Justin Baldoni has been dropped by WME.
The decision to part ways with the “It Ends with Us” director and star came from the agency Saturday after Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against him Friday night, sources have confirmed.
Baldoni was informed of the decision Saturday, sources said. WME also reps Lively, and based on the seriousness of the allegations in Lively’s complaint, the agency felt action needed to be taken swiftly.
WME had no comment.
In a copy of the complaint acquired by Variety, Lively cited “severe emotional harm” inflicted upon her and her family by Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and of launching a smear campaign against her following the release of “It Ends With Us.” Shortly after the news broke, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman slammed the accusations as “shameful” and “categorically false.”
According to the complaint lodged with the California Civil Rights Department, a meeting was held in January 2024 between Lively and Baldoni to address her return to the “It Ends with Us” set after the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes had ended. Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband, was reportedly present.
At said meeting, Lively claimed that Baldoni complained about her weight to her trainer, inappropriately discussed his sex life and pressured her to disclose her religious beliefs. She also claimed that Jamey Heath, a “It Ends with Us” producer and the CEO of Wayfarer Studios, showed her a video of his wife giving birth.
Lively also alleged that, after she demanded Baldoni not add any more sex scenes than what was already in the script, which was approved by Sony Pictures according to the complaint, Baldoni launched a campaign of “social manipulation” to “destroy” Lively’s reputation. Variety has reached out to Sony Pictures for comment.
Other claims in the filing include Heath and Baldoni describing their “previous pornography addiction” and barging into her make-up trailer unannounced while she was breastfeeding her newborn baby. The complaint also included emails and texts between Lively, Baldoni and his publicity team explaining plans to push back on the actress’s complaints if they ever became public.
