Who is Liz Plank? The author has quit Justin Baldoni’s podcast amid his Blake Lively sexual harassment controversy – but why did Trump block her on Twitter while he was president?

Dec 31 , 2024

Meet journalist Liz Plank, who quit Justin Baldoni’s podcast amid his Blake Lively sexual harassment controversy and who was once blocked by Donald Trump on Twitter. Photos: Getty Images/TNS; @feministabulous/Instagram

Plank has joined a growing band of allies distancing themselves from actor and director Baldoni after he became embroiled in controversy with his It Ends with Us co-star, Gossip Girl alum Lively

Cancel culture has claimed It Ends with Us actor and director Justin Baldoni after his co-star Blake Lively sued him for sexual harassment and accused him of mobilising a smear campaign against her.

Lively – who previously received backlash for seeming to make light of domestic violence, promoting her haircare line on the It Ends with Us press tour, and behaving rudely in a resurfaced 2016 interview with journalist Kjersti Flaa – has now found solidarity and support from the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Amber Heard, as well as her It Ends with Us co-stars Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate.

Even Colleen Hoover, author of the original novel on which the film is based, stood up for the Gossip Girl star.

On the contrary, Baldoni’s closest allies are dropping him at lightning speed. This includes the long-time co-host of his Man Enough Podcast, journalist Liz Plank, who announced on her Instagram that she had quit the show, noting, “We all deserve better.”

So just who is Liz Plank, who was once blocked by Donald Trump on Twitter for her criticism of the then US president?

Liz Plank’s educational background

Liz Plank has a master’s from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Photo: @feministabulous/Instagram

Plank hails from Montreal, and is now based in New York. She graduated from McGill University in 2010 with a bachelor’s in women’s studies and international development. During her time there, she completed a student exchange programme at the University of Copenhagen. Plank later got her master’s in social policy and gender studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

She has a prolific journalism career

Liz Plank was named on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Media list in 2015. Photo: @feministabulous/Instagram

A columnist at MSNBC, Plank has had successful stints at Vox, where she was a senior correspondent, and NBCUniversal, where she hosted the digital series Positive Spin. She has won several awards for her work as a journalist and was named on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Media list in 2015.

Plank has also volunteered for individuals with disabilities in both Montreal and New York, and is currently working on a film about ableism called Not So Special.