Justin Baldoni’s previous comments have been unearthed following a damning lawsuit from actress Blake Lively.
Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her co-star Justin Baldoni, accusing the It Ends With Us director of sexual harassment.
During the promotion of the film, rumors quickly arose of potential friction between the two, but it wasn’t until this weekend that fans learnt the details of the animosity between the actors.
The lawsuit claims during filming, a meeting had to be called as a result of the alleged work environment being fostered on set and Lively listed certain requests.
Since the news of the lawsuit, fans on social media have taken a deep dive into Baldoni’s past and uncovered his previous comments about a potential porn addiction.
In Lively’s lawsuit, it references to requests the actress made, including a requirement that there be no mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction’.
Regarding the accusations, attorneys for Baldoni as well as Wayfarer Studios and its representatives have slammed Lively’s claims, stating that they are ‘completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media’.
Speaking about his relationship with porn back in 2021, Baldoni highlighted that he was exposed to it at a young age.
On a July 2021 episode of Sarah Grynberg’s A Life of Greatness podcast, he said: “I was introduced to porn when I was 10 years old. Long before I ever, you know, could have an erection or even knew how I felt about anything.
“It was, you know, like any young boy who sees boobs for the first time, it’s exciting because our culture has shielded them from us because they’re sexualized. It’s cultural.
“You go to places like Africa and different tribes … and the breast is the breast. We’ve sexualized this thing, so, of course, it becomes fascinating and interesting and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, boobs.’ And then, you know, hormones start raging.”
Baldoni also gave details on how frequently he would watch porn, saying he ‘sought refuge’ with it when he felt alone, abandoned or hurt. He also stated he would watch because of the ‘dopamine rush’.
He continued: “I trained my brain to deal with pain with the dopamine hit. … But it doesn’t mean that I’m not using something in an unhealthy way.
“And I found myself, over the course of my life, going back to looking at images and videos of naked women when I was feeling necessarily bad about myself.
“And I knew that it was an issue for me when I would tell myself that I don’t want to do that.”
