Blake Lively is at the center of a new controversy after an assistant director from A Simple Favor made allegations about her behavior on set. The claims surfaced when Henry Golding shared a promotional poster for the sequel, Another Simple Favor. A now-deleted comment by Barbara Szeman, an ex-assistant director on the first film, took aim at Lively, claiming that her experience working with the actress was so unpleasant that it led to her quitting the role.
Szeman, who backed her comments with her IMDb credits, expressed frustration in her post, writing that her time on the set was “absolutely amazing, except for a certain someone” who she implied was Lively. In a follow-up comment, which was also deleted, Szeman detailed how she had been treated poorly by the actress, saying she “cried [her] way home many nights” due to Lively’s constant criticism and cruelty. Szeman also hinted that Lively’s legal troubles might be “karma” for her behavior on set.
The legal reference in Szeman’s post likely alluded to Blake Lively’s ongoing legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni. Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, which led to a countersuit from him, along with a website documenting their interactions.
Szeman, who also deleted her social media accounts following the backlash, stated that she didn’t want her claims to gain attention but stood by her allegations. As more details emerge, it seems that this may only be the beginning of a broader public discussion around Lively’s on-set conduct and her legal troubles.