Justin Baldoni issues scathing comeback after Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' agent mocks his last name
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Justin Baldoni delivered a scathing reaction to Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' Hollywood agent, who boasted about being the one to "fire" the 'It Ends With Us' actor-director.
When asked about the current legal dispute between the actor and his former 'It Ends With Us' co-star Blake Lively, Hollywood power agent Ari Emanuel made light of the actor's last name, calling it "Bologna."
Emanuel, the CEO of WME's parent company Endeavor, also revealed that he was the one who "fired" the 'It Ends With Us' actor-director during the lawsuit and ongoing scandal surrounding the movie, reported Daily Mail.
Hollywood agent mocks Justin Baldoni's last name in podcast
During a recording of the 'Freakonomics' podcast, Ari Emanuel discussed his personal equation with Blake Lively, 37, and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, shortly after it was revealed that the actress had subpoenaed phone providers to seek additional receipts in her ongoing legal dispute.
During the live interview at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, Emanuel ridiculed Baldoni's last name by calling him "bologna." The actor has now responded to the remarks.
"It is a f**ked up, bad situation with what Bologna … Baldoni … whatever his name is … is doing," the 63-year-old Endeavour CEO stated at a taping for 'Freakonomics Radio Live', per the Hollywood Reporter.
However, Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman told the Daily Mail, "Mr Ari Emanuel is notably one of the best agents, and clearly the most loyal, in Hollywood."
"As I understand it, Justin hasn’t been called "Bologna" since the fifth grade. Perhaps Ari’s perspective would be different if they had ever met in the half-decade they were clients of his agency," Freedman added.
'Freakonomics' host Stephen Dubner further revealed on the show that Baldoni, 41, had lost his clientele with WME, a talent agency owned by Endeavor.
Baldoni was fired from WME on December 21, the same day it was revealed that Lively had filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him and accused him of launching a smear campaign against her.
Ari Emanuel explains why Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are his 'ride or die'
Ari Emanuel has long been known to view loyalty as a virtue of the highest order, and the Endeavor CEO openly supported Team Blake in the complex and extensive dispute with former WME client Justin Baldoni.
According to THR, Emanuel went on to rave about Lively and her husband Reynolds, claiming to have known them for ten years and calling them "incredible people" after confirming that he "fired" the 'Jane the Virgin' alum.
During the tape, Emanuel brazenly admitted, "I fired him," in reference to Baldoni, and swore loyalty to Lively and Reynolds by declaring, "I am a ride-or-die."
The Chicago-based American businessman, who has been working with the power couple for more than ten years, gushed over them earlier in the podcast, calling them "really incredible people."
"Until I fired him," Emanuel said, before adding, "It’s not really fair. I’ve known Ryan and Blake for over a decade. They’re really incredible people. In Hollywood, they have been incredibly successful."
"People work with them, they’ve never had any bad mojo out there or treated people badly. They are charitable — we help them with their foundation — they’ve given tons of money away," Emanuel added.
He added that individuals involved are "really bad people" if all of the allegations made by Lively in her complaint are accurate.
"These are good people who have been in the business for decades and have never had any bad press about them. And all the people they’ve worked with like them," Emanuel said of Lively and Reynolds.
Baldoni's team has maintained that they never succeeded in planting any stories and that Lively's actions were the cause of the negative press and social media backlash during the 'It Ends With Us' PR campaign.
