Justin Baldoni stripped of women’s solidarity award

Justin Baldoni has been stripped of a women’s solidarity award as more It Ends With Us co-stars come out in support of Blake Lively.

Justin Baldoni has been stripped of a women’s solidarity honour recently awarded to him as another It Ends With Us co-star comes out in support of Blake Lively who has accused the actor of sexual harassment and mounting a smear campaign against her.

Baldoni was honoured by Vital Voices, a global non-profit organisation that focuses on empowering women, with the award for “remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls” on December 9.

The organisation announced on Monday that it rescinded the award after the legal complaint filed by Lively alleged “abhorrent conduct” by the actor, his studio and a crisis public relations team that it said was “contrary to the values” it held.

Baldoni posted about the award on his Instagram page, saying he was “deeply honoured and humbled” and noting the continued work to needed to be done to help future generations of men.

“My hope is that we can teach our boys, while they are still young, that vulnerability is strength, sensitivity is a super power, and empathy makes them powerful,” he said in the post.

In a statement on Monday, Vital Voices explained it had revoked the award and notified Baldoni of the decision.

Actor/filmmaker and VOS Honoree, Justin Baldoni speaks onstage at the Vital Voices 12th Annual Voices of Solidarity Awards at IAC Building on December 09, 2024 in New York City. Picture: Getty Images.

Baldoni, 40, who directed and starred in the film adaptation of the bestselling Colleen Hoover novel alongside Lively, has denied all the accusations made against him in the suit.

It Ends With Us actors Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate are the pair’s latest costar to speak out about allegations Lively leveled against Baldoni.

Sklenar, 34, voiced his support for Lively, 37, in an Instagram story he shared on Monday, posting a link to a New York Times article which has the complete legal filing Lively submitted.

“For the love of god read this,” wrote the actor, who played Lively’s childhood sweetheart Atlas Corrigan in It Ends With Us.

Brandon Sklenar expressed support for Lively in an Instagram post. Picture: Cindy Ord/Getty Images.

Actress Jenny Slate has thrown her support behind Lively. Picture: Mike Coppola/Getty Images.

Sklenar also tagged Lively’s Instagram account and added a heart emoji next to her handle.

Meanwhile, Slate, 42, said in a statement obtained by TODAY.com that the allegations within Lively’s complaint are “terribly dark” and “disturbing.”

“As Blake Lively’s cast mate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” Slate said on Monday. “Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.”

“What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing and wholly threatening,” she added. “I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on the set of It Ends with Us on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. PIcture: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images.

Justin Baldoni attends the It Ends With Us New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on August 06, 2024. Picture: Cindy Ord/Getty Images.

Hoover, 45, who in addition to having penned the source material was an executive producer on the movie, also backed the actress in an Instagram story on Saturday.

“You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met,” she captioned a photo of her hugging the star.

“Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”

Over the weekend, Lively filed a complaint claiming that Baldoni and a lead producer had behaved unacceptably during the filming of the box office hit.

The allegations included that Baldoni had spoken inappropriately about his sex life, and had sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to.

They also detailed how lead producer Jamey Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away.

The complaint goes into great detail – including with texts and emails – on a PR campaign to wreck her reputation and to divert attention from any public comments she might make about the men’s alleged misbehaviour.

This was “a carefully crafted, co-ordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others from speaking out about the hostile environment that Mr Baldoni and Mr Heath created,” the complaint says.

It includes allegations that the two men hired a crisis PR team that amplified or planted negative stories about Lively on social media platforms in “a coordinated effort” to destroy her reputation following the movie’s release.

“You know we can bury anyone,” Melissa Nathan, a member of the team, is alleged to have said, according to messages contained in the complaint.

A chorus of support is growing behind actress Blake Lively after she filed a complaint over the weekend, alleging sexual harassment and a smear campaign against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni. Picture: Etienne Laurent / AFP.

A chorus of support is growing behind Lively after she filed the complaint against Baldoni.

Actress Amber Heard on Monday became the latest celebrity to speak out on behalf of the Gossip Girl alum over what she says was a co-ordinated social media effort to tarnish her name.

Heard’s ex-husband Johnny Depp hired the same PR team during the high-profile defamation trial between the couple in 2022, in which a jury unanimously found that Heard defamed Depp over allegations he abused her.

“Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on,’” Heard said in a statement carried by NBC News.

“I saw this first-hand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.” Heard’s support came on the heels of a joint statement by America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel, who starred with Lively in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”

“As Blake’s friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” they wrote on Instagram.

“Throughout the filming of ‘It Ends with Us’, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.” A lawyer for Wayfarer, the studio behind the film, said in a statement released to the New York Times that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Lively.

“These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media,” lawyer Bryan Freedman wrote.

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively on the set of It Ends with Us on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Picture: ose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images.

The complaint was lodged with the California Civil Rights Department, and is a precursor to a lawsuit.

Major Hollywood talent agency WME – which represents Lively – has reportedly dropped Baldoni as a client.

- With AFP