An award given to actor Justin Baldoni, aimed at honouring men who advocate for women, has been rescinded after actor Blake Lively accused him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign.
Lively filed the legal complaint earlier this week, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the movie It Ends With Us and a subsequent effort to "destroy" her reputation.
Vital Voices said the Voices of Solidarity Award honours "remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls".
The organisation said it gave Baldoni the award on December 9.
But it announced on Monday that the award would be rescinded as the "communications among Mr Baldoni and his publicists" are "contrary to the values of Vital Voices and the spirit of the Award".
In a statement, Vital Voices said the accusations brought by Lively are "disturbing" and allege "abhorrent conduct," adding that Baldoni had been notified.
Baldoni said earlier this month he was "deeply honoured and humbled" to receive the award.
"My hope is that we can teach our boys, while they are still young, that vulnerability is strength, sensitivity is a super power, and empathy makes them powerful," he said in a Facebook post.
Support grows for Lively
Lively's complaint included texts and emails which allegedly showed a PR campaign to damage her reputation.
It also alleged lead producer Jamey Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away.
Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, called the claims "completely false" and pushed back against Lively's allegations of a coordinated campaign.
But Lively has received growing public support since filing the complaint.
Actor Amber Heard spoke out on behalf of Lively over what she said was a coordinated social media effort to tarnish her name.
"Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying 'A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on,'" Heard said in a statement earlier this week.
"I saw this firsthand and up close. It's as horrifying as it is destructive."
Meanwhile, Lively's co-stars in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants also announced their support online.
"As Blake's friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation," America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel said in a joint Instagram post.
"Throughout the filming of It Ends with Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice."
A lawyer for Wayfarer, the studio behind the film, said in a statement released to the New York Times that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Lively.
ABC/AFP
