Justin Baldoni is already dealing with major fallout days after Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against him.
The New York Times reported on December 21 that Lively filed a lawsuit on December 20 in which she accused him of sexual harassment and launching a “social manipulation” campaign against her to “destroy” her reputation during the promotion of their film It Ends With Us. The docs, which were also obtained by Us Weekly, claimed that Lively was not the only cast member who complained about Baldoni.
Baldoni, who has been a vocal supporter of women’s issues, has denied the allegations via his lawyer Bryan Freedman who called Lively’s accusations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” in a statement to Us. The statement claimed that Lively filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the film’s production.
Us reached out to Lively’s rep for comment but did not immediately hear back. In a statement to The New York Times regarding her lawsuit, the actress 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.”
Months after a reported rift between It Ends With Us costars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, she sued him for sexual harassment. In the lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, December 20, and obtained by Us Weekly after it was reported on by TMZ and The New York Times, Lively accused Baldoni of launching a […]
While Baldoni has maintained innocence since the lawsuit’s filing, he has suffered from a series of career setbacks. Baldoni was quickly dropped from his talent agency in addition to having an award rescinded.
Keep scrolling to see what Baldoni has lost since news broke of Lively’s lawsuit:
Dropped From WME
The same day that news broke of Lively’s lawsuit, talent agency WME (William Morris Endeavor) dropped Baldoni as a client. Deadline reported that the decision was made by WME leadership and was partly due to Lively’s lawsuit.
WME also represents Lively where she still remains a client.
Vital Voices Award Rescinded
One week before news broke of Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni was awarded at the 2024 Vital Voices Solidarity Awards which is an “awards program that honors remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls worldwide,” per the organization’s website. The honor was presented by his It Ends With Us costar Hasan Minhaj.
On December 23, Vital Voices announced they rescinded the award and alerted Baldoni of the decision amid the legal drama.
“The Voices of Solidarity Award honors remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls,” a statement shared via Instagram read. “On December 9, 2024, we recognized Justin Baldoni with this award. On Saturday, December 21, we learned through news reports about a lawsuit brought by Blake Lively against Mr. Baldoni, his publicists, and others that is disturbing and alleges abhorrent conduct. The communications among Mr. Baldoni and his publicists in the lawsuit — and the PR effort they indicate — are, alone, contrary to the values of Vital Voices and the spirit of the Award.”
Losing a Cohost
Baldoni hosted the podcast “Man Enough” alongside author Liz Plank. On December 23, Plank announced her departure from the show after four years.
“I’m writing to you today to let you know that I have had my representatives inform Wayfarer that I will no longer be co-hosting the ‘Man Enough’ podcast,” Plank wrote in a statement obtained by People. “Thank you for trusting me with your hearts and stories, for holding space for mine, and for making this show what it was. I will miss you, the listeners, so much. I love what this community created together with every fiber of my being, and that’s because of you.”
Plank added that while “this chapter closes” for her, she plans on staying “committed to the values we’ve built together.”
“Thank you for being here, for trusting me, and for being by my side for the last four years. We all deserve better, and I know that together, we can create it,” she continued. “I will have more to share soon as I continue to process everything that has happened. In the meantime, I will continue to support everyone who calls out injustice and holds the people standing in their way accountable.”
She did not refer to Baldoni or the lawsuit in her statement.
Podcast Episode Deleted
In the wake of Lively’s lawsuit, Elizabeth Day, host of the podcast “How to Fail,” deleted an episode where she interviewed Baldoni about It Ends With Us.
“I have made the decision to remove the recent How to Fail interview with Justin Baldoni from all platforms while the distressing allegations made against him in Blake Lively’s recent lawsuit are fully investigated,” Day wrote in a statement shared via Instagram on December 24. “Every individual has a right to a safe workplace. Every woman has the right to dignity in that workplace. Every form of abuse should be called out and I salute the individuals who have the courage to do so.”
