Solidarity award rescinded amid Blake Lively claims
Getty ImagesA women’s solidarity honor recently awarded to Justin Baldoni has been revoked after he was accused of sexual harassment by “End of Us” co-star Blake Lively and launched a campaign to “sabotage” her Reputation movement.
Earlier this month, Baldoni received an award from Vital Voices, a global non-profit organization focused on female empowerment.
The organization announced late Monday it was withdrawing the award after Lively filed legal action, alleging “abhorrent conduct” by the actor, his studio and crisis communications team, which it said was “contrary to The nonprofit’s values.” .
Baldoni’s legal team told the BBC the allegations were “absolutely false” and said they hired a crisis manager because Lively threatened to disrupt filming if her demands were not met .
In the romantic drama, Lively plays a woman who finds herself in a relationship with a charming but abusive boyfriend, played by Baldoni.
this Voice of Unity Award Vital Voices honored Baldoni at a Dec. 9 ceremony in New York, the company said in a statement. The award, presented by comedian Hasan Minhaj, honors “outstanding men who have demonstrated courage and compassion in advocating for women and girls.”
He posted information about the award on his website Instagram pagesaid he was “deeply honored and humbled” and noted the need for continued efforts to help future generations.
“I hope we can teach our children at a young age that vulnerability is strength, sensitivity is superpower, and empathy makes them powerful,” he said in the post.
Vital Voices explained in a statement on Monday that it had withdrawn the award and notified Baldoni of the decision.
Less than two weeks after the awards ceremony, Lively, best known for her role on the TV show Gossip Girl, submitted legal complaint Accusing Baldoni and his team of attacking her public image. She said in the complaint that the attack occurred after Baldoni and the film’s producers held a meeting to discuss “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior.”
According to documents filed with the California Department of Civil Rights, 30 demands related to the pair’s alleged misconduct were made at the meeting to ensure they could continue making the film. The list included requests such as no more references to Baldoni’s “porn addiction,” no more depictions of genitals and no more intimate scenes added without her approval when she read the script.
Lively also accused Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of leading a “multi-layered plan” to damage her reputation in the media and online, including hiring a crisis manager who led a “complex, coordinated campaign” against her and well-funded revenge plan” and used a “digital army” to publish social media content that appeared to be authentic.
Baldoni’s attorney, Brian Friedman, said the allegations are “absolutely false” in a statement Saturday in response to the legal complaint.
Friedman accused Lively of making numerous demands and threats, including “threats not to show up on the set, threats not to promote the film” that would “ultimately result in the film’s demise during its release if her demands were not met.”
He claimed Lively’s comments were “intentionally obscene with the intent to publicly harm and retell the narrative in the media.”
