Justin Baldoni is claiming Blake Lively “segregated” him and his team during the premiere of their movie It Ends With Us in August 2024.

Blake is facing a bombshell lawsuit from her co-star Justin, who claimed that during the film’s premiere on August 6, 2024, the actress demanded he not attend the event.

Justin reportedly said Blake threatened a cast boycott and relegated him and his group to a “basement” holding area, away from the main premiere event. 

In the actor’s new lawsuit, he alleged that while he was celebrating his wife’s birthday overseas, he was “informed that Lively demanded he not attend the Film’s premiere on August 6, 2024.”

Justin Baldoni is claiming Blake Lively “segregated” him and his team during the premiere of their movie It Ends With Us in August 2024

Image credits: John Nacion/Variety/Getty Images

TMZ reported on Thursday (January 16) that the lawsuit claimed: “Lively further threatened that if Baldoni attended the premiere, she and the majority of the cast would boycott.

“It remained unclear what Lively had communicated to or promised the cast, but they now also refused to attend if Baldoni was present.”

According to the legal documents, Justin “refused to succumb to the bullying tactics” and “refused to give in to this entirely unreasonable demand and valiantly searched for a compromise with Lively” so they could attend. 

Image credits: justinbaldoni

The 40-year-old also claimed that a few days before the premiere, he still wasn’t sure whether he would be “allowed” to attend.

Justin and his legal team further alleged: “Finally, through Sony, Wayfarer persuaded Lively to ‘permit’ Baldoni and the Wayfarer team, along with their friends and family, to attend—though only under demeaning and humiliating conditions.” 

Sony and Wayfarer Studios are production companies that were involved in the making and promotion of It Ends With Us. Moreover, Wayfarer Studios was co-founded by Justin.

Blake is facing a bombshell lawsuit from her co-star Justin

Image credits: United States District Court

The actor and his lawyers also said that his team was “relegated to a separate theater to view the Film, required to arrive at a different time than the rest of the cast, and instructed to leave the red carpet immediately once Lively arrived.”

The lawsuit mentioned that Justin was also “excluded from the official celebrity after-party, despite it being an event ultimately paid for by Sony and Wayfarer.” 

As a result, Justin alleged that he had to “quickly organize and fund a separate after-party for himself and the Wayfarer team, forcing the company to cover the costs for two events—one for Lively and everyone else, and one for Baldoni and Wayfarer’s own friends, family, crew, and team.”

Image credits: United States District Court

While the Los Angeles, California native underwent interviews on the red carpet, he said his time was “abruptly cut short when it was conveyed that Lively was on her way, and he was instructed to stop immediately.” 

Justin went on to claim that shortly after this moment, “he and his family were quickly ushered away” and escorted “to the basement of the building.”

The lawsuit read: “There, they were confined to a makeshift holding area surrounded by concession stand stock, with only foldout tables and chairs arranged in a square.”

Justin claimed that, during the film’s premiere on August 6, 2024, Blake demanded he not attend the event

Image credits: John Nacion/Variety/Getty Images

“Surrounded by close friends, family, soda bottles, and a lot of love, the irony of being held in a basement on what was arguably one of the most important nights of Baldoni’s career thus far was not lost on anyone.”

The lawsuit included two photographs from the so-called “basement.” One image showed Justin celebrating with those around him while seated on folding chairs, and another captured his group posing near stacks of soda and water bottles.

According to his lawsuit, Justin and his group were eventually “ushered” into a separate theater to see the film after the main area was “deemed ‘clear'” of Blake and her guests.

Image credits: justinbaldoni

Justin and his party were “quickly escorted out of the building by security to avoid even a chance of interaction with Lively or her guests,” the Jane the Virgin star alleged.

In addition to movie premiere segregation claims, the lawsuit accused Blake of orchestrating a scheme to destroy Justin’s career, alleging that the actress “cooked up a scheme to kill their careers and discredit them by making false accusations of sexual harassment.”

Blake filed a legal complaint—a precursor to a lawsuit—with the California Civil Rights Commission on December 20, 2024.

It Ends with Us is a movie based on a romance novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover

Image credits: Netflix

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star alleged that Justin’s PR team orchestrated online attacks, including manipulating social media narratives after she reported inappropriate on-set behavior, Bored Panda previously reported.

However, according to new court documents, Justin claimed that Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, used their combined star power to “hijack domestic abuse movie It Ends With Us,” with Blake allegedly taking control of production despite “failing to read the book until filming was well underway.” 

The suit also alleged that Blake “pushed back on having to read it at all,” The Daily Mail reported on Thursday.

Image credits: Netflix

It Ends with Us is a movie based on a romance novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover that explores themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse. 

Justin alleged that the Gossip Girl alumnus refused to collaborate with a domestic violence charity he had paired with for the film’s promotion. 

The lawsuit accused her of using the publicity campaign to promote her own brands, including an alcohol company, in ways that were inappropriate for the movie’s serious subject matter.

Justin reportedly said Blake threatened a cast boycott and relegated him and his group to a “basement” holding area

Image credits: justinbaldoni

Furthermore, the lawsuit took aim at a New York Times article published three weeks prior to the filing. 

It claimed that Blake worked with her publicist, Leslie Sloane, and the newspaper for months to prepare a story that included “cherrypicked and stripped of context” text messages between Justin’s publicists to create a false narrative of a smear campaign.

Blake, who initially sought a safe workplace after raising concerns about physical boundaries and unwanted advances, claimed in her legal complaint that a PR smear campaign against her escalated following the It Ends with Us August 2024 release. 

Subpoenaed text messages included in the actress’ filing revealed that Justin’s PR team allegedly orchestrated efforts to damage her reputation by planting negative stories and manipulating social narratives, Bored Panda previously reported.

One text from PR agent Jennifer Abel read: “The narrative online is so freaking good and fans are still sticking up for Justin,” highlighting the deliberate effort to sway public opinion against Blake.

The lawsuit, filed by Justin and his team, including his publicists, targets Blake, Ryan, and her publicist Leslie. 

Additionally, The New York Times is named as a defendant in a connected defamation case. The plaintiffs are seeking damages of no less than $400 million.

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