Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds. Getty Images (3)
In his bombshell new lawsuit, Justin Baldoni claimed one of Blake Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds’ A-list friends got involved in what went down behind-the-scenes on It Ends With Us.
In the 120-page document, which was obtained by Us Weekly on Thursday, January 16, Baldoni, 40, and his studio sued Lively, 37, Reynolds, 48, and her publicist, Leslie Sloane, for $400 million in damages.
In one part of the filing, Baldoni alleged that Lively sent him a draft of the infamous rooftop scene in the film which “dramatically differed” from the original. While Baldoni was “hesitant” about the changes, the lawsuit claimed he “thanked Lively for her passion and diplomatically told her that the scene would likely end up being somewhere between the original version and Lively’s version.”
Lively allegedly did not respond to him and “went silent for multiple days.” She later shared in a text message that Baldoni’s response “of course, didn’t feel great for me. Or [another megacelebrity friend and Ryan Reynolds]. To have my passion praised instead of my specific contribution.”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s reported rift made headlines months before the It Ends With Us costars filed lawsuits. While Lively and Baldoni promoted the film in August 2024, rumors began swirling of an alleged feud between the pair. Fans noticed that Lively was promoting the movie with some of her costars while Baldoni, who […]
Lively and Reynolds had allegedly hosted a meeting at their New York City apartment where Baldoni was met with praise by Reynolds and the aforementioned friend for Lively’s version of the scene.
“Hours later, as the meeting was ending, a famous, and famously close, friend of Reynolds and Lively, walked into the room and similarly began praising Lively’s script,” the lawsuit read. “Baldoni understood the subtext: he needed to comply with Lively’s direction for the script.”
Baldoni allegedly felt obligated to text Lively that he liked the scene and didn’t need Reynolds or the “megacelebrity friend” to “pressure” him. Lively replied that her pal and Reynolds were her “dragons.”
“They [Reynolds and the megacelebrity friend] also know I’m not always good at making sure I’m seen and utilized for fear of threatening egos, or fear of affecting the ease of the process,” Lively allegedly wrote. “They don’t give a shit about that. And because of that, everyone listens to them with immense respect and enthusiasm. So I guess I have to stop worrying about people liking me (‘I don’t know’ emoji) [emphasis added].”
UPDATE 1/16/25 at 12:43 p.m. ET: Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios filed a $400 million lawsuit against It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively and her publicist, Leslie Sloane, on Thursday, January 16. In the 179-page filing obtained by Us Weekly, Baldoni claimed that Lively was “determined” to make him a “real-life villain in her story.” […]
The lawsuit claimed that Baldoni was “not just dealing with Lively,” adding that he was now facing her “dragons.” The paperwork claimed that Reynolds and the friend are “two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him.”
Following the lawsuit, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, shared in a statement to Us, “This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team’s duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media.”
The statement continued, “It is clear based on our own all out willingness to provide all complete text messages, emails, video footage and other documentary evidence that was shared between the parties in real time, that this is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret. Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth.”
“Ms. Lively will never again be allowed to continue to exploit actual victims of real harassment solely for her personal reputation gain at the expense of those without power,” the statement read. “Let’s not forget, Ms. Lively and her team attempted to bulldoze reputations and livelihoods for heinously selfish reasons through their own dangerous manipulation of the media before even taking any actual legal action. We know the truth, and now the public does too. Justin and his team have nothing to hide, documents do not lie.”
Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit against The New York Times has shed even more light on the apparent creative differences between him and It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively. Baldoni, 40, is suing The Times for $250 million, alleging libel and false light invasion of privacy over the newspaper’s reporting on Lively suing him for sexual […]
Us reached out to Lively’s rep, defendant Sloane, for comment.
Rumors began swirling of a feud between Lively and Baldoni on the set of It Ends With Us in August 2024 when the twosome did not appear during press together. At the film’s New York City premiere, Lively claimed that Reynolds actually wrote the aforementioned rooftop scene. After Lively’s admission, screenwriter Christy Hall claimed that she was unaware someone rewrote the script and thought it had been improvised.
Months later, The New York Times broke the news that Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment. Baldoni denied all accusations against him made in the December 2024 lawsuit, which was obtained by Us.
Days later, Baldoni was among 10 plaintiffs who sued The New York Times $250 million for its coverage of Lively’s accusation. (A spokesperson for the The New York Times told Us at the time that the outlet is planning to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”)
The same day, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in a New York federal court which mirrored her earlier claims that had been filed with the California Civil Rights Department.
