Blake Lively's Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Justin Baldoni Explained

Months after speculation about alleged beef between It Ends with Us stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, a lawsuit has been filed by the Gossip Girl star against Justin, which includes some pretty serious allegations.

Back in August, fans were left wondering why Blake wasn’t promoting the film with Justin and why so few people involved with the film were following him on social media. Well, it looks like we finally have an answer to what's been going on between Blake and Justin, and it’s not what you’d expect.

Blake is suing Justin for sexual harassment and efforts to destroy her reputation, according to a legal document obtained by TMZ. The lawsuit, filed in December 2024, sheds light on the issues that were allegedly kept under wraps during filming.

While the specific allegations of sexual harassment haven’t been detailed, a list of demands previously addressed by the production team provides insight into what Blake is alleging. The lawsuit notes that during filming, tensions escalated, leading to an "all-hands-on-deck meeting" where Blake claimed she was subjected to a hostile work environment due to Justin's alleged conduct.

Among the demands outlined in the lawsuit, per TMZ, were: no mention of Justin’s alleged "pornography addiction," no displaying of nude content to Blake, no discussions of cast and crew's genitalia, no more questions about Blake's weight or her deceased father (who passed in June 2021), and no more talk of "sexual conquests" in Blake’s presence.

Blake's husband, Ryan Reynolds, was one of the attendees of the meeting, the media outlet noted, so it's likely he will be able to corroborate his wife's claims.

The list of demands also requested that no more sex or intimate scenes involving Blake be filmed "outside the scope of the script [Blake] approved when signing onto the project."

It seems Justin knew this was a long time coming. Perhaps in preparation for his looming battle with Blake, he hired a crisis PR manager — the same one hired by Johnny Depp during the Amber Heard case, per The Hollywood Reporter, in August 2024.

While not much was said prior to the lawsuit, he is now speaking up. According to TMZ, Justin’s legal team is calling the legal action "a false attempt to rehab her reputation." His lawyer claims the lawsuit is an effort for Blake to "fix her negative reputation," describing the allegations as "false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt."

Justin’s lawyer further noted that Justin claimed Blake was "a nightmare on set," per TMZ, even going as far as saying she "threatened to not show up to set, threatened to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release."

If you haven’t heard, the film is being widely considered a flop, and it’s not hard to see why. The tone and portrayal of the storyline, combined with Blake and Justin's onset issues, likely impacted the final product. On top of that, the backlash against Colleen Hoover, the author of the book It Ends With Us, has contributed to the film's poor reception.

The movie, based on Colleen's novel, has struck a nerve with viewers due to its portrayal of a violent and abusive relationship, leading many to accuse the author of romanticizing toxic dynamics. However, this isn’t a new concept in the world of romance, and Colleen shouldn’t bear all the blame for it. We all remember Fifty Shades of Grey, don't we?