US director stripped of feminism award over harassment claims

American actor and film director Justin Baldoni has been stripped of a women’s solidarity award after co-star Blake Lively accused him of sexual harassment and attempts to damage her reputation.

Baldoni recently co-starred with Lively in ‘It ends with us’, a hit romantic drama film which explores themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse. On December 9, he was granted The Voices of Solidarity Award by Vital Voices, a US-based non-profit focused on women’s empowerment. According to the group, the award “honors remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls,” and was given to Baldoni for his “commitment to gender equality.” The filmmaker had often described himself as a feminist and “#MeToo” ally, the latter term referring to an online campaign against sexual violence.

On Monday however, Vital Voices announced they were rescinding their award, citing a lawsuit brought against Baldoni by Lively. The non-profit found the “disturbing” lawsuit and allegations of “abhorrent conduct” cited in it “contrary” to the “values and the spirit of the Award.”

Lively filed her complaint against Baldoni on Friday. In the lawsuit, she accused him, along with the lead producer of ‘It ends with us’, Jamey Heath, of “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior.” Baldoni and Heath allegedly engaged in “inappropriate misconduct” with Lively and other cast members throughout the production of the film. The actress also claimed that Baldoni coordinated efforts to “destroy” her reputation following the film’s release. According to the filing, he hired a crisis public relations expert who came up with a “multi-tiered plan” to smear Lively by pitching negative stories about her on social media.

Baldoni’s lawyer has so far brushed off Lively’s claims as “false” and “yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her reputation,” which has indeed suffered after the film’s release earlier this year. The actress received much negative press, with the media branding her “tone-deaf” for her approach to promoting her new movie. Some outlets, such as MailOnline, even speculated whether she was “set to be canceled.”

However, since the lawsuit, Baldoni is the one who has been getting all the bad publicity. Apart from being stripped of his award, he has been abandoned by his talent agency, WME, which stopped representing him on Saturday. He has also been sued by his ex-publicist for allegedly breaching his contract. A slew of actors and other prominent figures in the filmmaking industry have also taken Lively’s side, posting on social media their support for her lawsuit.