It Ends with Us actor and director Justin Baldoni, 40, has had a women’s solidarity honour rescinded following allegations of sexual harassment and attempts to operate a smear campaign against his co-star Blake Lively, 37.
The Voices of Solidarity Award, which celebrates men who have shown “courage and compassion” in supporting women and girls, was presented to Baldani earlier this month by Vital Voices in New York on 9 December.
Baldani has previously talked about the dangers of “toxic masculinity” and expressed feeling “deeply honoured and humbled” by the recognition in a now-deleted Instagram post, according to BBC reports.
"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 continued.
In a statement released on Monday, however, the non-profit revealed that it has rescinded the award and notified Baldani of their decision.
“On Saturday, December 21, we learned through news reports about a lawsuit brought by Blake Lively against Mr. Baldoni, his publicists, and others that is disturbing and alleges abhorrent conduct.”
Lively’s legal complaint against the director and his team allege “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour”, which includes circulating content of nude women, excessive sexual discussions among employees and crew members, touching Lively and making sexual comments about her without her consent, improvised kissing and intimate touching on set, filming Lively nude without her consent and more.
The filing also details a “multi-tiered plan” orchestrated by Baldoni and his team to “destroy” Lively’s reputation via “social manipulation.”
Over the weekend, messages between Baldani and his PR team, TAG PR, were leaked. One message shows Baldani sharing a smear thread of model Hailey Bieber, 28, saying “This is what we would need”.
The same public relations firm working with Baldani has also been linked to Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt, who have also faced allegations of abuse. The association has led some social media users to draw parallels between each scenario.
“Three abusers, one PR company,” one X user wrote in a viral tweet.
Amber Heard, who settled a defamation suit with ex-husband Johnny Depp in 2022, following accusations of abuse, commented on the Blake Lively allegations, telling NBC News, "Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying, “A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.' I saw this firsthand and up close. It's as horrifying as it is destructive."
Baldoni's legal team have stated that the allegations in Lively’s complaint against him are "categorically false" brought out of an attempt to mend her “negative reputation”.
In a series of now-deleted Facebook posts, Baldani’s crisis team, TAG PR, argued that the leaked text messages were taken out of “critical context.” They claim they were hired to support the director in navigating threats from Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, who they described as “two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources.”
It Ends with Us, which premiered in August of this year in New York, Lively plays a woman trapped in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, played by Baldoni. The film reportedly grossed $351 million in worldwide box offices.
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