Justin Baldoni's "Man Enough" Co-Host Liz Plank Leaves Podcast After Blake Lively Claims: 'We All Deserve Better' (Exclusive)
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12/23/2024 05:18 PM
On Dec. 20 Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on set and a retaliatory public smear campaign in a legal filing
Lia Toby/Getty; John Nacion/Variety via Getty
Blake Lively and Justin BaldoniJustin Baldoni's longtime podcast co-host is speaking out after his It Ends with Us costar Blake Lively accused him of sexual harassment on set and retaliatory behavior.
In a statement to fans obtained by PEOPLE, Liz Plank shared that she is leaving the show, which launched in 2021: "I'm writing to you today to let you know that I have had my representatives inform Wayfarer that I will no longer be co-hosting The Man Enough podcast. Thank you for trusting me with your hearts and stories, for holding space for mine, and for making this show what it was. I will miss you, the listeners, so much. I love what this community created together with every fiber of my being, and that's because of you.
"As this chapter closes for me, I remain committed to the values we've built together. Thank you for being here, for trusting me, and for being by my side for the last four years. We all deserve better, and I know that together, we can create it. I will have more to share soon as I continue to process everything that has happened.In the meantime, I will continue to support everyone who calls out injustice and holds the people standing in their way accountable."
In her Dec. 20 complaint, Lively, 37, said she had "suffered from grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety" as a result of Baldoni's alleged actions.
The actress's filing included alleged texts and emails between Baldoni, 40, and his team — including his publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis firm TAG PR's Melissa Nathan — discussing how to manipulate social media and work with press to "destroy" Lively.
The complaint was filed against not only Baldoni but also the film's lead producer, Jamey Heath, as well as Baldoni's production company, Wayfarer Studios, and its co-founder Steve Sarowitz. It was also filed against Jed Wallace, Nathan and Abel, each of whom are named in the alleged effort to tarnish Lively's reputation earlier this year.
In a statement given to the New York Times, Lively said, "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 protects others who may be targeted."
Baldoni's lawyer told PEOPLE in a statement after Lively's complaint went public that her allegations were "false" and "intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt."
In her complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni showed her explicit images and videos, asked her about her personal sex life and attempted to add intimate scenes to the film that she had not originally agreed to.
Lively also claimed in the failing that she met with the producers of the film to request a list of protections before returning to set.
Some of the protections Lively sought during the meeting — during which her husband Ryan Reynolds was also present — included "no more improvising of kissing" and "no more personal, physical touching of, or sexual comments by, Mr Baldoni or Mr, Heath to be tolerated by [Blake Lively] and/or any of her employees, as well as any female cast or crew without their express consent," according to the complaint.
Lively claimed in her filing that while Baldoni agreed to the protections, the actor then hired crisis publicists to begin a smear campaign against her that damaged her reputation and businesses.
TAG PR later released a statement (via Freedman), saying their company "operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources."
Rumors of a feud between Lively and Baldoni, who was dropped by his talent agency WME on Dec. 21, swirled in the weeks leading up to the movie's release, with fans pointing out Lively and the rest of the cast had unfollowed the former Jane the Virgin star on social media.
