Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni: A full timeline of their bitter feud
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle has exploded since the actress accused him of sexual harassment and a campaign to 'destroy' her reputation after their film, It Ends With Us.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle has exploded since the actress accused him of sexual harassment and a campaign to 'destroy' her reputation after their film, It Ends With Us.
The star, 37, sued her co-star months after the release of their box office hit based on Colleen Hoover's novel, in which she pays Lily Bloom and Justin, 41, who directed the film, stars as her abusive partner, Ryle Kincaid.
Rumours of a feud between the pair plagued the film's release last year, as they appeared to avoid each other during the promotional tour and Blake was called out for her 'tone-deaf' behaviour in interviews amid the dark subject matter.
Blake alleged in her lawsuit that Justin orchestrated a negative PR campaign to harm the star's reputation in the media.
Justin counter-sued the actress and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, for $400million for allegedly trying to 'destroy' his reputation and sued the New York Times for defamation for $250million.
The actor has since released unedited footage from It Ends With Us, voice notes and text messages with Blake, and a website dedicated to defending himself against her sexual harassment claims - prompting Blake and Ryan to file for a gag order.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle has exploded since the actress accused him of sexual harassment and a campaign to 'destroy' her reputation after their film, It Ends With Us
Blake, 37, sued her co-star, 41, months after the release of their box office hit based on Colleen Hoover's novel
August 13, 2024 - Feud rumours swirl and Justin hires Johnny Depp’s crisis management PR firm
Rumours of a feud between Blake and Justin began circulating on social media as the co-stars appeared to avoid each other while promoting It Ends With Us, which was released on August 9.
Fans noticed that Blake and Justin did not follow each other on social media, with many of their cast members following Blake and not Justin.
The cause of the fallout was due to 'fat-shaming', inappropriate comments, and Justin kissing for too long during scenes, TMZ alleged.
There was also online chatter that Deadpool star Ryan was too involved in the making of the film.
Justin hired crisis management specialist Melissa Nathan, who previously represented Johnny Depp during his successful defamation trial against Amber Heard, as well as rappers like Drake and Travis Scott.
Melissa's hiring suggested that Justin was planning a major reputation defence as she has previously handled allegations of orchestrating social media smear campaigns.
15 August – Blake faces backash over her 'tone-deaf' promotion of the film
Rumours of a feud between Blake and Justin began circulating on social media as the co-stars appeared to avoid each other while promoting It Ends With Us
Blake, known for her playful demeanour in interviews and with her husband Ryan, began to face criticism for her marketing of It Ends With Us.
Critics blasted the Gossip Girl star for promoting her new haircare line in interviews, telling fans to 'bring their florals' to watch the film - in a nod to the 'wear pink' trend for the Barbie film - and for avoiding overt reference to the film's theme of domestic violence.
TikTok, X, and Instagram were flooded with hundreds of comments accusing her of glossing over the film's heavy subject matter.
Critics also took issue with themed cocktails relating to the film, with one called 'Ryle You Wait' - named after a character in the film who threw Blake's character Lily down the stairs.
Amid mounting criticism, Blake wrote on her Instagram Story: 'One in 4 women aged 18 and older in the US alone have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.'
15 August - Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa shares a 2016 interview with Blake that made her 'want to quit' her job
Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa shared a 2016 interview with Blake that made her 'want to quit' her job
Kjersti Flaa shared a video on YouTube of her interview with Blake to promote the star's film, Cafe Society, in 2016.
In it, she congratulated Blake on her pregnancy, prompting the actress to sarcastically reply: 'Congrats on your little bump.'
When Kjersti praised the film's decadent 1930s fashion, Blake ignored her remarks and said to co-star Parker Posey: 'Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes.'
Kjersti titled the video, 'The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job' and was flooded with comments of support that branded Blake 'rude'.
21 December - Blake files lawsuit against Justin accusing him of sexual harassment
Blake accused Justin of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us and of launching a campaign to 'destroy' her reputation.
The Age of Adaline star, her husband Ryan, Justin, and their legal teams attended a meeting in which she outlined her issues and set specific conditions for continuing to work on the film, according to the filing.
These included a ban on Justin showing explicit images or videos, discussing his alleged past 'pornography addiction,' making inappropriate comments about sexual conquests, weight, or genitalia, and mentioning Blake's late father.
She also demanded that there would be no adding of 'sex scenes, oral sex, or on camera climaxing' to the script she had approved.
Sony Pictures agreed to these conditions, TMZ reported, but Blake claimed Justin retaliated by launching a campaign to harm her reputation.
In response, Justin's lawyer Bryan Freedman claimed Blake's lawsuit was a bid to 'fix her negative reputation'.
He called her allegations 'false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious,' and accused her of 'threatening to not [show] up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release'.
22 December – New York Times investigation claims Justin orchestrated a smear campaign to 'bury' Blake
The New York Times published an investigation into Justin's alleged PR campaign against Blake
The New York Times shared private messages between Justin and his team that they claimed intended to 'bury' Blake.
The investigation claimed that the battle over creative control was pitched as an idea for talking points during the press campaign.
Justin allegedly wanted more, writing, 'Not sure I’m feeling the protection I felt on the call' following a phone conversation, The Times reported.
In one text message, Melissa allegedly said to him: 'You know we can bury anyone.'
The report also claimed Justin shared an example of a viral social media thread accusing another celebrity of bullying, writing, 'This is what we would need.'
Melissa allegedly suggested hiring contractors to create a covert campaign that included creating viral threads, orchestrating 'full social account takedowns,' and changing online narratives.
'All of this will be most importantly untraceable,' she allegedly wrote.
When approached by The Times, journalist Kjersti Flaa denied any involvement in a smear campaign.
In a new YouTube video, she said: 'I would never take money to jeopardise my integrity as a journalist.'
22 December – Justin is dropped by his talent agency
Justin was dropped by the WWE Agency following Blake's lawsuit, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Blake and her husband Ryan were also represented by WWE.
23 December – Hollywood stars share their support for Blake
Blake's Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants co-stars shared their support in a joint statement
Colleen Hoover, America Ferrera, Amy Schumer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amber Heart, Michele Morrone, and Paul Feig shared messages of support for Blake amid the fallout.
Blake's sister, actress Robyn also weighed in, writing: 'FINALLY. Justice for my sister Blake Lively.'
Her long-time friends and co-stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel who appeared on 2005's A Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants with Blake released a poignant joint statement supporting her.
'As Blake’s friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,' they said.
'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. We are inspired by our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others.'
Blake said in a statement: '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.'
23 December – Blake misses her Saturday Night Live appearance due to her lawsuit
Blake claimed in her lawsuit that she was unable to continue with other work due to the backlash she was facing online due to Justin's alleged smear campaign.
Her lawyer claimed this included the opportunity to host the series 50 premiere of Saturday night Live on September 28, 2024, which was instead fronted by Jean Smart.
24 December – Justin is stripped of his award for being an 'ally to women'
Justin was stripped of his Voices of Solidarity award
Vital Voices rescinded Justin's 2024 Voices of Solidarity Award.
The filmmaker was honoured at the December 9 event, which celebrates men who'elevate women, combat gender-based violence, and promote gender equality worldwide'.
However, two weeks later, the non-profit, which is dedicated to ending sexual and domestic violence said Blake's lawsuit 'alleges abhorrent conduct' that is 'contrary to the values of Vital Voices'
'The communications among Mr Baldoni and his publicists included in the lawsuit – and the PR effort they indicate – are, alone, contrary to the values of Vital Voices and the spirit of the Award,' the statement continued.
'We have notified Mr Baldoni that we have rescinded this award.'
24 December – It Ends With Us star defends Blake
Brandon Sklenar, who played Blake's teenage love interest in It Ends With Us, spoke out publicly in support of the star.
He shared a link to her lawsuit and captioned the Instagram post, 'FOR THE LOVE OF GOD READ THIS,' alongside a red love heart emoji, tagging Blake.
24 December – Justin's podcast co-host leaves the show
Journalist Liz Plank announced her departure as a long-time co-host of The Man Enough Podcast with Justin.
'As this chapter closes for me, I remain committed to the values we’ve built together,' she wrote. 'We all deserve better, and I know that together, we can create it.'
25 December - Justin's former publicist sues him over breach of contract
Stephanie Jones, who owns the PR company Jonesworks,filed a lawsuit against Baldoni for breach of contract.
She accused him of breaching his contract which required him to pay $25,000 a month after he allegedly left the firm a few months into a year-long contract.
Stephanie also sued Justin's new publicist, Jennifer Abel, who she claimed 'went around' her to arrange for Justin and his production company Wayfarer Studios to hire Melissa Nathan – who is also named in the suit – 'and launch a smear campaign against Lively'.
1 January – Justin sues The New York Times for $250million
Justin and nine other plaintiffs including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel filed a $250million lawsuit against The Times alleging libel and false-light invasion of privacy.
The suit claimed the outlet's reporting 'cherry-picked and altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead'.
Justin claimed he was “aggressively berated” by Ryan Reynolds after the actor, who suffers from back problems, asked Blake how much she weighed before he lifted her, 'to ensure he could safely perform the lift without injury'.
1 January – Blake officially sues Justin
Blake officially sued Justin in January
The actress filed an initial legal complaint in December that detailed the claims against Justin.
In the official lawsuit filed on 1 January in New York federal court, she accused Justin and his PR team of organising a scheme to undermine her reputation in retaliation for speaking up about alleged misconduct during filming.
2 January – The New York Times and Justin's legal team respond
The New York Times said they 'plan to vigorously defend' against Justin's lawsuit.
'The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,' the outlet said in a statement.
'Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article.
'To date, Wayfarer Studios, Mr. Baldoni, the other subjects of the article and their representatives have not pointed to a single error. We published their full statement in response to the allegations in the article as well.'
Justin's attorney Bryan Freedman said: 'In this vicious smear campaign fully orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful "untouchable" Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative.
'In doing so, they pre-determined the outcome of their story, and aided and abetted their own devastating PR smear campaign designed to revitalize Lively’s self-induced floundering public image and counter the organic groundswell of criticism amongst the online public. The irony is rich.
'Make no mistake however, as we all unite to take down the NY Times by no longer allowing them to deceive the public, we will continue this campaign of authenticity by also suing those individuals who have abused their power to try and destroy the lives of my clients. While their side embraces partial truths, we embrace the full truth - and have all of the communications to back it. The public will decide for themselves as they did when this first began.'
17 January – Justin countersues Blake and Ryan
Justin countersued Blake and her husband Ryan Reynolds
Justin countersued Blake and Ryan for $400million for allegedly attempting to 'destroy' his reputation and career.
The suit alleges loss of income, civil extortion, defamation, privacy violations, and interference with both contractual and economic opportunities.
'This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio,' the filing read.
'Then, when Lively and Reynolds' efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat.'
Blake's legal team said in response: 'This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim.
'This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.'
21 January – Justin releases footage of dance scene with Blake and she hits back
He shared unedited footage of their dance scene on It Ends With Us which he said disproves her harassment claims
DailyMail.com exclusively obtained footage of Justin and Blake filming three takes of a dance scene on It Ends With Us.
Justin's legal team claimed this disproved Blake's allegations that he sexually harassed her by dragging his lips down her neck and telling her ‘it smells so good’.
The footage does, however, show him nuzzling her neck and telling Blake she 'smells good' in response to her concerns she was getting spray tan on him.
Blake's lawyers said the footage supports her claims, stating: 'The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character.
'Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss.'
January 22 - Blake and Ryan file a gag order
Blake and Ryan filed a gag order against Justin for leaking footage of her
Blake and Ryan filed a gag order against Justin's legal team following the leaked fo0tage.
The legal letter accused Justin's lawyer Bryan Freedman of 'improper conduct' in releasing the video.
25 January – Justin's sister shares her support
Justin's younger sister, Sara, shared her first Instagram post in more than a year to celebrate his 41st birthday.
'I love you and I celebrate you – the man you are, the love you embody, the strength of your connection to God, the essence of your being, your dedication to truth, to service and to love – today and all days,' she wrote.
'I am so proud to call you my big brother and annoyingly squeeze the hell out of you until the end of time.'
Justin's wife Emily Baldoni said in her own post days earlier: 'Happy birthday my love. Celebrating the man, husband, and father that you are. I’d choose you again and again.'
27 January – Justin shares a voice message apologising to Blake
Justin could be heard apologising to Blake in a seven-minute long voice note that he reportedly sent to her at 2am during filming of It Ends With Us.
In it, he says he's 'really sorry' for expressing his disapproval to edits Blake had made to a rooftop scene.
'Man, reading the second part of your message, my heart sank and I’m really sorry. I, for sure, fell short and you worked really hard on that,' he said.
'I feel really grateful that you feel safe enough to tell me that that’s how you feel and share that with me. And I’m really sorry. I f***ed up. That is a fail on my part.'
He added that he was 'far from perfect', saying: 'I’m a very flawed man, as my wife will attest. But I will always apologise and then find my way back to centre. That is one thing I can assure you of. And I’m sorry I made you feel that way – that must have felt terrible.'
He also apologised for sending such a long voice note, joking that she's probably listening to it with a 'baby on your boob'.
28 January – trial date is set for Justin and Blake
New York federal judge Lewis J. Liman informed Justin and Blake to prepare for a March 9, 2026 trial.
He also moved an initial hearing from mid-February to early February and told lawyers to prepare to address complaints about pretrial publicity and attorney conduct.
30 January - Blake and Ryan ask for Justin's lawsuit to be dismissed
The couple filed a notice stating they will seek to dismiss Justin's counter lawsuit.
They did so after the judge asked for a letter that would 'indicate in one sentence the Defendant’s intent to make a motion to dismiss'.
1 February - Justin launches a website dedicated to telling 'his side'
Justin shared a website dedicated to defending himself against Blake's lawsuit
In an attempt to share his side of the story, the actor shared a website focused on sharing information about his legal battle with Blake.
Two documents were uploaded to the site, titled 'Amended Complaint' and 'Timeline of Relevant Events' and are available to download.
The documents claimed the New York Times had access to Blake's lawsuit against him at least 11 days before they published their report.
Justin also shared his alleged handwritten notes from a meeting with an intimacy coordinator for It Ends With Us.
The timeline claims that Baldoni met with an intimacy coordinator on April 21, 2023, to go over how they would shoot the sex scenes for the movie.
Both the timeline and the amended complaint note that it was 'important to [Baldoni] that the intimacy coordinator be a woman to help craft sex scenes that would speak to the book's mostly female audience — i.e., be written from the 'female gaze.'
The document includes an image of Baldoni's handwritten notes from the meeting, which he claimed were shared with Lively during one of their 'script-writing meetings' at her residence in New York.
The document alleged: 'These notes would later become the basis for Lively's Complaint, in which she states that Baldoni would talk about his own sex life and insert gratuitous scenes with Lively's character orgasming.
'As seen in the notes, these mentions come directly from the intimacy coordinator's notes — 'goes down on her,' 'orgasm,' 'foreplay,' 'The cl*t test.'
The document continued: 'Ideally, these conversations would have taken place directly between Lively and the intimacy coordinator directly, as Baldoni had requested.
However, Lively declined to meet with her, leaving Baldoni in the less than ideal position of having to relay these notes to Lively in her penthouse.'
On the website, Justin also included alleged text messages exchanges between him and Blake and also unveiled previously unseen conversations between Baldoni and Reynolds.
In one of the alleged text message exchanges, Lively wrote to Baldoni about rewriting the rooftop scene in April 2023.
'If you knew me (in person) longer you'd have a sense of how flirty and yummy the ball busting will play,' she allegedly texted him. 'It's my love language. Spicy and playfully bold, never with teeth...'
Among the messages, Baldoni also revealed the alleged, first-ever text conversation he had with Lively's husband Reynolds.
According to his court filing, Baldoni reached out to Reynolds on February 28, 2023 after asking Lively for his phone number.
In the alleged text messages, they had a polite and cordial exchange just over a month before Reynolds allegedly swore at Baldoni and accused him of fat-shaming Lively.
In April 2023, Baldoni was reportedly summoned by Lively to her New York City penthouse and was greeted by Reynolds, per Baldoni's lawsuit against the couple.
After Lively accused Baldoni of 'shaming her for her body and weight' during filming, Baldoni denied the allegations, which he called 'categorically false,' as he detailed an instance in which Reynolds allegedly said to him in an aggressive manner: 'How dare you f***ing ask about my wife's weight? What's wrong with you?'
Per legal documents, Baldoni claimed that 'the tone from Reynolds and Lively was so aggressive that [he] felt he had no choice but to offer repeated (and completely unwarranted) apologies.'
Just a little over a month earlier, in an attempt to break the ice and start a new friendship, Baldoni had texted the Deadpool actor and they had a pleasant conversation.
'I asked Blake for your number well over a month ago and have wanted to text you for a while now, but my good ol' nerves got the best of me,' Baldoni wrote in his text to Reynolds.
He referred to himself as 'the guy who brought his literal baggage to his meeting with your wife.'
In his lengthy and self-proclaimed 'awkward' text, Baldoni shared a little insight on his longtime marriage with his wife Emily Baldoni.
'Emily and I have a very small circle. We live out in the country in [sic] and pretty much just hang out with each other. We've known all our closest friends for years, and I don't really have any close female friends that my wife isn't also friends with, let alone married ones. And so I guess this is just an awkward text to say I'd like to be friends.'
In their cordial exchange, Baldoni also included Reynolds' alleged amiable reply.
'What a loving and generous message. Thank you. We're both looking forward to getting to know you and your family better. We're also big fans over here. Since before we met, and more-so after,' Reynolds wrote.
'You've been a wonderful collaborator with [sic], and that meant a great deal — to both of us. Being a stand-up person is everything, and you've been just that since day one. Thank you.'
Also included in the correspondences shared by Baldoni, he shared a text message he allegedly received from Reynolds about his wife working with the It Ends With Us director on the movie.
The Green Lantern actor told Baldoni that he 'hit the backpack' with Lively as his co-star and on-screen love interest.
Reynolds also called Baldoni a 'stand up person' and 'a wonderful collaborator' for his wife Lively.
'She literally passes on every film and filmmaker all the time,' Reynolds allegedly texted Baldoni. 'But I know one thing — and I speak from a deep wellspring of experience here, having her in your court behind the scenes as a creative is invaluable.'
'I'm excited for you to work together,' he alleged wrote in the text. 'I'm excited for Blake to crack open her creative piggy bank with someone as dynamic as you. This is gonna be INCREDIBLE.'
He concluded his message: 'I happen to adore you, Justin.'
Baldoni's latest effort in his ongoing legal battle with Lively comes ahead of their pre-trial conference on Monday. Both cases in Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al. are scheduled for trial next year on March 9, 2026.
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