Before the film’s release last year, there were whispers about disagreements between Baldoni and Lively on set, suggesting a falling out.
During the press tour for It Ends With Us, the fact that Baldoni, also the film’s director, and Lively were rarely seen together, intensified rumors of their strained relationship.
Shortly before Christmas, Blake Lively, known for her role in Gossip Girl, filed a significant lawsuit against Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment.
She further accused him and his team of orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has dismissed her allegations as ‘completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media’.
Baldoni is reportedly planning to countersue Lively, with Freedman asserting that the action will ‘expose the truth’.
Although Baldoni has not yet filed an official countersuit against Lively, he has initiated a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times, the outlet that first reported Lively’s lawsuit against him.
The article included serious allegations against Baldoni, such as him ‘repeatedly entering [Lively’s] makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed, including when she was breastfeeding’.
Baldoni’s lawsuit argues: “The Times story relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative, lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.”
The newspaper has stated its intent to defend against Baldoni’s claims.
As Baldoni, known for his role in Jane the Virgin, attempts to restore his public image, a voicenote has come to light detailing his experiences during the premiere of It Ends With Us.
On The Megyn Kelly Show, Baldoni is heard in the message recounting: “On what could have been one of the most beautiful nights of my life career wise, I literally was sent to the basement with all my friends and family for over an hour because I wasn’t allowed to be seen, she didn’t want me anywhere near her or the rest of the cast.”
The identity of the ‘she’ Baldoni refers to is not specified.
He continued: “We start laughing because of the ridiculousness of this whole thing.
“I was in the basement with the people that love me the most and we were all joyful and laughing cos none of that sh*t matters, none of it.”