Blake Lively has filed a civil rights complaint against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliatory tactics aimed at damaging her reputation. The complaint, submitted to the California Civil Rights Department, follows an alleged meeting concerning a "hostile work environment" during filming, where Lively reportedly raised ongoing harassment concerns regarding Baldoni.
The complaint asserts that Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, attended as her representative, and they discussed inappropriate behaviour from Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath. An agreement was reached to prohibit certain conduct on set, including the display of explicit material and derogatory remarks towards Lively and her team. The use of an intimacy coordinator was also mandated during their scenes together.
Additionally, Lively’s legal team claims to have evidence showing efforts by Baldoni’s public relations representatives to orchestrate a negative media narrative about her, which they term a "social manipulation campaign." Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has denied the allegations, labelling them "false and outrageous," and accusing Lively of fabricating stories to fix her public image.
Lively hopes her legal actions will shine a light on retaliatory tactics against those speaking out about misconduct, aiming to protect others from similar experiences. The film itself performed well at the box office, grossing over $350 million, but tensions between the leads were evident during promotions.