories over the weekend, writing: “@blakelively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
Meanwhile, Lively’s co-stars from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants — America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn — also issued a statement.
“As Blake’s friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” they wrote. “Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.”
“Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding,” the continued. “We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment.”