Ryan Reynolds Took These Extra Steps To Support Blake Lively From Justin Baldoni’s Alleged Behavior
It was evident from the red carpet premiere of It Ends With Us in August that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni were not getting along. Now, Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit, filed on Friday, Dec. 20, sheds light on Baldoni’s alleged behavior and how her husband, Ryan Reynolds, supported her.
In text messages obtained by SheKnows, Baldoni appeared upset after Reynolds reportedly blocked him and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, on Instagram. The exchange occurred with his publicist Jennifer Abel in May after the film had wrapped. Baldoni seemed concerned that Lively would follow suit and worried about the possible backlash. “We should have a plan for IF she does the same when [the] movie comes out,” Baldoni wrote, per the court documents. “Just want you guys to have a plan. Plans make me feel more at ease.”
This reported social media move came on the heels of an “all hands” meeting on Jan. 4, 2024, to address Lively’s claims of a “hostile work environment.” Reynolds was in attendance “given that the meeting was about repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” by Baldoni and his production partner, Jamey Heath.
There are 30 points documented on the list, including “no more descriptions of their own genitalia to BL,” “No more mention by Mr. Baldoni of him ‘speaking to’ BL’s dead father,” and “no more showing nude videos or images of women, including producer’s wife, to BL and/or her employees.” The legal filing also noted that “the concerns she raised were not only for herself, but for the other female cast and crew, some of whom had also spoken up. “
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, came out swinging to TMZ and denied all of Lively’s claims. He claimed that Lively was attempting to “fix her negative reputation” and her lawsuit was filled with “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.” He also alleged that she was difficult to work with on set often “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.”
Lively shared her own statement with The New York Times on Saturday, Dec. 21: “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.”
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