WME denies Justin Baldoni's departure was due to Blake and Ryan’s request

Justin Baldoni has accused Hollywood power couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds of trying to sabotage his career. 

Filed on Dec. 31, the $250 million lawsuit claims that Reynolds used his clout to pressure Baldoni’s talent agency, William Morris Endeavor (WME), into dropping him during the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere.

The filing suggests that the couple’s influence over the industry became impossible to ignore, leaving him and his production company, Wayfarer, fearing for both his career and personal life. 

In a fiery back-and-forth over Hollywood's power dynamics, talent agency WME has hit back at Justin’s explosive lawsuit, denying claims that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds pressured them to drop the actor. 

According to WME, there was no truth to his accusation that Reynolds used the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere to sway his agent into severing ties. 

The agency insists that his former rep wasn’t even at the premiere and that there was no pressure from the superstar couple.

This drama comes hot on the heels of WME’s decision to part ways with him in December, which reportedly followed a sexual harassment complaint filed by Lively, his It Ends With Us co-star. 

Baldoni’s lawyer has fiercely denied the allegations, calling them "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious."

In addition to the agency battle, the star also filed a lawsuit against The New York Times on Dec. 31, accusing the paper of distorting the facts in a damaging article.