Justin Baldoni Releases Video Footage To Prove He Didn’t Harass Blake Lively, Her Team Responds

“It Ends With Us” director and star Justin Baldoni has released video footage related to one of Blake Lively’s main complaints against him to prove her version of events is untrue.

Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in December, accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliation, and attempting to “destroy” her reputation. Baldoni fervently denied the claims, responding with a countersuit against his co-star and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. He also sued The New York Times for $250 million in a defamation claim for an article about the drama, which he says is “rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions.” 

The footage depicts a dance scene filmed for the movie. Lively’s original lawsuit mentioned this particular event, claiming Baldoni “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘it smells so good.’”

“Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism,” a title card states, per Variety.

In the clip, which Baldoni’s legal team said is presented in its entirety, Baldoni can be heard apologizing for his beard. Lively responds by joking that she’s probably getting her fake tan on him. “It smells good,” Baldoni replies as they laugh.

Lively’s legal team issued a response to the clip being released.

“Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may hope that this latest stunt will get ahead of the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning,” the attorneys told Deadline on Tuesday.

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They said in a statement, “Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her Complaint. The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character. Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present.  Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss.”

“The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk,” the statement continued. “Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent.”

The attorneys further accused Baldoni’s lawyers of engaging in “an unethical attempt to manipulate the public” by releasing the video prior to the case going to court.

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