Justin Baldoni’s Women Solidarity Award rescinded amid Blake Lively harassment allegations

It Ends With Us star and director Justin Baldoni has had a prestigious women’s solidarity honour revoked following allegations of sexual harassment and operating a smear campaign against his co-star Blake Lively.

The Voices of Solidarity Award, presented to him by Vital Voices earlier this month, celebrated men who courageously advocate for women’s empowerment. However, the non-profit rescinded the award, per the BBC, after Lively’s legal filing detailed “abhorrent conduct” allegedly committed by Baldoni, his studio, and his crisis management team.

Allegations and legal complaints

Lively’s complaint, filed with the California Civil Rights Department, accuses Baldoni of repeated harassment and orchestrating a campaign to tarnish her reputation.

The accusations arose from a meeting called to address misconduct, where Lively reportedly presented a list of 30 demands to ensure a safe working environment. These included avoiding mention of Baldoni’s past admissions of pornography addiction, eliminating certain intimate scenes, and refraining from inappropriate descriptions in the script.

The complaint also alleges that Baldoni and his studio, Wayfarer, engaged a crisis management team to launch a “sophisticated and well-financed” retaliation plan. This included a “digital army” of social media accounts designed to discredit Lively while promoting Baldoni’s public image.

Baldoni’s legal team has categorically denied the allegations. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, countered that Lively threatened to derail the film’s production if her demands were unmet, accusing her of making “salacious” claims to harm his reputation.

Talent and media agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) dropped Baldoni as a client, shortly after the lawsuit was filed, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Lively and Reynolds are both represented by the agency.

Celebrity support for Lively

The controversy has prompted an outpouring of support for Lively from numerous high-profile figures. Brandon Sklenar, Lively’s co-star in It Ends With Us, shared her legal complaint on Instagram, urging his followers to read it and tagging her with a heart emoji.

Author Colleen Hoover, whose novel inspired the film, has also voiced her solidarity, as have Amber Heard, director Paul Feig, and Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants castmates.

Additionally, leaked text messages involving Baldoni’s publicist, Jennifer Abel, revealed discussions about monitoring social media narratives surrounding the allegations. While Abel denied any active smear campaign, she admitted her team had prepared for such actions and celebrated the organic defence of Baldoni’s reputation by fans.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has also weighed in, issuing a statement in support of Lively. The union described the allegations as “startling and troubling,” commending Lively for her courage and advocating for the use of intimacy coordinators to ensure safer sets.

Meanwhile, Liz Plank, Baldoni’s co-host on the podcast Man Enough, announced her decision to step away from the show. In a heartfelt statement, Plank thanked the podcast’s community but cited the allegations as her reason for ending her involvement.

“I will miss you, the listeners, so much. I love what this community created together with every fibre of my being,” she wrote.

Lively’s statement

In the complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni and Jamey Heath, one of the film’s producers, engaged in unprofessional behaviour, including describing “their past sexual relationships” to her and speaking to her about their “previous pornography addiction.” Lively also claimed that Baldoni said he could talk to the dead, including to her father who passed away in 2021.

In a statement to The New York Times, 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.”