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Ryan Reynolds Is ‘So Proud’ of Blake Lively for ‘Standing Up for Herself’ Amid Justin Baldoni Lawsuit
She was painted as the villain. Amid rumors of a rift with It Ends With Us director and costar Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively found herself dubbed a “mean girl” as they promoted the movie’s August release. Unflattering interviews from the past — where she seemed to mock journalists — suddenly resurfaced, while the Gossip Girl alum also got labeled as “tone-deaf” and “fake” for plugging the film about domestic violence through tie-ins with her personal brands.
Blake stayed silent on the ugly accusations — until now. On December 20, she filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against Justin, alleging he hired a crisis-management team to destroy her reputation after she reported his inappropriate behavior on set. Eleven days later, an official lawsuit was filed. Among her disturbing claims? Blake says Justin openly discussed his sex life, allowed nonessential personnel on set when she was mostly nude, and entered her trailer while she was breastfeeding. The Betty Buzz founder alleges he attempted to add gratuitous sex scenes and weight-shamed her, too.
“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct ,” Blake, 37, told The New York Times, “and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
But lawyers for Justin, 40, deny any wrongdoing, calling his leading lady’s allegations “completely false.” In fact, on December 31, he filed a $250M lawsuit against The New York Times over its coverage of the accusations. (The newspaper insists its story was “meticulously ” reported.) Justin’s attorneys had previously teased that even more countersuits could be in the works, promising their documents and evidence would “shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative.”
Blake’s side of the story is quite shocking itself. She contends that Justin — who has since been dropped by his talent agency — became concerned when she stopped following him on social media, so he hired the PR team Johnny Depp used during his libel suit against Amber Heard. Messages obtained by her lawyers show discussion of a “multitiered plan” using “social manipulation” to “destroy” Blake’s reputation. The successful smear campaign left her, husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, and their four young children “traumatized,” according to Blake.
However, Justin says Blake — and Ryan — aren’t so innocent. He’s accused his costar of trying to ban him from the It Ends With Us premiere and Ryan of “aggressively berating” him. Though even more mudslinging is expected to ensue, “Ryan is so proud of Blake for standing up for herself,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style. “She is going to see this fight through to the end.”
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