Honor Justin Baldoni received for advocating for women's rights 'rescinded' after Blake Lively lawsuit

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Justin Baldoni continues to feel the repercussions of Blake Lively’s lawsuit. 

In a recent lawsuit filed against him by his ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star, Lively, 37, accused Baldoni of creating a hostile work environment and sexual harassment on the sets of their movie based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel of the same name. 

After the ‘Gossip Girl’ actress’ accusations, Baldoni’s "Voices of Solidarity" (VOS) award was rescinded, according to a statement issued by the organization that awards the honor on Monday, December 23.

Justin Baldoni’s ‘Voices of Solidarity Award’ gets rescinded 

Vital Voices, the awarding organization, recently declared that they are stripping the ‘Jane the Virgin’ actor of the honor that they conferred for his advocacy about women’s rights. 

In the statement, the organization, dedicated to nurturing and supporting women leaders, wrote, “The Voices of Solidarity Award honors remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls.”

“On December 9, 2024, we recognized Justin Baldoni with this award. On Saturday, December 21, we learned through news reports about a lawsuit brought by Blake Lively against Mr Baldoni, his publicists, and others that is disturbing and alleges abhorrent conduct," the statement read. 

Declaring the decision, they continued, “The communications among Mr Baldoni and his publicists included in the lawsuit – and the PR effort they indicate – are, alone, contrary to the values of Vital Voices and the spirit of the Award. We have notified Mr Baldoni that we have rescinded this award.”

Baldoni's name has also been removed from the Vital Voice website, reported Deadline. 

As a precursor to the lawsuit, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing her former co-star of creating a toxic workplace environment and launching a smear campaign aimed at destroying her reputation. 

In a statement shared with the New York Times on Saturday, December 21, 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 protect others who may be targeted.”

While the actress received ‘It Ends With Us’ writer Colleen Hoover’s unwavering support in her lawsuit, Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman dismissed the accusations, calling them "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media,” according to a statement shared with New York Times, USA Today reported. 

Internet divided as Justin Baldoni's award rescinded after damning allegations

The Internet was divided in their opinion after Vital Voices rescinded Justin Baldoni's award. While a section of fans called for waiting for the trial until declaring whether Baldoni is guilty, another section reacted in bewilderment that such an award even exists. 

One of the social media users added, "How can things be rescinded due to ACCUSATIONS? This just shows the immense power of Blake and Ryan Reynolds and how much they are bullies. They spent these last months carefully curating this payback after Blake was, rightfully, shunned for her actions during promotion."

"Does no one learn that you need to wait before just assigning guilt to someone. I’m sure he isn’t perfect but let’s be honest, Blake isn’t either," chimed in another.

Someone else added, "WOW! Then it all better be true because if its not, we are going to have the same Depp v Heard debacle again!"

Another asked, "So I can make accusation to destroy someone’s life that easily? Without proof ? Without any judge decision ? In what world are we living?"

Another user supported Lively by saying, "Blake hearing this happened while she’s gathering evidence for her lawsuit smh… that must have stung but justice will be served."

"Who the hell is handing out awards to men for doing the bare minimum for gendered violence? As a society, we are no where close to this being true. I assume other men are patting each other on the back," remarked one person while criticizing the award.

Another added, "I want this guy to win this case, because we have seen this situation so many times and most often is just a bitter woman who has nothing else to do."

One individual asked, "Innoccent till proven guilty doesn't matter anymore? So, everyone forgot about Amber and Depp?"

"Why are men getting an award for being nice to women ? that is the barest of bare minimums," shared another.

Someone else added, "A joke of an award being rescinded pre-emptively. How about we let all the facts come out before assuming guilt? We all did this with Blake, let’s learn from our mistakes. It’s a complaint btw not a lawsuit- there is a difference."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.