WME Drops Justin Baldoni as Client Amid Blake Lively Lawsuit
Justin Baldoni was dropped as a client by WME.
In accordance with Deadlinethe decision was made by WME management on Saturday, December 21, for the talent agency to part ways with Baldoni, due to a sexual harassment complaint filed by his actor/director. It ends with us the costar Blake Lively on Friday, December 20.
Lively, meanwhile, is still represented by WME.
On Friday, Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, alleging his behavior at the time It ends with us – which he acted in, directed and produced – caused him “great emotional distress.” (Lively executive produced the film as well, and it starred as lead actress Lily Bloom.)
The lawsuit says a meeting was held during production on the film in January 2024 to discuss Lively’s claims of a “hostile work environment” on set. The meeting was attended by many people who worked on the film, including Baldoni’s husband and Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds.
As stated in the complaint, Lively’s demands for the meeting included “no more showing Blake nude videos or pictures of women, no mention that Baldoni was addicted to pornography, no more discussion of sexual assault in front of Blake and others, no more mention of the employees’ private parts, no more questions about Blake’s weight, and no more discussion of about Blake’s late father.”
In a statement to Us WeeklyBaldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman addressed Lively’s allegations as “absolutely false, offensive and unintentional”, saying the actress filed the lawsuit to “rehabilitate her bad reputation” and “refresh the narrative” about the film’s production.
Lively, on the other hand, accused Baldoni’s team of deliberately dragging her name through the mud with a calculated “astrology” campaign.
In his statement to UsFreedman went on to say that Lively made “a lot of demands and threats” during the filming It ends with ussuch as “threatening not to show the set, threatening not to promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if his demands were not met.”
In a statement to The New York Times In December, Lively said, “I hope my legal action will help pull back the curtain on these heinous revenge tactics to hurt people who speak out and help protect others who may be targeted.” This actor also denied that he is spreading negative information about Baldoni.
Us has reached out to attorneys for both Lively and Baldoni for comment.
Source link