WME hits back at Justin Baldoni's claims
WME, the talent agency, has denied recent claims made by former client Justin Baldoni.
WME has rubbished the idea that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively pressured the talent agency to drop Justin Baldoni.
The 37-year-old actress recently accused her 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star of sexual harassment, and the talent agency has now denied claims made in Justin's countersuit that Ryan and Blake pressured the company to drop him as a client.
In a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter, WME said: "In Baldoni’s filing there is a claim that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agent at the 'Deadpool and Wolverine' premiere. This is not true.
"Baldoni’s former representative was not at the 'Deadpool and Wolverine' premiere nor was there any pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time to drop Baldoni as a client."
Justin, 40, is suing the New York Times for $250 million after the newspaper published Blake's sexual harassment allegations.
In his lawsuit, it's alleged that Ryan approached a WME rep and demanded that the company drop Justin as a client.
The lawsuit reads: "The wielding of power and influence became undeniable. Baldoni and Wayfarer grew increasingly fearful of what Lively and Reynolds were capable of, as their actions seemed aimed at destroying Baldoni’s career and personal life."
WME dropped Justin on December 21, hours after Blake launched a lawsuit against him for sexual harassment.
Blake accused her former director of causing her "severe emotional distress".
The actress - who played Justin's on-screen love interest in 'It Ends with Us' - subsequently told the New York Times newspaper: "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."
Justin has denied the allegations and has since launched his own countersuit against the New York Times, accusing the newspaper of publishing Blake's "self-serving narrative".
