Blake Lively Pulled Out Of Hosting SNL Because Of 'It Ends With Us' Scandal

Blake Lively shocked fans with her recent legal complaint against Justin Baldoni, which sheds light on a "hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production of the film," It Ends with Us (2024).

In the filing, the Gossip Girl alum—who has a strict nudity clause in her contract—accused the Jane the Virgin actor of workplace sexual harassment and launching a smear campaign against her while promoting the movie.

Blake faced backlash in August after clips of her seemingly being rude during press junkets. Fans also slammed the longtime wife of Ryan Reynolds for her off-putting demeanor in discussing the film's domestic abuse theme.

However, Blake's filing reveals more disturbing details about Justin's behavior behind the scenes. She claims it had a negative impact on her professional life in the last months, including a missed Saturday Night Live hosting gig.

Blake Lively "Backed Out" Of Hosting SNL 50 Due To Justin Baldoni's Alleged Smear Campaign

Blake Lively's Lawsuit Accused Justin Baldoni's Alleged Smear Campaign Of Damaging Her Professional Life

In Blake's 10-claim, 80-page complaint, it was stated that "the effects on Ms. Lively's professional life were immediate and substantial." It was linked to the "ongoing nature of the campaign and the associated negative public sentiment." It caused the actress to "believe she could [not] proceed with public appearances or events without being forced to openly discuss what happened on set."

Aside from "[canceling] a critical Target corporate event for her hair care company," Blake also "backed out of her scheduled role to host the premiere episode of the 50th anniversary season of Saturday Night Live in September 2024."

HBO's Hacks star, Jean Smart, ended up hosting the first episode of SNL 50 on September 28, 2024. Jean's first hosting stint on the show received great reviews. "SO EXCITED!!! Bucket list!" she wrote on Instagram after announcing the big news.

Blake's filing included screenshots of text messages between Justin and his PR crisis team, Jennifer Abel (RWA Communications) and Melissa Nathan (The Agency Group PR). Here are some of the shocking details from their conversations, per The New York Times:

• "We should have a plan for IF she [Blake] does the same when movie comes out," Justin wrote to Jennifer in May 2024, after realizing Ryan had blocked him on Instagram.
• "I think you guys need to be tough and show the strength of what you guys can do in these scenarios. He wants to feel like she can be buried," Jennifer wrote to Melissa after Justin complained that he didn't feel "protected" about the talking points he was suggesting, including a narrative that Blake "used an imbalance of power to take creative control of the film."
• Melissa suggested paying off social media accounts to "put the social media combat plan [against Blake] in motion."
• The team celebrated their "total success" in mid-August, with Jennifer writing: "The narrative online is so freaking good and fans are still sticking up for Justin ... I see this as a total success, as does Justin."

Justin Baldoni's Agency Dropped Him Due To Blake Lively's Sexual Harassment Claims

Blake Lively Accused Justin Baldoni Of Multiple Workplace Sexual Misconducts

Amid the release of Justin's leaked PR texts, fans are now speculating that he launched a "smear campaign" to conceal his alleged sexual harassment, which Blake detailed in her legal complaint. As it turned out, these concerns had already been raised by the latter's team to Justin and another co-producer, James Neath in January. But they denied it all.

Here are instances of sexual misconduct experienced by Blake on the set of It Ends with Us, involving Justin and James:

• She and her employees were shown nude videos and images of women.
• Justin and James talked about their past "pornography addiction" and discussed Blake's lack of porn consumption to staffers.
• Blake and her employees were subjected to talks about "personal experiences with sex as it relates to spouses."
• Either or both Justin and James allegedly shared descriptions of their genitalia with Blake.
• Blake's trainer was approached to discuss weight loss (she had just given birth three months before filming).
• Justin and James made sexual and personal comments, along with some physical touching, to Blake and others.
• Justin was said to have added off-script sex scenes, oral sex, and kissing with Blake.
• There have been instances when some crew members would walk in on Blake naked in her trailer.

In a statement to the New York Times, Blake said of her filing: "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."

Justin Baldoni's Lawyer Called Blake Lively's Allegations "Categorically False"

A Member Of Justin Baldoni's Crisis PR Team Also Denied Blake Lively's Claims

Justin has been dropped by his talent agency, WME, following Blake's sexual harassment complaint. His lawyer, Bryan Freedman also slammed the allegations as "completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."

Jennifer also defended her PR work for Justin in a lengthy Facebook post in a group called, "PR, Marketing and Media Czars." She stood by her decisions, adding that while her client isn't perfect, Blake's complaints are also untrue.

The publicist insisted that although she "would never slam a woman for speaking her truth," she believes it's "not the truth and there is evidence to prove otherwise."

Jennifer's message was met with criticism from fans, who were bothered by the lack of support for Blake. One wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "the thing that people on here lack is NUANCE, regarding the blake lively and justin baldoni case. a woman can be rude/asshole/whatever.. while also being a victim of sexual harassment!"

Justin Baldoni's other publicist, Melissa Nathan was also hired by Johnny Depp during his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Speaking to NBC News, Amber Heard expressed sympathies for Blake, saying: "Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying 'A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.' I saw this firsthand and up close. It's as horrifying as it is destructive."