Justin Baldoni said that he started watching porn at the age of 10

Justin Baldoni was candid about his past porn addiction in an interview that resurfaced amid a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him by his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.

On Friday, December 20, Lively sued Baldoni, alleging that he behaved inappropriately towards her and tried to destroy her reputation.

However, Baldoni responded to the lawsuit through his lawyer, who claimed that Lively used him to “correct” her “negative reputation.”

In July 2021, Baldoni appeared in an episode of Sarah Greenberg’s “Big life” podcast and opened up about his previous “unhealthy” relationship with porn. He revealed that he was introduced to porn at age 10 before he had an erection or knew his feelings about anything.

Baldoni said in favor Page six“You know, it was like any young boy seeing boobs for the first time, it’s exciting because our culture has kept them away from us because they’re sexualized. It’s cultural.”

He added: “You visit places like Africa and different tribes … and breasts are breasts. We’ve sexualized the thing, so of course it becomes exciting and interesting and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, tits.’ And then, you know, hormones start raging.”

During the interview, Baldoni also admitted that he turned to porn for “refuge” in moments of loneliness, abandonment or pain, and called it a source of “dopamine rush”.

He shared, “I’ve trained my brain to deal with pain because of the dopamine exposure… But that doesn’t mean I don’t use things in unhealthy ways.”

Baldoni also said: “Throughout my life, I’ve returned to pictures and videos of naked women when I felt bad. And I knew it was a problem for me if I would tell myself that I don’t want to do it.”

Baldoni’s past comments about porn surfaced two days after Lively’s sued for sexual harassment against him, claiming that his behavior had caused her “extreme emotional distress.”

The 37-year-old actress also said that a very intense situation had escalated on set and a meeting was needed to discuss her demands regarding Baldoni’s behavior on set.

TMZ reported that Lively demanded that she not be shown “nude videos or images of women” and that there be no further mention of Baldoni’s past “pornography addiction.”

Lively, who has four children with husband Ryan Reynolds, also asked that Baldoni stop discussing his “sexual conquests” in front of her and others on set. She added that he should not mention private parts of the cast and crew, ask questions about her weight or mention her late father’s name.

According to the lawsuit, Lively also demanded that there be no more “addition of sex scenes, oral sex or climaxes on camera” outside of the script she approved when she signed on to the project.

Lively also claimed in her lawsuit that Sony Pictures, the distributor of “It Ends With Us,” agreed to her demands. However, she claimed that Baldoni had orchestrated a campaign of “social manipulation” to tarnish her reputation.

After Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni’s attorney, Brian Friedman, sued her in the statement. Friedman claimed that Lively filed the lawsuit to “correct her negative reputation,” apparently referring to the backlash she faced for the way she promoted It Ends With Us.

Baldoni’s attorney also said Lively’s allegations were “false, outrageous and intentionally obscene with the intent to publicly injure.” Friedman also claimed that Lively was very problematic during the film’s production and threatened not to show up on set.

Legal counsel further argued that the actress threatened to “not promote the film”, adding that all her actions led to its “disappearance at the box office”.

Baldoni suffered a major setback shortly after news of Lively’s lawsuit hit the headlines.

The Hollywood Reporter it was learned that WME, which also represents Lively, has dropped Baldoni from its talent agency. However, there were no further reports of WME’s actions.

Meanwhile, aside from his lawyer’s statement, Baldoni has yet to respond to Lively’s lawsuit or his agency’s move to terminate his employment.