Justin Baldoni has responded sharply to Hollywood power agent Ari Emanuel, who not only mocked his name but also claimed to have “fired” the It Ends With Us star amid the ongoing legal controversy surrounding the film.
Emanuel, the chief executive of WME’s parent company Endeavor, made the remarks during a live taping of the Freakonomics podcast. His comments came just days after reports surfaced that Blake Lively, 37, had subpoenaed cell carriers in her ongoing legal dispute. Emanuel also discussed his personal relationship with Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, during the interview.
During a live interview at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, Ari Emanuel mocked Justin Baldoni’s last name, referring to him as “Bologna.” In response, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, issued a pointed statement to DailyMail.com on Friday.
“Mr. Ari Emanuel is notably one of the best agents, and clearly the most loyal, in Hollywood,” Freedman said. “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.”
Baldoni was dropped by WME on December 21—the same day reports emerged that Blake Lively had sued him for sexual harassment and alleged he had orchestrated a smear campaign against her.#newsafro_
