“When the world hands you lemons, make lemonade,” they say. But what happens when Hollywood hands you a full-on legal battle, an explosive cover story, and a tug-of-war over reputations? For Blake Lively, the answer is simple: You don’t just sit back and hope it blows over. You have to fight back!
Ryan Reynolds’ wife didn’t hold back a single punch when she called out The Hollywood Reporter for serving up a “sexist trope” in their cover story about her legal battle with Justin Baldoni. A new lawsuit filed by Lively claims her time on set wasn’t just filled with awkward silences and minor disagreements—no, it was steeped in “invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior.”
And as if that wasn’t enough to stir the pot, the THR cover story seems to have only poured gasoline on the fire. Instead of playing it cool, Lively’s camp is calling out THR for framing her as “the aggressor” in this messy situation—and they’re not backing down anytime soon.
Blake Lively takes a stand: legal battle erupts over THR cover
Blake Lively isn’t just the girl next door, she’s a seasoned actress with an impressive portfolio, and she’s not one to sit idly by when her name’s dragged through the mud. When the cover image from The Hollywood Reporter was released, showing her holding a slingshot while Baldoni appeared to be cowering with the book that inspired the film, it felt like a punch in the gut.
Lively’s legal team wasted no time in calling it out as a clear case of sexism According to her representative (via Fox News Digital):
The framing in this picture is outrageously insulting as it plays into every sexist trope about women who dare file a workplace complaint, turning them into the aggressor, and suggesting they deserve the retaliation that comes their way.
In her lawsuit, which has now turned into an ongoing legal war, Lively claims she, along with others, suffered “unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” at the hands of Baldoni while filming the romantic drama. And yet, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Baldoni’s faith was somehow tied into the entire ordeal, questioning whether his Baha’i religion had anything to do with his actions.
One source familiar with Baldoni’s 2019 film Five Feet Apart told THR that the director was “talking about his religion a lot” on set. The insider even compared it to Scientology, though with “less of the prominence and people hovering at all times.”
That’s quite a loaded comparison, isn’t it? However, another source disagreed, arguing that Baldoni’s religious beliefs didn’t have the same influence during production.
Baha’i faith, creepy jokes, & courtroom drama: The shocking allegations against Justin Baldoni
As if this whole drama wasn’t spicy enough, The Hollywood Reporter threw in a curveball by bringing up Justin Baldoni’s religion. Their article suggested that Justin Baldoni’s Baha’i faith could somehow explain the alleged tensions on set. Um, what? Anyway, Blake Lively’s lawsuit never mentioned Baldoni’s faith.
If we thought the Baha’i religion was a twist, wait till you hear about the rest of the accusations. According to Lively, it wasn’t just her who had a rough ride on set. Two other actresses allegedly felt uncomfortable with Baldoni’s behavior. The actress also alleged Baldoni made a joke about missing the “s*xual harassment meeting” after asking her if he’d crossed the line (via Yahoo).
It doesn’t stop there, though. Text messages included in the complaint show Lively calling Baldoni and executive producer Jamey Heath “creeps” and detailing how she was so uncomfortable with the whole situation.
Now, we’re left with a courtroom drama that would rival any scripted show in terms of twists. Lively’s camp says the support of credible witnesses will tip the scales in her favor, and if the testimonies of the other actresses who felt uncomfortable are anything to go by, she might just have the upper hand. Legal expert Heidi Reavis even weighed in, saying (via Fox News):
If third-party witnesses can support Lively’s version of events, and especially if Baldoni cannot, she will definitely have the upper hand when it comes to her credibility and the veracity of her claims.
Whether or not Lively’s claims stand up in court is yet to be seen, but don’t count her out just yet. As they say, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” and in this case, we’ve got a long way to go before the final act.
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