Movies

Blake Lively’s Team Crumbles as A-List Friends Abandon Her Amid Legal Battle

BBG News

With each passing week, it seems the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni dispute shows no signs of ending.

Despite allegations of sexual harassment by her against him, followed by accusations of defamation and attempts to harm his reputation and career by him against her – charges which will be tested in court next year – the situation appeared to have reached an impasse.

However, quite the contrary is true, as the impact persists and spreads stealthily beyond the surface.

Specifically, many people are starting to see it as a self-inflicted misfortune for actress Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds.

At the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary gala in New York City on Sunday, the pair attended their initial public event following the legalization of their disagreement.

When Tina Fey inquired about his well-being, Reynolds replied, suggesting a possible allusion to his ongoing legal matter, “I’m doing great! Now, what have you heard?

However, rather than a boisterous, secretive chuckle, an awkward series of discomforted expressions, even from some famous figures like a seemingly displeased Kevin Costner and Cher, filled the air instead.

Later on, it was reported that Blake and Ryan were the topic of conversation throughout the night, and several individuals chose to steer clear of them. One guest could be heard inquiring, “Who invited them?

Following an hour of socializing with Dakota Johnson among others, they departed prior to the commencement of the formal after-party. Clad in a shimmering couture dress by Tamara Ralph, reminiscent of a red carpet event, Blake exhibited signs of anxiety and unease.

She’s been absent from public view since September, and has only made one social media post since filing her civil lawsuit against Baldoni in December, concerning his alleged on-set misconduct during the filming of It Ends With Us – a movie about an abusive relationship, where he both directed and starred as part of the main cast.

This awkward, largely mute appearance probably wasn’t the comeback she was hoping for.

In a recently submitted revised lawsuit, she stated that the ordeal surrounding “It Ends With Us” has had a significant impact, not only on her but also on her loved ones.

The lawsuit states that the emotional distress experienced by Ms. Lively is profound, impacting not just herself but also her husband and their four children. On certain days, she finds it difficult to rise from bed, and often prefers to stay indoors instead of going out.

Mr. Reynolds, unfortunately, has also been touched by this situation. The hardest part, however, seems to be the distress it’s caused for his children, as they appear to have experienced trauma from the events.

From my perspective as a lifestyle expert, it appears that the situation for the couple is rather challenging on multiple fronts. Legally speaking, despite Blake’s team’s actions following Justin Baldoni’s legal team releasing a collection of texts and emails last month, suggesting he was unfairly removed from the film due to the actress’s interference, there hasn’t been much progress in their favor. The actress is reported to have edited the film and subsequently had him excluded from the premiere.

Over numerous messages spanning several years, it appeared that Baldoni was making considerable efforts to soothe his main actress, as their relationship grew increasingly strained.

This week’s submission supplements her claim of sexual harassment, yet it doesn’t provide decisive proof. Additionally, there seems to be a dwindling of backing for her case.

It appeared that Colleen Hoover, the writer of the book that served as the basis for the movie, was a staunch supporter of Blake’s side.

In December, she publicly commended Blake for being sincere, considerate, helpful, and patient. However, she removed her Instagram account in January. Upon its return, all photos featuring Blake Lively were absent, and the account no longer followed her.

Blake’s close friend Taylor Swift, often considered like a family matriarch to her four kids, gave permission for one of her songs to be used in the movie and was addressed by the actress as one of her ‘allies.’ However, in public settings, she has maintained some distance as well.

Furthermore, with the story continuing, it appears that Lively’s aspirations for her haircare and liquor businesses may be facing significant hurdles as well.

Or more concisely:

The ongoing saga seems to be affecting not only Lively’s personal endeavors but also her ambitions in the haircare and alcohol industries.

Blake Brown’s line of hair products, which includes premium shampoos, conditioners, and masks in unique hexagonal brown bottles, debuted around early August, coinciding with the release of It Ends With Us.

Although it was unintentional, she faced accusations that she manipulatively leveraged the movie, which portrayed an abusive relationship, for her personal profit.

After just half a year, it seems that the brand’s popularity is waning. The items aren’t found among the top-selling hair care products, styling tools, shampoos, or conditioners on Amazon.com. Moreover, they don’t appear in the top 100 hair mask rankings – a key selling point for her brand.

According to Blake’s own attorneys, this drop is quite substantial. The initial civil lawsuit she filed in late December, which claimed a ‘smear campaign’ initiated by Baldoni, seems to have significantly impacted Target sales (a major U.S. supermarket chain). Estimates suggest that sales could have plummeted as much as 78%, with some believing the drop might be closer to 90%.

Blake Brown’s sales at Target reached nearly $5 million during the brand’s first three and a half weeks, making it the store’s top-selling haircare line on its debut day. However, by mid-September, sales had significantly declined. This level of drop is typically between 20 to 30 percent post-launch, but the decline experienced by Blake Brown was unusually steep, according to experts.

During this timeframe, whispers about a falling-out with Baldoni grew stronger. This was observed as they seemed to avoid each other during the movie’s promotional events. A crisis management team, similar to the one used by Johnny Depp, was brought in, which Blake’s team claims resulted in a wave of unfavorable press coverage.

Her legal team stated that the abrupt and unforeseen publicity blitz led to a significant decrease in popularity, which was incongruous with the high consumer approval ratings Blake Brown’s products garnered during pre-launch testing and their initial success following the launch.

Meanwhile, Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, states they have no intention of reaching a settlement. Instead, their goal is to secure a definitive judgment from the court, which currently has Baldoni residing in Hawaii.

He stated that they won’t take any action until it has been confirmed that Justin is no longer accused as a predator or a sexual harasser.

He referred to the rephrased grievance made by Blake Lively, in which she mentioned that two unknown women had similar issues with Baldoni’s conduct, as ‘insubstantial testimony from unidentified individuals who are no longer willing to speak up’.

It appears that his clients, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their public relations teams, might have responded to Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds during the Saturday Night Live event with a self-assured, joking rebuttal.

He stated that he is not aware of anyone who, in all honesty, has a spouse who has experienced sexual harassment and makes light of such situations.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that those who once supported Blake are now providing him with affidavits that contradict his previous claims.

It appears that the Lively-Reynolds machine won’t return to its usual operation anytime soon, regrettably.

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2025-02-22 01:19

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