Another person has come forward to defend Justin Baldoni following the sexual harassment allegations from Blake Lively!
As you may recall, one complaint in her bombshell lawsuit is that Justin made her “alarmed” when he hired his “best friend” to play the OBGYN Doctor Dunbar in a “violative birthing scene” in It Ends With Us when typically “a small role of this nature would be filled by a local actor.” When it came to filming the “nearly nude” childbirth scene, Justin allegedly also followed none of the protocols on set! Blake claimed she was nude, only wearing a small piece of modesty cloth to cover her genitalia, and that the set was not closed during this time.
So, having his good friend up close and personal like that, on top of everything else, made her very uncomfortable. The complaint further stated:
“Ms. Lively felt that the selection of Mr. Baldoni’s friend for this intimate role, in which the actor’s face and hands were in close proximity to her nearly nude genitalia for a birth scene, was invasive and humiliating.”
Related: How Taylor Swift Reacted When Blake Lively Finally Apologized!
However, Justin denied the allegations! The director claimed she wasn’t naked, nor did she have on a piece of cloth to cover her genitalia in the scene! According to Justin, the Gossip Girl alum had a lot more on than what she alleged in the lawsuit! He said Blake wore “black briefs and a pregnancy suit that covered her midsection, and her top was covered by a hospital gown” and that the only nude body part exposed was her legs. Plus, he claimed “only ‘essential’ individuals (e.g. film crew, talent) were present for the scene and doing their jobs nor was it “chaotic” – something the footage “clearly demonstrates.”
But who is the pal in the scene? Blake’s complaint stated he was Adam Mondschein. He has now spoken out about the allegations in the suit, accusing the actress of completely twisting the facts of what happened that day on set! His experience was apparently “very different” from what she alleged! Whoa! He told Page Six on Tuesday:
“I’m not going to speculate as to Ms. Lively’s motivations for mentioning me in the complaint. Needless to say, my experience working with her is very different than the one she described in her lawsuit. Indeed, I was surprised to read her description of the scene.”
What does he say went down on set? Mondschein insisted everything was done above board! When it comes to her claiming she was nearly nude on set, he fired back:
“Her costume included a full hospital gown, black shorts and torso-covering prosthetic to make her appear pregnant in addition to whatever personal garments she chose.”
That backs Justin’s story…
Mondschein also claimed Blake “never complained or expressed discomfort at any point because nothing unusual or improper occurred,” adding:
“It was entirely professional.”
Hmm.
Beyond her accusations, Mondschein was offended Blake implied he was not qualified for the doctor role. He has had at least 10 acting credits before his brief appearance on IEWU, per his IMDb. He also has a masters in fine arts from UCLA and a tour with the Tony award-winning Acting Company. Mondschein continued:
“Ms. Lively’s insinuations regarding my qualifications are offensive, as my bonafides are easily searchable online. Lastly, I was, in fact, a local hire (my wife and I are from New York and spend significant time there). As such, I, like any actor accepting that contract, was required to cover my own travel and living expenses in connection with the job.”
Apparently, Blake irked him a lot over that matter! She has not responded to Mondschein’s statement. Her rep only pointed to the previous accusations she made in her suit, where she called the set on the day of the birthing scene “chaotic, crowded, and utterly lacking in standard industry protections for filming nude scenes.” Yeesh. She continued in the suit:
“Mr. [Jamey] Heath and Mr. Baldoni also failed to close the set, allowing non-essential crew to pass through while Ms. Lively was partially nude from below the chest down with her legs spread wide in stirrups and only a small piece of fabric covering her genitalia. Contrary to the Wayfarer Parties’ contention, the production did not maintain a closed set. … Ms. Lively was not provided with anything with which to cover herself between takes until after she had made multiple requests.”
Justin’s team has not responded to the defense from Mondschein, but we can imagine they aren’t too thrilled about him speaking out ahead of the trial in March 2026! It’s not a good look, especially when Blake accused Justin’s team of running a smear campaign against her to destroy her reputation! Did he even get permission beforehand, or was this a spontaneous decision?
Regardless, Mondschein made it clear to Page Six that he is willing to back up Justin and take the witness stand next year if needed. He said:
“If I’m called to testify in the case I will answer truthfully, and more freely, whatever is asked of me with all the legal protection that affords. In particular, by noting that Ms. Lively was not ‘nearly nude’ in the scene we shot together.”
Whether Mondschein will be in court to testify, we’ll have to wait and see. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments!
[Image via It Ends With Us/Wayfarer Studios, MEGA/WENN]
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