Did Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds blacklist Justin Baldoni at his agency and beyond?
Sometimes, “damage control” does more damage than anything else. It’s unclear if Justin Baldoni understands that.
In the wake of a damning report on his alleged smear campaign against Blake Lively, he has filed a massive lawsuit against The New York Times. One part of that lawsuit claims that Lively and Reynolds pressured his agency to drop him.
There’s just one problem. The agency in question is flatly denying Baldoni’s claims.
Did Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds get Justin Baldoni dropped by his agency?
Just like long weekends, the winter holiday season is a major time for big news to drop while people are paying less attention.
In the final weeks of December 2024, one piece of news was a jaw-dropping report on how Justin Baldoni allegedly masterminded a social media campaign to smear It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.
Why? Because she was suing him for sexual harassment. The details of her lawsuit are already chilling enough without the ugly campaign of public insults that played out primarily on TikTok, an app that serves as an ideal disease vector for disinformation.
As we mentioned, Justin Baldoni is suing The New York Times. He filed on December 31, and is suing the paper for $250 million. His lawsuit alleges that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds used their clout as A-listers to push talent agency William Morris Endeavor to drop him.
“The wielding of power and influence became undeniable,” the court documents accused. “Baldoni and Wayfarer grew increasingly fearful of what Lively and Reynolds were capable of, as their actions seemed aimed at destroying Baldoni’s career and personal life.”
He specified that the two had applied the pressure to his WME agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. That’s a very precise claim!
No, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds didn’t pressure WME to drop Justin Baldoni
The day after Baldoni filed his lawsuit, William Morris Endeavor put out a statement to The Hollywood Reporter to quash that claim entirely. (That’s one way to ring in the New Year!)
“In Baldoni’s filing there is a claim that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. This is not true,” the agency stated very directly on Wednesday, January 1.
Continuing to debunk the allegation, WME added: “Baldoni’s former representative was not at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere nor was there any pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time to drop Baldoni as a client.” Whoops!
WME did drop Baldoni in December. One of the contributing factors in the decision was Lively allegations of misconduct, including sexual harassment.
As many people have pointed out on social media, a major red flag in the publicity tour for It Ends With Us was much of the cast seeming to avoid discussing Baldoni. He was their co-star and director. Fans got the vibe that there was tension on set.
With the sexual harassment allegations, these perceived frictions sharpened into focus. Lively and Reynolds wouldn’t necessarily have to pressure anyone to change their feelings about Baldoni. Or to amend their professional relationships with him.
What is the lawsuit about?
Alongside other plaintiffs, Justin Baldoni is suing The New York Times for allegedly cherry-picking information. He believes that the full context of all of his messages would exonerate him and make it seem less like he’s trying to ruin the life and career of a woman accusing him of misconduct.
Meanwhile, Lively filed a complaint accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation. He allegedly behaved inappropriately on set, from improvised kissing scenes to discussing sexual activity and his “porn addiction.” (Not the point, but “pornography addiction” is not real)
In the aftermath, SAG-AFTRA has released a statement supporting Lively. So has the author of It Ends With Us, Colleen Hoover. And Lively is suing Baldoni. She is accusing him of media manipulation, such as that described by the NYT. As for the paper itself, they’re standing by their report. They plan to defend it in court.