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Blake Lively has publicly criticized The Hollywood Reporter for what her team describes as a “sexist” cover image. The illustrated cover portrays Lively as a modern rendition of the Biblical David, wielding a smartphone as her weapon against Justin Baldoni, depicted as Goliath.
The accompanying article, titled “Blake vs. Baldoni: An Exclusive Look Behind the Battle Lines of Hollywood’s Uncivil War,” was published on Friday by Peter Kiefer. It provides a detailed exploration of Baldoni’s deep-rooted Baha’i faith—an inclusive faith established in Iran during the mid-19th century—and considers how it may have played a role in the public feud between Lively and Baldoni.
A spokesperson for Lively expressed outrage over the illustration, stating, “The Hollywood Reporter should be ashamed of itself.” They emphasized that the image perpetuates harmful stereotypes regarding women who file workplace complaints, framing them as aggressors and suggesting that they deserve the backlash that follows. Furthermore, they criticized the article for minimizing serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation by referring to them as mere “cultural misunderstandings.”
The illustration’s background presents Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, portrayed as a character named Nicepool, which Baldoni claims was designed to intimidate him. Accompanying him is Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s legal representative. According to Lively’s critique, the depiction emphasizes her as an attacker while Baldoni clutches a copy of the book that inspired their controversial romantic dramedy.
A representative from Penske Media Corp., the parent organization of The Hollywood Reporter, did not respond to requests for comment by Saturday.
The contentious nature of this dispute emerged last year when Lively filed a workplace complaint with state authorities, which has since escalated into a series of competing civil lawsuits. Recently, Lively filed an amended complaint in a federal court in New York, asserting that she has additional support for her original allegations of sexual harassment from two unidentified female colleagues.
Lively’s breach-of-contract lawsuit names not only Baldoni but also his Wayfarer Studios production company, as well as his public relations team, including Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. Notably, this lawsuit was filed on New Year’s Eve, just hours after Baldoni and his team initiated a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times, claiming its reporting on Lively’s harassment allegations was defamatory. These suits have since been merged, with a federal judge setting a trial date for March 2026.
Source
www.thewrap.com