In a legal battle that has gripped Hollywood, Blake Lively has made new bombshell Justin Baldoni claims, which include talking to her dead dad and orgasms.
Blake Lively has filed an amended version of her lawsuit against her former on-screen lover and director Justin Baldini, reports the Mirror.
The pair starred together in hugely successful hit It Ends with Us before Lively, 37, accused Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment. He countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, for £321million, accusing them of trying to destroy his reputation and career. Here we run through some of the latest accusations:
Talking to the dead
Baldoni upset Lively by claiming he could “talk to her dead father,” the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit says: “For example, he claimed he could speak to the dead, and on several occasions told Ms. Lively that he had spoken to her recently-deceased father.
“On one occasion when he claimed to have spoken with Ms. Lively’s dead father (a person whom Mr. Baldoni had never met), Ms. Lively attempted to deflect the comment with humor, telling Mr. Baldoni: “let him know he owes me 40 bucks.” Mr. Baldoni replied, “Wait, does he really?”
“Ms. Lively was shocked that Mr. Baldoni was pushing the conversation further, and replied with another attempt at humorous deflection, stating, “Oh god no. He owes me so much more than that.” Mr. Baldoni then closed his eyes, put his hand on his heart, and said, “I was leaving my apartment this morning, and I reached into my pocket… and there was $40 dollars in there, that I did not put there.” This exchange deeply disturbed Ms. Lively, and it was not (as Defendants have since claimed) limited to Mr. Baldoni simply claiming to pray for her father.”
‘Alarming’ car ride
Lively alleges she was left “alarmed” by his comments about sexual consent. The lawsuit states: “During a car ride with Ms. Lively, her assistant, and driver, Mr. Baldoni claimed to Ms. Lively that he had been sexually abused by a former girlfriend (which he has since shared publicly).
“At the end this story, Mr. Baldoni shared that it had caused him to reexamine his past. He then said: “Did I always ask for consent? No. Did I always listen when they said no? No.” Mr. Baldoni claimed this was an example of how we all have things from which we can learn and grow.
“Ms. Lively was alarmed by Mr. Baldoni’s suggestion that he had engaged in sexual conduct without consent. When Ms. Lively exited the car, her driver immediately remarked that he did not want Ms. Lively to be alone with Mr. Baldoni going forward.”
Struggled to get out of bed
Lively claims the legal battle with Baldoni left her with “extreme anxiety” and “traumatized” her children. “The emotional impact on Ms. Lively has been extreme, not only affecting her, but her family, including her husband and four children. There are days when she has struggled to get out of bed, and she frequently chooses not to venture outside in public.
While she has fought to maintain her personal life and business interests, behind closed doors she has suffered from grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety. She also has been experiencing repeated and painful physical symptoms as a result of this experience.
“Mr. Reynolds, too, has been affected mentally, physically, and professionally by his wife’s and children’s pain,” the complaint continues. “Worst of all, however, has been the impact on their young children, who have been traumatized and emotionally uprooted in ways that have substantially impacted their well-being.”
Invasive sex chat
Lively claims that Baldoni quizzed, in excruciating detail, about her sex-life with movie star husband Ryan Reynolds. It came after he tried to insert a graphic sex scene into the film without her consent.
The lawsuit states: “After Ms. Lively signed onto the movie based on a draft of the script, Mr. Baldoni, without Ms. Lively’s knowledge or consent, personally added graphic content, including a scene in which Ms. Lively was to orgasm on-camera.
“When Ms. Lively objected to these additions, Mr. Baldoni insisted he had added them because he was making the Film “through the female gaze.” Although he agreed to remove the scenes, he made a last-ditch attempt to keep one in which the couple orgasm together on their wedding night, which he said was important to him because he and his partner climax simultaneously during intercourse. Mr. Baldoni then intrusively asked Ms. Lively whether she and her husband climax simultaneously during intercourse, which Ms. Lively found invasive and refused to discuss.”
Others to come forward?
Lively says two other actresses are set to testify against Baldoni in a Hollywood sexual harassment case. The updated lawsuit says Lively texted a woman in May 2023 to say: “I was gonna invite you to set tomorrow. These people. Whoa ? It’s like HR nuts today. The both of them. I came home and cried.”
Lively later describes Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath in a text as “creeps”, adding: “Keep your hormones to yourselves. I don’t want you [sic] gaze or words or tongue or videos of your naked wife.” Lively is said to have reported her concerns to film firm Sony at the time.
Baldoni allegedly called Lively and another woman “sexy”. It is claimed Sony was told of that too.
His lawyer Bryan Freedman says the suit is “filled with unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed persons who are clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims.” He adds that his clients — Baldoni, his publicists, and Wayfarer Studios — “have been transparent in providing receipts, real time documents and video showing a completely different story than what has been manipulated and cherry picked to the media.”
Freedman also hit out at Lively and Reynolds going on the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special last weekend in which they appeared to joke about the saga. “Our clients have taken this matter and these issues very seriously notwithstanding the jokes made publicly by the plaintiff and her husband.” Freedman said. He added: “Since documents do not lie and people do, the upcoming depositions of those who initially supported Ms. Lively’s false claims and those who are witnesses to her own behavior will be enlightening. What is truly uncomfortable here is Ms. Lively’s lack of actual evidence.”
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