Justin Baldoni, aka the guy who directed It Ends With Us and made you cry during Jane the Virgin, just got the cold Hollywood shoulder from his talent agency, WME. Why? Allegations from his former co-star Blake Lively that are spicier than the hot wings at your Super Bowl party.
Letโs set the scene: Justin (40, actor/director/possibly wondering if he shouldโve gone into accounting instead) worked with Blake (37, actress/style icon/queen of snarky Twitter exchanges with Ryan Reynolds) on It Ends With Us. The movie premiered this summer, but apparently, behind the scenes, it was less โromantic dramaโ and more โchaotic energy meets workplace feud.โ
Fast forward to December 21st (because nothing says “holiday cheer” like a lawsuit), Blake filed allegations against Justin claiming sexual assault and career sabotage. Meanwhile, WMEโwho apparently didnโt feel like mediating a Hollywood version of Jerry Springerโdropped Justin faster than youโd ditch your gym membership in February.
WME: โNo Comment, But You Know Whyโ
According to Deadline, WME officially severed ties with Justin on Saturday morning, citing those pesky allegations as a contributing factor. Not one to leave us hanging, Justinโs lawyer dropped a statement longer than your Aunt Lindaโs Facebook posts about her cats.
Justin’s Statement: A Monologue for the Ages
Picture this: Justinโs lawyer, Bryan Freedman, furiously typing while sipping his third double-shot espresso, delivers a Shakespearean-worthy defense of his client. The gist? Blakeโs claims are โfalse, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.โ (Word of the day: salacious!)
He also accused Blake of hiring a PR wizard to spin a web of bad press about him, Wayfarer Studios (his production company), and the movie. Not content with merely denying allegations, the statement also painted Blake as the diva to end all divasโthreatening to skip set, skip interviews, and basically skip everything unless her demands were met.
Meanwhile, Justinโs crisis manager reportedly strategized their โinternal scenario planningโ (read: prepping for the PR apocalypse). This whole thing is messier than Thanksgiving dinner when your relatives bring up politics.
Whatโs Next?
As of now, WME is mum, Justin is lawyered up, and Blake hasnโt responded publicly. Meanwhile, the internet is doing what it does bestโpicking sides, creating memes, and wondering how Ryan Reynolds is reacting to all this.
Stay tuned. In Hollywood, the drama never endsโit just moves to the next lawsuit.