Blake Lively VS Justin Baldoni Update

MsMojo

Dive into the explosive legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni as we break down the shocking accusations, lawsuits, and Hollywood drama surrounding their dispute from the set of "It Ends with Us" to courtroom confrontations.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at emerging details surrounding the feud between

00:09Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, further examining the shocking accusations the Hollywood stars

00:14have levied against one another.

00:16Her lawyer sent a subpoena demanding the director's phone records as both sides just opted out

00:20of mediation.

00:23Active lawsuits.

00:24Tonight, scandal rocking Hollywood, as the fallout begins from Blake Lively's explosive

00:29allegations against co-star Justin Baldoni.

00:32As 2024 drew to a close, a wave of lawsuits emerged surrounding the highly publicized

00:37dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, which originated during the production of

00:41the movie It Ends With Us.

00:45Lively surfaced first with a bombshell suit claiming Baldoni caused her quote severe emotional

00:50distress while working on the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel.

00:54She also alleges Baldoni retaliated against her initial complaints by launching a quote

00:59smear campaign, using social media to bury her reputation.

01:14Come the new year, Baldoni filed a $400 million counter suit against Lively and her husband

01:19Ryan Reynolds, accusing the Hollywood power couple of defamation, civil extortion, and

01:23interfering with his career.

01:25The filing also brought Taylor Swift into the complaint.

01:38Blake and Ryan requested to have Justin's lawsuit be dismissed, so far to no avail.

01:43Baldoni and nine others, including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, also filed

01:48a $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times, stemming from the paper's expose

01:53titled, We Can Bury Anyone, Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.

01:58Additionally, Jed Wallace, of Baldoni's crisis PR firm Street Relations Incorporated,

02:09filed a $7 million defamation suit against Lively.

02:13Wallace says the actress has no evidence to support her claim that the firm quote weaponized

02:17a digital army to spread negative content about her.

02:20As for Blake and Justin's trial, a New York federal judge has since informed both parties

02:25to prepare for a March 9, 2026 start date.

02:35Leaked Audio and Video

02:46In an effort to defend Justin Baldoni, his legal team released an unedited, on-set video

02:51of his interaction with Blake Lively while filming a dance scene in It Ends With Us.

02:56The quote-unquote leak was meant to disprove Lively's original complaint that she was uncomfortable

03:00during filming due to Baldoni's alleged inappropriate behavior and unscripted physical contact without

03:06prior discussion.

03:12During the video's release, however, Lively's legal team called the footage damning evidence

03:16that actually reinforced the allegations.

03:19A voice memo from Baldoni allegedly sent to Lively during production also surfaced.

03:32In the near seven-minute recording, Baldoni can be heard apologizing, acknowledging that

03:36he quote, fell short and effed up.

03:39He described himself as a flawed man, but assured Lively that he takes accountability.

03:50Baldoni's team has also launched a website featuring legal documents related to the dispute,

03:55including an amendment claiming that the New York Times had access to Lively's lawsuit

03:58eleven days before publishing their report.

04:08The newspaper, however, dismissed the claims as quote, rife with inaccuracies.

04:13Baldoni's site has also become ripe with leaked text messages from him, Blake and Ryan,

04:18all with the intent of proving his side of the story.

04:26Deadpool Drama

04:27When it comes to speculation that Ryan Reynolds took a jab at Justin Baldoni in Deadpool and

04:35Wolverine through the character Nicepool, Baldoni's lawyer, Brian Friedman, states

04:40that there is quote, no question about it.

04:42Speaking on The Megyn Kelly Show, Friedman criticized Reynolds, arguing that if his wife

04:47had been indecently harassed, mocking Baldoni in a blockbuster film was inappropriate.

05:00He pointed to Nicepool's man-bun and pseudo-feminist persona as evidence, given that these are

05:04what he calls quote, clear references to Baldoni.

05:07In one scene in particular, Nicepool, an alternate version of Reynolds' Deadpool, comments on

05:12Lively's character, Ladypool.

05:14He says,

05:15She is gorgeous.

05:16She just had a baby too, and can't even tell.

05:19When Deadpool objects, Nicepool responds,

05:22That's okay, I identify as a feminist.

05:26Baldoni's legal team has since sent a letter to Disney demanding they keep documents about

05:29the creation of the character, as they believe it will support the claims that Ryan used

05:33Nicepool to quote, bully Justin.

05:41Ari Emanuel Breaks Silence

05:43Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, the parent company of WME, has revealed that the talent agency

05:49dropped Justin Baldoni as a client due to the firm's strong ties to Blake Lively and

05:53Ryan Reynolds, who are both repped by WME.

05:57Addressing the legal battle on the Freakonomics podcast, Ari confirmed that he personally

06:01made the decision to axe Justin.

06:04After it's noted by host Stephen Dubner that Justin was once a WME client, Ari starkly

06:09adds,

06:10Until I fired him.

06:11When asked why, he responded, quote,

06:12I am a ride-or-die, and they, Blake and Ryan, are good people.

06:16Emanuel went on to further defend Lively and Reynolds, calling them, quote, incredible

06:20with a long-standing positive reputation in Hollywood.

06:23While also praising their philanthropy, he says, quote,

06:26They've never had any bad mojo or treated people badly.

06:30As for Baldoni's version of events regarding the controversy on the set of It Ends With

06:34Us, Ari says he just doesn't believe it.

06:36Ryle, wait.

06:37Ryle, please.

06:38What was he doing in the bathroom?

06:39Lively, what was he doing in the bathroom with you?

06:40I saw my eye, and I think I saw your hand, and he knows it was an accident.

06:44Justin Baldoni's Phone Records Subpoenaed

06:46Blake Lively's legal team has issued subpoenas to major U.S. phone carriers requesting Justin

06:50Baldoni's telephone records.

06:52They have also sought records for his publicists, Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan, in an effort

06:57to further uncover what they allege was a coordinated smear campaign against Lively.

07:02Lively's legal team issued a subpoena for Baldoni's phone records, claiming his side

07:06worked to destroy and bury her reputation and family over the past year.

07:12Speaking with Us Weekly, Lively's representative shared their belief that the records are crucial

07:16in determining, quote, how their retaliation plan was devised and carried out.

07:21I mean, she's subpoenaing two and a half years of Justin's phone records, not just his, but

07:25his producers' too.

07:27Would you call this scorched earth?

07:28She and her legal team are absolutely going scorched earth.

07:32In response, Baldoni's lawyer acknowledged that subpoenas are a routine part of litigation,

07:36but criticized the scope of Lively's requests as excessive.

07:40He claims that they are demanding access to every call, text, data log, and even real-time

07:45location data from the past two and a half years.

07:48He says that this, quote, broadfishing shows that they are desperate.

07:52From his perspective, he says they must need more because they don't have anything now.

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08:13Ryan Reynolds Jokes About Legal Battle

08:15During a star-studded Q&A with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the SNL 50th Anniversary Special,

08:21Ryan Reynolds appeared to make light of the ongoing legal drama that he and his wife are

08:25embroiled in.

08:26When asked how he was doing, Reynolds quipped,

08:28"...Great!

08:29Why, what have you heard?"

08:31His remark prompted hearty laughter from the audience.

08:34Aside from Kevin Costner, Blake Lively, seated beside him, maintained a mostly neutral expression

08:39throughout the comedic exchange.

08:41And despite the ongoing controversy, Reynolds and Lively, who have been married since 2012

08:46and share four children, also walked the red carpet prior to the event.

08:51Are you following the public feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?

08:54Share your thoughts in the comments below.

08:56There was a possible off-ramp here.

08:58This was the off-ramp, but neither side wanted to take it, neither is ready yet to back down.

09:21Here's what's next!

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