Written by: Bianca Zumpano
Background: Star-Crossed Lovers and Co-Stars
One of the most anticipated films of 2024 was It Ends With Us. The film, which stars actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively in the throes of an abusive relationship, was long awaited by fans of the Colleen Hoover book by the same name. However, leading up to the film’s release, rumors swirled of animosity between the costars, and it seemed the toxicity was not left on screen. Social media users began to choose sides in the costars’ falling out. Amongst other instances, an old video that resurfaced in 2024 of one of Lively’s interviews became a conduit for a tidal wave of criticism on social media, after the journalist who met with her claimed Lively’s behavior made her “want to quit [her] job.” While that particular interviewer denies any direct involvement in Lively and Baldoni’s feud, complaints filed in California claim that there may be more that meets the eye regarding the change in the public’s opinion of Lively.
Lively’s Legal Claims
Lively contends that this sudden turn against her was not a coincidence, but rather a concerted effort from Baldoni and his PR team to tarnish her character and turn public opinion against her as their spat became popular tabloid fodder and social media gossip. In a complaint she filed against Baldoni and his production company with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2024, Lively claims that Baldoni had improvised unwanted kissing scenes and made inappropriate sexual comments that amounted to sexual harassment on set. She alleged that, after she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, confronted Baldoni about his behavior, he and his team arranged a smear campaign. Lively’s legal claims include defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Defamation claims filed by public figures carry the very high standard of proving “actual malice”: that the tortfeasor knew the statements were false. This notoriously makes their defamation claims difficult to prove. Lively, even before discovery, included numerous text and email exchanges in her complaint that she claims shows Baldoni and his team purposefully orchestrating the takedown.
Baldoni’s Legal Claims
The legal challenges certainly did not end there. First, on December 31, 2024, Baldoni filed a libel lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the New York Times for a piece they ran on Baldoni and Lively’s dispute. Then, on January 16, 2025, Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively and Reynolds for a whopping $400 million in the Southern District of New York. Baldoni asserts that Lively took an unfair amount of control over the film’s script. He also directly responds to Lively’s sexual harassment claims, dismissing them as false. He alleges civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy. Baldoni claims that Lively used her substantial connections in Hollywood to pressure him. Like Lively’s complaint, he included a number of emails and text messages, even at this early pre-discovery stage. Lively’s legal team retains their position that Baldoni’s suit is an attempt to deflect from his own misconduct.
The Aftermath: How Will It End?
Legal experts seem to believe the suit could indeed go to trial, prolonging the cases for years, and resulting in another high-profile celebrity trial like the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp defamation case. The suit will certainly have the eyes of the entertainment industry with possible implications for fallouts from sexual harassment allegations and public relations campaigns in the social media era. A number of other celebrity names have already been implicated in the complaints: Lively’s complaint alleges that Baldoni’s Public Relations team modeled their formula on the “cancellation” of other female celebrities for supposed past bad behavior–namely Hailey Bieber–and Baldoni alleges Taylor Swift was a powerful connection Lively used to pressure him. No matter the outcome, and whether it ends with an out-of-court settlement or jury verdict, Hollywood is surely in for a shake up in the aftermath of this pair of star-studded suits with sky-high damage requests.
Sources:
Anna Kaufman, She posted a video of Blake Lively. Now this journalist is accused of helping smear the star, USA Today (January 6, 2025).
Annabel Rackham, Justin Baldoni sues Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for $400M, BBC News (January 17, 2025).
Benjamin VanHoose, Blake Lively’s Legal Team Calls Justin Baldoni’s “Strategy” Around $400M Lawsuit ‘Desperate’, People (January 18, 2025).
Callum Wells, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle will drag on ‘for years’, The Sun (January 19, 2025).
Geoff Weiss, 6 key takeaways from Justin Baldoni’s new lawsuit against Blake Lively, Business Insider (January 17, 2025).
The “actual malice” standard, explained, Protect Democracy (March 30, 2023).
Complaint of Blake Lively v. Wayfarer Studios, LLC, et al., The New York Times (December 21, 2024).