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Topics: Blake Lively, Celebrity, Justin Baldoni, Netflix, TV And Film
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Blake Lively, Celebrity, Justin Baldoni, Netflix, TV And Film
A comedian has broken her silence after making a pretty controversial Blake Lively joke amidst her lawsuit.
In December, Lively filed the claim against Baldoni accusing him of sexual harassment and alleges that he tried to launch a 'social manipulation' campaign against her.
Her suit claims this alleged smear campaign and his behaviour caused 'severe emotional distress' for both her and her family, amongst other allegations.
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Lively's lawsuit also alleges that during filming, a meeting was held so that Lively could outline her demands to her It Ends With Us co-star, Baldoni, and that her husband Ryan Reynolds was in attendance.
Some of her alleged demands included: "No more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous 'pornography addiction', no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father."
According to the complaint, she also demanded her co-star and director didn’t add any more 'sex scenes, oral sex, or on camera climaxing' to the film outside of what was in the script she had approved initially.
As well as alleging these demands, the complaint accuses Baldoni of aiming to 'destroy' Lively's reputation, with alleged text messages between Baldoni and his team also included in the documents.
Baldoni's lawyers have vehemently denied all the claims made in the complaint, calling them 'categorically false'.
Comedian Hannah Berner recently starred in a new Netflix comedy special titled Torching 2024: A Roast of the Year which was released to the streamer on Friday (27 December).
While on stage, Berner could be seen telling the crowd as part of her stand-up routine: "The word c*nt was trending this year."
"I don't think Blake Lively was that bad," she then joked while the crowd erupted into a chorus of laughter.
The same day the Netflix special came out, Berner came forward to address the remark given it's ill-timing.
Taking to Instagram, she said: "My joke in the Netflix special was filmed before news of the lawsuit. To be 100 percent clear, I support Blake xoxo."
Lively has since shared a statement following the complaint's release, telling The New York Times: "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, said: "It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives."
Freedman said Lively's suit was 'yet another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions'.
He continued: "These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."
He further stated that Baldoni 'made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film' as a result of due 'multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met'.
Freedman recently told PEOPLE and Deadline that Baldoni is planning a countersue, which he claims will 'shock everyone'.
Tyla has previously contacted Sony Pictures, Baldoni, and Lively’s representatives for comment.