Justin Baldoni lost award, podcast co-host: The swift impact of sexual harassment claims

Justin Baldoni had reached his peak.

Earlier this month, the actor and director of "It Ends with Us" appeared at a ceremony in New York City to accept a global Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices, a nonprofit organization that advocates for women and girls.

"It Ends with Us," a film adaptation of the popular romance novel by New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, grapples with the disturbing patterns of domestic violence. The award seemed like a fit for Baldoni, whose career has been shaped by publicly revealing his private flaws and "undefining masculinity" ? a term he frequently invoked.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni feuded. Next came the smear campaign, she alleges.

Then, a stunning downward turn. A-list actress Blake Lively, Baldoni's co-star in "It Ends with Us," accused him of sexual harassment in a complaint filed with the California Department of Civil Rights that surfaced Saturday.

In a statement provided to The New York Times, Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman called Lively's allegations "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media." He said that Baldoni's production company Wayfarer Studios "only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and factual reporting and monitored social activity."

But backlash was swift. By Monday, Vital Voices rescinded his award. Baldoni's podcast co-host, masculinity-focused feminist and journalist Liz Plank, publicly announced she had quit in an open letter, writing that "we all deserve better." His male co-star Brandon Sklenar and Hoover spoke out in support of Lively on Instagram.

The moves demonstrate Hollywood's lowering tolerance for allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace nearly a decade after the #MeToo movement sent shockwaves through studio offices and lots alike.

Justin Baldoni allegedly showed Blake Lively naked pictures of women, added sex scenes and improvised kisses

In late summer, during the press tour for "It Ends with Us," eagle-eyed fans speculated about a feud between Baldoni and Lively. They questioned why Baldoni walked the red-carpet solo, not with other cast members, on Aug. 9 at the New York City premiere. Then, fans noticed all of Baldoni's co-stars had unfollowed him on Instagram.

But nobody, it seems, expected the allegations that were laid out by Lively's legal team in the account that surfaced Saturday.

The allegations include showing videos and images of nude women, discussing his past pornography addiction, detailing personal sexual experiences, describing his genitalia, improvising kisses, talking to Lively's trainer about her weight, entering her trailer while she was naked, adding sex scenes and making personal, physical and sexual comments.

The complaint also claims that Baldoni previously ignored sexual consent, and his PR team wrote in submitted text messages that they can "bury anyone." Baldoni, the complaint says, allegedly colluded with a PR team to plant negative stories about the "Gossip Girl" alum after she came forward on set about his apparent behavior.

"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," Lively told The New York Times in a story published Saturday.

It was a swift turn of events for Baldoni, who built a career off of his progressive views on masculinity after he became a breakout star on the Emmy-nominated CW hit Jane the Virgin, which premiered in 2014.

Justin Baldoni made career out of fighting against 'rigid gender roles'

In 2019, the same year "Jane the Virgin" ended, Baldoni started developing a film adaptation of "It Ends with Us," based off of Hoover's book of the same name.

Then, after the height of #MeToo, Baldoni launched "The Man Enough Podcast," a place that "explores what it means to be a man today and how rigid gender roles have affected all people."

The show, which featured celebrity guests such as Shawn Mendes, was hosted alongside journalist Plank and Jamey Heath, his Wayfarer Studios production company counterpart, who is also named in Lively's complaint.

All of Blake Lively's allegations: Unwanted kissing, smear tactics and more

In 2021, he released a book "Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity" which follows the same theme as the podcast. A year later, there was a companion children's book "Boys Will Be Human: A Get-Real Gut-Check Guide to Becoming the Strongest, Kindest, Bravest Person You Can Be."

His Instagram bio includes a note about domestic violence prevention, which reads: "If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Visit @nomoreorg for more information."

The No More Foundation, a domestic and sexual violence prevention organization, was promoted by Baldoni during the "It Ends with Us" press tour. The film was expected to confront harmful definitions of masculinity and culminate in his pursuit of mainstream fame. At the box office, "It Ends with Us" grossed $148.5 million.

In the online war between Lively and Baldoni, many initially saw the latter as a winner.

Justin Baldoni podcast co-host quits after Blake Lively sexual harassment allegations

Then, Saturday came. The mountain Baldoni spent years climbing in Hollywood had turned to quicksand.

His podcast co-host Plank quit publicly Monday, writing in a lengthy statement on Instagram, "I will miss you, the listeners, so much," telling fans of "Man Enough" they "deserve better."

In an Instagram post about his Vital Voices award earlier this month, Baldoni wrote, "My hope is that we can teach our boys, while they are still young, that vulnerability is strength, sensitivity is a superpower, and empathy makes them powerful."

"Being a boy and a man is amazing and nothing to apologize for. And to value all the beautiful and complicated parts of them that make them human," Baldoni added in his caption. His post read like a personal mission statement: boys should be strong, brave, kind.

"I believe with all my heart that once our boys learn to be safe spaces for themselves, our world will finally be a safe space for everyone."

By Christmas Eve, Baldoni deleted his post after Vital Voices scrubbed him from its website Monday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Baldoni's podcast co-host quits after Blake Lively claims