**UPDATE:** On June 2, 2023, Blake Lively initiated a text dialogue with Justin Baldoni, her director and co-star from “It Ends With Us,” expressing frustration about her assistant not delivering the latest script pages. Lively explained, “She didn’t realize they were new,” adding, “New pages can always be sent to me as well please.” She concluded her message with an “X,” a conventional signifier of affection. Shortly after, she texted again, stating, “I’m just pumping in my trailer if you want to work out our lines.” Baldoni replied, “Copy. Eating with crew and will head that way.” Eighteen months later, this seemingly innocuous exchange was portrayed in a New York Times report with a much darker implication. The article alleged that Baldoni “repeatedly entered her makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed, including when she was breastfeeding.”
This discrepancy is one of many highlighted in a scathing $250 million lawsuit filed by Baldoni in Los Angeles Superior Court. Baldoni, alongside a group of ten plaintiffs including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, accuses the Times of libel and false light invasion of privacy over a December 21 article titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.” The plaintiffs assert that the Times relied on selectively presented and manipulated communications, stripped of critical context, designed to mislead readers.
In response, a New York Times spokesperson asserted, “An independent news organization’s duty is to pursue the facts diligently. Our report was meticulously researched and based on a thorough examination of original documents, including accurately quoted text messages and emails. To date, Wayfarer Studios, Mr. Baldoni, and the other subjects have not identified any factual inaccuracies. We published their full statement addressing the article’s allegations and are prepared to robustly defend against the lawsuit.”
The comprehensive 87-page complaint, which also charges the Times with promissory fraud and breach of contract, directly challenges the narrative detailed in the evocative 4,000-word article that has sent shockwaves through Hollywood, precipitating WME’s decision to drop Baldoni as a client mere hours after publication. The article, authored by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate, depicted Lively as an actress allegedly subjected to months of sexual harassment by Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath. This portrayal contrasted sharply with the allegations made in the lawsuit, asserting that Lively herself orchestrated a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign and weaponized false accusations of harassment to gain unilateral control over the production.
This ongoing dispute further escalated when Lively’s representatives confirmed imminent legal action against Wayfarer Studios and Baldoni, citing retaliatory behavior against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety violations. The ramifications of this unfolding situation will likely dominate headlines as the legal proceedings progress.
Vocabulary List:
- Discrepancy /dɪsˈkrɛpənsi/ (noun): A lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts.
- Implication /ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃən/ (noun): A conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated.
- Allegation /ˌæləˈɡeɪʃən/ (noun): A claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong typically one made without proof.
- Fraud /frɔːd/ (noun): Wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.
- Narrative /ˈnærətɪv/ (noun): A spoken or written account of connected events; a story.
- Retaliatory /rɪˈtæliəˌtɔːri/ (adjective): Characterized by actions taken in return for an injury or wrong.
How much do you know?
