Justin Baldoni: Solidarity award rescinded amid Blake Lively claims

In the romantic drama, Lively plays a woman who finds herself in a relationship with a charming but abusive boyfriend, played by Baldoni.

The Voices of Solidarity Award, external was given to Baldoni on 9 December during an awards ceremony in New York, Vital Voices said in a statement. The award was presented by comedian Hasan Minhaj and celebrates “remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls”.

He posted about the award on his Instagram page, external, saying he was “deeply honoured and humbled” and noting the continued work to needed to be done to help future generations of men.

“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 says in the post.

In a statement on Monday, Vital Voices explained it had revoked the award and notified Baldoni of the decision.

Less than two weeks after the awards ceremony, Lively, who is best known for her role on the TV show Gossip Girl, filed a legal complaint accusing Baldoni and his team of attacking her public image. She says in the complaint the attacks followed a meeting to address “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour” by Baldoni and a producer on the movie.