Companies were “spooked” to work with Blake Lively in the run-up to her initial legal filings against Justin Baldoni, according to e-mails and texts from the It Ends With Us stars’ shocking settlement, ending their nearly year-and-a-half legal battle.
The Gossip Girl star, 38, sued her director and co-star, now 42, just before Christmas 2024, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign, which she said cost her nearly US$300mil in damages. Baldoni maintained his innocence throughout. The two were set for trial later this month, until they reached a settlement Monday, in which no money was awarded.
Communications obtained Tuesday by TMZ show that at least three companies — supermarket chain Kroger, Princess Cruises, and railroad company Brightline — expressed concerns to 38-year-old Lively’s team at her alcoholic beverage arm, Betty Booze in late August and early September 2024, while It Ends With Us was in theaters.
“By the way our legal ethics and compliance committee board spooked with Blake !!! I am working things out hopefully will not have an effect,” the cruise line’s VP of Food & Beverage appears to have texted.
Brightline’s executive VP meanwhile told Betty Booze, with which they were hoping to partner, they were looking “to hold for a minute until some of the [Blake Lively] chatter be turned down” and would “circle back.”
On Sept. 10, the Kroger team told Lively’s camp, “There is a negative taste in Kroger’s mouth based on the [Blake Lively] interview (press) from the movie.”
In the run-up to Lively’s initial legal filing, she faced immense backlash for promoting her beverage companies and hair care brands during the press run for It Ends With Us, a film about domestic violence.
She ultimately claimed she’d been following studio Sony’s directive to keep things lighthearted and that Baldoni’s camp turned the Internet against her, costing her business opportunities.
Kroger said they were anticipating “a negative sales impact,” but would “be closely monitoring” that and were “wondering what [Blake Lively] will be doing to course correct and make things right with her audience.”
In an attempt “to be proactive,” Lively’s team asked whether there were “internal efforts to flip the script or messaging we can share with these customers directly.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
