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By Erin Keller
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The legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is raging on into the new year as Baldoni is expected to file his own lawsuit against the "Gossip Girl" star.
Newsweek has contacted representatives for Baldoni by email for comment.
Tensions between Lively and her It Ends With Us co-star and director Baldoni became apparent during promotional events in the summer of 2024 where the actors notably avoided interactions, sparking rumors of a feud.
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Reports later attributed the discord to post-production disagreements and an uncomfortable filming environment allegedly created by Baldoni. Amid varied accusations and public backlash, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, filing a legal complaint detailing inappropriate behaviors and retaliatory tactics against her.
Lively first filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department on December 20. On December 31, she filed a formal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit also names producer Jamey Heath, Heath and Baldoni's production company, Wayfarer Studios, as well as its co-founder Steve Sarowitz, as defendants.
Baldoni's representatives denied these claims, suggesting Lively aimed to salvage her reputation damaged by her own actions during the film's promotion.
Despite these challenges, the film was released on August 9, 2024, and became a box-office success, grossing $351 million worldwide against a $25 million budget.
Why did Blake Lively Sue Justin Baldoni?
Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign.
"I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted," Lively said in a statement to Newsweek on Monday.
Lively alleged that during the production of It Ends With Us, Baldoni engaged in unapproved physical intimacy, attempted to include nudity and graphic scenes not in the script, and did so without an intimacy coordinator. She claimed Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath repeatedly entered her trailer uninvited during private moments, including breastfeeding.
However, Baldoni included text messages alleging with Lively, suggesting she invited him into her trailer, even during private moments.
"Lively also established very early that it was acceptable to be present while Lively was breastfeeding," an attorney for Baldoni wrote in his lawsuit against the New York Times. "Both Heath and Baldoni have children, and are comfortable around breastfeeding mothers, and Lively seemed equally comfortable. In fact, Baldoni's wife cofounded a company that makes a breastfeeding garment, a prototype that originated with his mother when he was a baby. And as revealed in a text message exchange between Baldoni and Lively less than two weeks into filming, Lively invited Baldoni to her trailer to rehearse lines while she was pumping breast milk."
Lively also said in her suit that Baldoni referred to women on set as "sexy." Baldoni responded with text messages allegedly between him and Livley, where she suggested her character have a "sexier" wardrobe for the film.
Baldoni's lawyer wrote in the NYT complaint, "The allegation that Baldoni inappropriately described Lively's character's attire as 'sexy' is exaggerated and misleading. The text exchanges between Baldoni and Lively show that Lively had insisted that her character's clothing be 'much sexier.' When Baldoni later used the word 'sexy,' he was just responding to her creative input, not objectifying her personally. Lively set the tone that Baldoni heeded during the creative process."
After Lively raised concerns about Baldoni's alleged behavior, the studio agreed to implement safeguards for her protection and assured her in a new contract that there would be no retaliation for her complaints, according to her lawsuit.
Lively also confronted Baldoni about his actions and he then allegedly hired a crisis management team to tarnish her reputation, causing her emotional distress and lost wages.
475702-blake-lively-lawsuit-against-justin-baldoni.pdf.PDF
Justin Baldoni's Lawsuit Against the New York Times, Blake Lively
On December 31, Baldoni filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times, accusing the publication of publishing a biased narrative using manipulated and cherry-picked evidence while ignoring evidence that refuted Lively's allegations.
Baldoni's legal team argued that the newspaper caved to the influence of powerful Hollywood elites, including Lively, and disregarded ethical journalistic practices.
The lawsuit claims Lively used sexual harassment allegations as a manipulative tactic to assert control over their production while deflecting attention from her public missteps.
The New York Times defended its reporting, stating it was based on thousands of original documents and adhered to journalistic standards, with no factual errors identified by Baldoni or his team.
On January 3, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, announced plans to also sue Lively.
"We plan to release every single text message between the two of them," Freedman told NBC News. "We want the truth to be out there. We want the documents to be out there. We want people to make their determination based on receipts."
Attorneys for Lively told Newsweek in a statement on Monday, that Baldoni's lawsuit is based on the "obviously false premise" that Lively's administrative complaint showed she didn't intend to file a lawsuit.
"As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively's complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer's allegations in court," attorneys told Newsweek.
What were the Text Messages and Other Evidence Against Justin Baldoni?
Through a civil subpoena, Lively obtained text messages between Baldoni, publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis management expert Melissa Nathan.
When Baldoni realized Ryan Reynolds, Lively's husband, blocked him on Instagram in May 2024, he allegedly texted Abel, "We should have a plan for IF she does the same when movie comes out. Plans make me feel more at ease."
Abel conveyed this to Nathan, allegedly writing, "I think you guys need to be tough and show the strength of what you guys can do in these scenarios. He wants to feel like she can be buried."
Nathan allegedly replied, "We can't write we will destroy her."
"Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands. You know we can bury anyone," Nathan added.
Days later, Baldoni reportedly texted Abel a thread from X titled "Hailey Bieber's history of bullying many women."
"This is what we would need," Baldoni allegedly wrote in a text to Abel about the supermodel.
Abel allegedly responded, "Yes, I literally just spoke to Melissa [Nathan] about this on the break about what we discussed last night for social and digital. Focus on Reddit, TikTok, IG [Instagram]."
Nathan then proposed hiring contractors to dominate social media through untraceable tactics like "full account take downs" and creating "threads of theories."
"All of this will be most importantly untraceable," Nathan wrote.
Justin Baldoni Faces Backlash After Blake Lively Lawsuit
The lawsuit claims Baldoni learned Reynolds approached his WME agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and demanded that they drop him. WME denied this allegation in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1.
"In Baldoni's filing there is a claim that Reynolds pressured Baldoni's agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. This is not true, Baldoni's former representative was not at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere nor was there any pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time to drop Baldoni as a client," the agency said.
What Celebrities Have Announced Support for Blake Lively?
Collen Hoover, The It Ends With Us book author, showed support for Lively.
"Blake Lively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met," she shared in a December 21 Instagram Story post. "Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."
Lively's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Blede released a joint statement to social media on December 22, supporting Lively.
"As Blake's friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation," the trio shared. "Throughout the filming of It Ends with Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice."
The actresses continued: "Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding. We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment."
Actress Amy Schumer and Amber Heard, who in 2022 lost a defamation lawsuit filed against her by her ex-husband Johnny Depp, also publicly supported Lively.
Schumer wrote in an Instagram Story on December 22, "I believe Blake."
Heard said in a December 23 statement to NBC News, "Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying 'A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.' I saw this firsthand and up close," she wrote. "It's as horrifying as it is destructive."
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Update 1/6/25 4:00 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include comment from Blake Lively and her attorneys.
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