“A Simple Favor ”director Paul Feig supports Blake Lively amid sexual harassment complaint against Justin Baldoni

Paul Feig is standing up for Blake Lively in the days after the actress took legal action against her It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and creating an online smear campaign in order to damage her reputation. 

The director, who worked with Lively on the 2018 film A Simple Favor and its forthcoming sequel, posted a statement on X on Sunday, joining a growing list of celebrities who have defended Lively amid the complaint that includes It Ends With Us writer Colleen Hoover and her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel.

“I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with,” Feig wrote. “She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it’s awful she was put through this.”

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Lively, 37, submitted an 80-page complaint on Friday against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and producer Jamey Heath, claiming that she “suffered from grief, fear, trauma and extreme anxiety” while on the set of the 2024 romantic drama. 

“Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Heath, and Wayfarer engaged in harassing conduct and failed their obligations to investigate complaints of workplace harassment, to prevent inappropriate and harassing behaviors on set, and to provide avenues for cast and crew members to safely raise concerns to neutral parties so that they could be investigated and appropriately addressed," it read. 

In her complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni, 40, “improvised physical intimacy that had not been rehearsed, choreographed, or discussed” with her and without an intimacy coordinator present, claiming that his actions included unplanned kissing, caressing her neck with his mouth, and commenting on her smell. 

She also accused him of pressuring her to “simulate full nudity” in a birth sequence for the film, making unwanted remarks about her body and attire, sharing details about his sex life and pressing Lively for information about hers, hiring a weight-loss specialist for her without her approval, and telling Lively that he’d spoken with her dead father, among other claims.

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The complaint also states that Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni, Heath, and multiple executives all had a meeting in which they discussed and agreed upon a list of 30 terms that outlined clear boundaries for the remainder of the film’s production. The list included provisions that stated Baldoni would refrain from making comments about his sex life, porn addiction, or Lively’s appearance, and that an intimacy coordinator would be present during sexual scenes in order to prevent the director from any further improvisation.

Lively also claimed that Baldoni hired a crisis public relations firm ahead of the release of the film in order to concoct a “sophisticated, coordinated, and well-financed retaliation plan" should his on-set behavior become public knowledge. 

Bryan Freedman, the attorney representing Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, denied Lively’s allegations in a statement to EW. "It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives as yet another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation, which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film — interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions,” he said. "These claims are completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious, with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."

Baldoni has since been dropped by his talent agency, William Morris Endeavor, following Lively’s complaint, the New York Times reported.

It Ends With Us is the first of Hoover's popular romance novels to receive a film adaptation. The drama follows Lily (Lively), a woman who grows up in an abusive household only to end up a toxic relationship with charismatic neurosurgeon Ryle (Baldoni). Despite rumors of a feud between Baldoni and Lively looming over the project during its release, It Ends With Us was well-received at the box office and earned $350 million worldwide. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.

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