A recent award honoring actor and director Justin Baldoni for his “courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls” was rescinded after a complaint filed by actor Blake Lively accused him of sexual harassment. Allegations of harassment and coordinated efforts to harm them were made. Prestige.
Baldoni was presented the Voice of Solidarity Award on December 9 by the Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international non-profit organization focused on women’s empowerment.
In a statement on December 23, the organization said that Baldoni’s alleged “abhorrent conduct” detailed in Lively’s filing is “contrary to Vital Voices’ values and the spirit of the award.”
On December 21, Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni, the director and co-star of her film It Ends with Us. The complaint alleges that Baldoni sexually harassed Lively and then made coordinated efforts to damage her reputation through a “social manipulation” campaign.
Baldoni has acted in and directed various films and TV shows, most notably The CW’s Jane the Virgin, and he is co-owner of Wayfarer Studios, the film company that produced It Ends With, a romantic drama film released earlier this year. As was created.
According to the complaint, Baldoni and Wayfarer CEO Jamie Heath engaged in “inappropriate misconduct” with Lively and other cast members during production of the film. The complaint states that conditions were allegedly so bad that on January 4, Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds met with Baldoni, Heath and other producers to discuss a list of demands “to address the hostile work environment.” , which almost derailed the production. the film.
The list included demands that Baldoni and Heath immediately stop engaging in non-consensual inappropriate and personal conversations about sex with Lively and other women on set. It also included requirements for the film to film sexual and intimate scenes. All parties agreed to implement and follow what was discussed during the meeting.
After newsletter promotion
However, prior to the film’s release, Baldoni and Heath reportedly hired a crisis public relations specialist to go on the offensive against Lively. According to the messages included in the complaint, they engaged in a coordinated effort to damage Lively’s reputation by spreading negative stories about her on social media. The public relations effort was reportedly successful. “She was labeled as being unable to speak without a voice, difficult to work with, a bully,” he said. New York Times wrote,
In a statement to the Times, Baldoni’s lawyer said Lively’s claims were “completely false, defamatory and deliberately defamatory with the intent to hurt the public and repeat a narrative in the media”.
Baldoni previously positioned himself as a #MeToo ally during the height of the movement, and published a book that he said challenged notions of traditional masculinity.
Following the recent news of Lively’s complaint, Baldoni’s talent agency, WME, stopped representing her. The author of the book It Ends With Us, on which the film was based, also spoke out in support of Lively, writing on Instagram: “Blake’s ability to sit back and refuse to be ‘buried’ is nothing short of inspiring. “