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RELATED: BLAKE LIVELY VS JUSTIN BALDONI: THE HOLLYWOOD WAR THAT WON’T END PART 1

RELATED: BLAKE LIVELY VS JUSTIN BALDONI: THE HOLLYWOOD WAR THAT WON’T END PART 2

When “Cut!” Meant War Crimes

Buckle up because this isn’t just Hollywood drama anymore Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are in a full-on legal war that’s been dominating headlines since December 2024, and the tea just keeps SPILLING. What started as a movie about domestic violence turned into its own toxic workplace nightmare, and now? They’re scheduled to face off in U.S. District Court on March 9, 2026, with enough lawsuits flying around to make your head spin.

The Vibes Were OFF From Day One

Let’s rewind to summer 2024 when eagle-eyed fans started noticing something was seriously wrong during the “It Ends With Us” press tour. Blake and Justin were never photographed together at press events, didn’t take group photos at the New York premiere, and here’s where it gets PETTY none of the cast followed Baldoni on Instagram, even though he followed all of them. The only person who followed him back? Hasan Minhaj, who played his brother-in-law in the film.

But it gets messier. At the August 6, 2024 premiere, Blake walked the red carpet with her co-stars while Baldoni arrived with his wife and family separately. According to Baldoni’s complaint, Blake and Ryan Reynolds had demanded he not attend the premiere at all, and when Blake arrived, Baldoni’s group was ushered into the basement of the building. BASEMENT. Like he was the help or something.

And the ultimate disrespect? Baldoni didn’t introduce the film in the main theater Blake and author Colleen Hoover did instead, breaking the tradition of directors introducing their own films. Baldoni watched in a smaller theater with friends and family.

The Creative Control Battle: Who’s Movie Is This Anyway?

Behind the scenes, there was allegedly a full-on tug of war happening. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that a conflict formed during post-production when the film underwent reshoots and Blake commissioned a second cut from editor Shane Reid who just happened to have worked on Ryan Reynolds’ “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The version that made it to theaters was reportedly Blake’s preferred cut, not Justin’s.

And here’s where Ryan Reynolds comes in (because of COURSE he does). Reynolds allegedly wrote “a large chunk” of dialogue for a rooftop scene in April 2023, before the WGA strike, and Baldoni claims he wasn’t even told about it. Blake revealed this at the premiere like it was cute couple goals, but sources say Baldoni thought the scene had been ad-libbed by Blake.

Some people were saying Blake basically hijacked the whole movie. Others were whispering that maybe there was a REASON the entire cast sided with her.

December 2024: The Bomb Drops

Everything exploded in mid-December when The New York Times published an article titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine” that revealed Blake had filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department.

Blake accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on set and alleged that he, along with his production company Wayfarer Studios, orchestrated a smear campaign to destroy her reputation. The complaint detailed a January 2024 “all hands” meeting held before filming resumed where Blake laid out specific demands to ensure a safe and professional working environment, and Baldoni and Wayfarer allegedly agreed. Ryan Reynolds attended that meeting too.

What were Blake’s allegations? She claimed Baldoni created a “hostile work environment” and embarked on a “sophisticated press and digital plan” in retaliation after she spoke up.

But here’s where it gets WILD The New York Times article revealed that Baldoni had hired an expert in crisis PR over the summer who said she could help to “bury” Blake’s reputation.

The Lawsuit Olympics Begin

Justin did NOT take this lying down. He filed a massive $400 million lawsuit against Blake, Ryan Reynolds, Blake’s publicist Leslie Sloane, and her PR firm Vision PR for extortion and defamation. He also sued The New York Times.

His defense? Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, said Blake “used other people to communicate threats and bully her way to get whatever she wanted,” claiming they had “all the receipts”. They released video footage from set and accused Blake of fabricating or exaggerating claims.

But in June 2025, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni’s entire $400 million defamation lawsuit. The judge basically said Blake’s allegations were “legally protected” as part of a legal proceeding and immune from a defamation suit. He also found that Leslie Sloane, Blake’s publicist, didn’t defame Baldoni when she talked to Daily Mail because she relied on Blake’s account, and The New York Times “reviewed the available evidence and reported what it believed to have happened”.

After his case got tossed, Blake’s team WENT IN. Her spokesperson said “The Court dismissed the frivolous $400 million Baldoni-Wayfarer lawsuit in its entirety”.

The Receipts Keep Coming

Blake filed an amended complaint in February 2025 with “significant additional evidence and corroboration,” including “previously undisclosed communications” and “numerous other witnesses”. Most notably, the amended complaint alleged Blake wasn’t the only woman who voiced concerns another female cast member reported her own concerns about Baldoni’s unwelcome behavior in May 2023.

Meanwhile, Blake revealed in September 2025 that she has an unnamed witness who said they had “repeated, negative interactions” with Baldoni on the set of a DIFFERENT project, where his behavior was so bad that they requested he be banned from set for most of production.

The Side Battles

This case has more subplots than a soap opera

The Taylor Swift Angle Blake subpoenaed documents related to Scooter Braun (Taylor Swift’s enemy from the masters dispute) because Braun has ties to Baldoni’s PR firm. Baldoni tried to subpoena Taylor herself but backed off.

The Perez Hilton Drama In July 2025, Blake subpoenaed celebrity blogger Perez Hilton for communications with Baldoni, alleging he participated in the smear campaign. Perez filed a motion to quash, saying “I was not paid by anyone to speak negatively about Blake Lively“.

The Insurance Company In July 2025, Baldoni’s own insurance company sued him and Wayfarer, claiming their policies don’t cover Blake’s harassment suit because complaints existed before the policies were issued. When your OWN insurance is like “nah we’re not covering this mess,” you know it’s bad.

The New York Times Claps Back In September 2025, The New York Times filed their own lawsuit seeking around $150,000 in attorney’s fees from Baldoni, basically saying his lawsuit was baseless and designed to silence journalism.

Blake Wants MILLIONS In September 2025, Blake filed a motion asking that Baldoni pay millions of dollars for filing a “frivolous” lawsuit, invoking a California law (AB 933) designed to protect sexual harassment victims from retaliatory defamation suits.

The Emotional Distress Plot Twist

In a strategic move, Blake voluntarily withdrew her emotional distress claims in May 2025 to avoid having to turn over her medical and mental health records. Baldoni’s team had filed a motion demanding those records, and Judge Liman ruled Blake can’t present evidence of emotional distress at trial now, but she also doesn’t have to provide medical records.

Blake’s lawyers said she’ll “continue to pursue emotional distress damages through other claims in her lawsuit” basically a legal workaround to keep her medical history private while still going after damages.

The Deposition

Blake’s deposition, originally scheduled for July 17, 2025, was postponed to July 31 after one of the defendants (Jed Wallace, owner of crisis PR firm Street Relations) was dismissed from the case. The deposition happened privately with only legal teams, a court reporter, and videographer present, and testimony may be sealed.

Where’s Justin’s Career?

Girl, it’s not looking good. Reports suggest he’s lost multiple jobs because of this scandal. WME dropped him as a client (though they denied Ryan Reynolds pressured them to do it). The man went from directing a $350 million box office hit to being basically unemployable in Hollywood.

Meanwhile, Blake continues to attend events, got cast in new projects, and is positioned as the survivor who spoke up.

What About The Sequel?

Remember, there’s a whole sequel novel called “It Starts With Us” just sitting there. Baldoni and Wayfarer hold the rights to BOTH novels not just an option, but the full rights making him the sole party who can determine the sequel’s fate.

At the premiere, Baldoni suggested he might not direct the sequel, saying “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct”. But sources told Variety “There’s probably no world where these two will work together again”.

The movie made BANK though it cost $25 million and is expected to net at least $25-30 million in profits for Sony and Wayfarer, with some estimates putting it at double that. So there’s definitely financial incentive for a sequel, but can you imagine these two on set together again?

The Verdict (That Hasn’t Happened Yet)

So where do we stand today? The trial is set for March 9, 2026, with Judge Lewis Liman presiding over what’s sure to be the messiest celebrity court case since Depp v. Heard.

Blake’s team maintains she’s a victim of sexual harassment who was retaliated against for speaking up. Justin’s team claims Blake bullied her way into creative control and fabricated allegations when the public turned on her for her tone-deaf press tour (remember when she was promoting her hair care line while talking about domestic violence?).

The Real Tea

Here’s what we know for sure
The entire cast unfollowed Justin and sided with Blake
Multiple women have now come forward with concerns about Justin’s behavior
Blake had enough evidence to survive a motion to dismiss
Justin’s $400 million lawsuit got completely thrown out
His own insurance won’t cover him
The New York Times is coming for their legal fees
A Norwegian journalist resurfaced a 2016 interview where Blake came off badly, which fueled the “Mean Girl” narrative right when the feud was taking off

The truth? This is what happens when egos clash, power dynamics get messy, and Hollywood’s dark side meets the #MeToo era. One person is telling the truth, and one person built their entire career on performative allyship.

And honestly? The fact that Justin built his brand on being a male feminist who literally said in a 2017 TED Talk “believe all women, even when they accuse you”… and now here we are? That’s not irony, bestie. That’s a red flag retrospective.

We’ll be watching March 2026 with POPCORN ready because this trial is going to be absolutely UNHINGED!

The moral of the story When the director gets ushered to the basement at his own premiere, you KNOW something went DOWN on that set.