In his lawsuit, the actor-director also claims that at the premiere, he was “segregated from the main cast, barred from the exclusive after-party, and forced to organize their own event at additional cost” after allegedly being “systematically sidelined” from the film’s marketing.
Rumors of the since-legally-confirmed feud between It Ends With Us star Blake Lively and her costar and director Justin Baldoni began in August, following the film’s premiere, and now Baldoni has claimed that Lively attempted to bar him from even attending the event at all.
In his new lawsuit, per The New York Post, the actor accused Lively of “systematically sidelin[ing]” him from the film’s marketing, including allegedly trying to get him banned from the movie’s premiere in New York City,
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Justin Baldoni Suit Claims Ryan Reynolds ‘Aggressively Berated’ Him In ‘Traumatic’ Confrontation Over Blake Lively
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“Further undermining Baldoni’s role, Lively initially refused to permit his attendance at the Film’s premiere,” the lawsuit claimed, per the outlet. “Only after significant pressure did she reluctantly agree to allow Baldoni and the Wayfarer team to attend, but under humiliating conditions.”
Among them, Baldoni alleged that he was “segregated” from the It Ends With Us cast at the premiere.
“The Wayfarer team and their families, including Baldoni and Heath, were segregated from the main cast, barred from the exclusive after-party, and forced to organize their own event at additional cost,” the lawsuit read.
He went on to further recall how he and his family were allegedly treated during the event.
“Baldoni’s participation on the red carpet was cut short, and his family and friends were confined to a makeshift holding area in the basement before being escorted into a separate theater after Lively’s departure,” the lawsuit claimed. “Not only had Lively stolen the Film, but she also robbed Baldoni and his team of any genuine opportunity to celebrate their hard work.”
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It Ends With Us — which was directed by Baldoni and produced by his production company Wayfarer Studios — centers on Lily Bloom (Lively), a woman grappling with domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni). At the time of the movie’s August release, Lively had begun to receive criticism over the way she promoted the film versus Baldoni.
Lively leaned into fashionable red carpet moments and participated in prank videos … while Baldoni focused more on how the movie depicts domestic violence, bringing more awareness to the issue. According to her complaint, Lively followed the agreed-upon marketing plan.
During the promotional tour, Lively, Colleen Hoover — whose book is the basis of the film –, and the cast — sans Baldoni — participated in press events together, while Baldoni made appearances solo.
According to The New York Post, at the NYC premiere in August, Lively and Baldoni, along with their guests, watched the film in separate theaters.
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Justin Baldoni Fallout After Blake Lively Complaint: Dropped by Agency, Sued Again, Podcast Cohost Quits
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On Tuesday, Baldoni filed the $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for its coverage of Lively’s legal complaint, in which she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, as well as claiming he and others orchestrated a smear campaign against her. She subsequently filed a federal lawsuit repeating those claims on Tuesday.
In his lawsuit, Baldoni and the other plaintiffs — including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel — accuse the publication of libel, invasion of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract, claiming they “deliberately” misled readers. The suit also accuses the paper of relying on Lively’s “unverified and self-serving narrative,” which they say is full of “blatant falsehoods and egregious misrepresentations.”
In a statement to TMZ, a New York Times spokesperson said, “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article. To date, Wayfarer Studios, Mr. Baldoni, the other subjects of the article and their representatives have not pointed to a single error. We published their full statement in response to the allegations in the article as well. We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman also told TMZ, “In this vicious smear campaign fully orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative. In doing so, they pre-determined the outcome of their story, and aided and abetted their own devastating PR smear campaign designed to revitalize Lively’s self-induced floundering public image and counter the organic groundswell of criticism amongst the online public.”
“The irony is rich. Make no mistake however, as we all unite to take down The NY Times by no longer allowing them to deceive the public, we will continue this campaign of authenticity by also suing those individuals who have abused their power to try and destroy the lives of my clients,” he added. “While their side embraces partial truths, we embrace the full truth – and have all of the communications to back it. The public will decide for themselves as they did when this first began.”
Meanwhile, in a statement to The New York Post, Lively’s attorneys addressed Baldoni’s lawsuit.
“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today,” the statement read. “This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice ‘not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,’ and that ‘litigation was never her ultimate goal.'”
“As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false,” the statement continued. “While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”
