As if things couldn’t get more dramatic for Blake Lively, the recent accusations made by her former employees at her lifestyle brand might be the incident that wrecks her career for good.
In light of her upcoming It Ends With Us trial, several former staffers from the actress’s obsolete lifestyle company, Preserve, came forward and alleged that she created a “toxic” workplace environment where day-to-day operations were unorganized, her brother, Eric, was unqualified as a creative director, and more. The claims didn’t come long after it was reported that her friend, Taylor Swift, was looped into her legal battle against Justin Baldoni. Read more about the workplace accusations below.
Struggling With Sleep? This Rechargeable Sound Machine Is A Total Game-Changer
Several Ex-Employees From Blake Lively's Former Lifestyle Company Claim She Created A 'Toxic' Work Environment
In 2014, Blake Lively launched a lifestyle brand called Preserve, a magazine and online shop selling various artisanal goods that she selected herself. The idea was very similar to Gwyneth Paltrow's famous brand and website, Goop. However, the brand was only active for a year until it shut down in 2015. The actress has since acknowledged that the website had been launched before she and her team were fully prepared, despite claiming she had poured "everything" into it.
However, former staffers recently came forward to share that there were many problems behind the scenes. For an exposé piece published this week by The Daily Mail, several former staff from Preserve shared that working for the brand was very chaotic and that the founder and her brother, Eric Lively, who was made creative director, were unprofessional.
The former employees chose to remain anonymous, but they gave the publication several shocking quotes that paint the Gossip Girl star in a very bad light.
"The entire company was an absolute disaster," an employee told The Daily Mail.
"The workplace allegations that Blake is making now [against Justin Baldoni] are deeply ironic, given that it was one of the most insane, toxic, emotionally draining, and disorganized environments you could imagine."
Another employee said that the impression the 37-year-old left was that she "doesn't care" and that Preserve was "a really toxic work environment."
Some of the stories of mistreatment in the company included Blake and her team leaving their employees in an unfurnished office, expecting them to work on the floor of the Manhattan studio apartment designated for them for "months."
Others recalled stories of her brother, Eric, behaving in an unprofessional manner as the company's creative director, often claiming he "overslept" after leaving employees waiting out in the cold before work.
One former employee alleged that Eric "was completely unqualified to run a company." Eric, also an actor, was allegedly "acting the part of creative director."
Former Preserve Employees Alledge They Were Paid Settlement Money To Stay Silent About Their 'Crazy' Work Experience
In addition to unprofessional behavior, the angry Preserve employees alleged that even more serious issues were happening, including them working long "crazy" hours and some not being paid on time during their time with the failed brand.
Towards the end of the company's life, several employees claimed they had considered taking the Simple Favor performer and other members of the Preserve team to court over their mistreatment, but were eventually paid upwards of $300,000 in settlement money to keep quiet.
There were also allegations that Blake's publicist, Leslie Sloane, who has been with her for years, managed to "shut down" any commotion and was able to keep everything from coming to light, which is one of the reasons why she was probably quite vague about why it shut down.
The latest claims and drama surrounding the end of Preserve is another scandal in a series of incidents the mom of four has been involved in since she entered her tumultuous legal battle against her former co-star and director, Justin Baldoni. Prior to the exposé piece, the actress's friend, or former friend, Taylor Swift was subpoenaed by Baldoni's lawyers, and the subpoena was eventually withdrawn after some intense public statements and rumors.
It's not clear what the future holds for Blake's career, and she has yet to acknowledge the claims about her brand, but things do not seem to be going her way.
