"It Ends With Us" actor and director Justin Baldoni was recently stripped of an award recognizing his "courage and compassion" in advocating for women and girls.
The decision came after his costar Blake Lively filed a formal complaint, alleging Baldoni engaged in sexual harassment and orchestrated a campaign to damage her reputation.
On Dec. 9 Baldoni received the Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international non-profit dedicated to empowering women, The Guardian reported. However, on Dec. 23, the organization issued a statement addressing allegations outlined in Lively's complaint, stating that Baldoni's alleged "abhorrent conduct" stands in contrast to the "values of Vital Voices and the spirit of the Award."
Meanwhile, journalist and author Liz Plank announced she is stepping down from her role on "The Man Enough" podcast, where she has co-hosted alongside Baldoni for the past three years, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
Lively filed her complaint on Dec. 21, alleging Baldoni sexually harassed her and then used a "social manipulation" campaign to damage her reputation.
Baldoni is notably the co-owner of Wayfarer Studios. In her filing, Lively that he and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath engaged in "inappropriate misconduct" with Lively and other cast members throughout production of "It Ends With Us."
Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, reportedly met with Baldoni, Heath, and the film's producers on Jan. 4 to address "the hostile work environment" that threatened the film's success.
The formal demands presented during the meeting called for an end to what was described as inappropriate, unsolicited sexual discussions involving Lively and other women on set. The demands also outlined strict guidelines for managing sex scenes in the film. After the meeting, all sides reportedly agreed on the outlined measures.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Bryan Freedman, an attorney representing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives, dismissed Lively's claims as "completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."
Freedman denied Lively's claims of a coordinated effort against her, stating the studio hired a crisis manager "proactively" because of what he called "multiple demands and threats" from the actress during production. He alleged that Lively threatened to skip filming and promotional events if her demands weren't met, though the statement did not detail what those demands were.