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Untangling Taylor Swift and Blake Lively's Friendship Status Amid Justin Baldoni Legal Battle - E! Online
Is Taylor Swift feuding with Blake Lively amid her lawsuit against It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni? Here's everything to know about what's really going on.
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Watch : Justin Baldoni's Lawyer Addresses Taylor Swift Deposition In Lawsuit
Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively? Get it off Taylor Swift's desk.
The "Lavender Haze" singer's name was brought into the fold when Baldoni accused Lively of using her "megacelebrity friend" and husband Ryan Reynolds' star power to pressure him into granting her more creative freedoms in the making of It Ends With Usâspecifically when it came to the rewriting of their movie's meet-cute rooftop scene.
"I really love what you did," Baldoni wrote in an alleged text to Lively, which was included in his lawsuit. "And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor."
In court documents, Baldoni also alleged that Lively made a "veiled threat" through a studio executive "implying she might 'change her mind' about reaching out to Taylor Swift to secure the use of 'My Tears Ricochet' for the trailer if her demands are not met."
Although fans speculated that the legal drama may be creating cracks in Swiftâs friendship with Lively, a source recently told E! News that rumors of a fallout were ânot true.â
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Justin Baldoni's Lawyer Addresses Whether Taylor Swift Will Be Deposed in It Ends With Us LawsuitÂ
Swift, 35, reportedly has no bad blood with Lively, 37, despite the actress' textsâin which she described the Grammy winner as one of her "dragons"âbeing included in Baldoni's lawsuit, according to TMZ, citing a source close to the situation.
But while the pair remain friends, it still seems Swift would very much like to be excluded from this narrative.
After Baldoni's lawyer floated the idea of possibly deposing her for the lawsuit, multiple outlets reported that she wants no involvement in the legal proceedings.Â
E! News has reached out to Swift's rep for comment on the reports but hasn't heard back.
Stewart Cook/Shutterstock; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Lia Toby/Getty Images
Back in December, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment during the production of It Ends With Us. She also alleged that Baldoni conspired with publicity reps to launch a social media smear campaign in retaliation.Â
In January, Baldoni countersued Lively and her husband Reynolds, denying her accusations and alleging that they were the ones who colluded with the press to defame him. Furthermore, he accused Lively of usupring his role as director and inappropriately leveraging her famous connections to have her cut of It Ends With Us released in theaters.Â
AÂ trial has been set for March 2026, with both sides most recently agreeing to move forward with discovery, per NBC News.
For a complete timeline into Lively and Baldoni's legal saga, keep reading.
Lisa/Shutterstock; AFF-USA/Shutterstock
Dec. 20, 2024: Blake Lively Files CRD Complaint Against Justin Baldoni and His Wayfarer Associates
Four months after the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's book It Ends With Us debuted in theaters, Blake Lively filed a California Civil Rights Department (CRD) complaint against her costar Justin Baldoni and his associates on Dec. 20, according to The New York Times.
In the complaint obtained by E! News, Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, its cofounder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni's publicist Jennifer Abel, her company RWA Communications, crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, her company The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations Inc. were listed as defendants.
Lively alleged in her complaint that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates "embarked on a sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation" for her voicing her concerns about purported misconduct on setâwith her saying she and other cast and crew members "experienced invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional and sexually inappropriate behavior" by Baldoni and Heath.
The actress added the alleged campaign against her caused "substantial harm" to her personally and professionally.Â
The accusations listed in the complaint include sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent and/or remedy harassment; aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation; breach of contract; intentional infliction of emotional distress; negligence; false light invasion of privacy and interference with prospective economic advantage.
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
Dec. 21, 2024: The New York Times Publishes Report About the Alleged Smear Campaign Against Lively
The next day, The New York Times published a report about a retaliatory smear campaign Baldoni and his associates allegedly waged against Livelyâciting her CRD complaint. In its article, the outlet quoted messages sent from Baldoni and his teamâincluding publicist Abel and crisis communications specialist Nathanâthat were part of her complaint. Readers could also scroll through the court documents on The New York Times' website.
 âI hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct," Lively told the outlet, "and helps protect others who may be targeted.â
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Sony Pictures
Baldoni and Wayfarerâs Attorney Responds to Livelyâs CRD Complaint
After news of Livelyâs complaint broke, Bryan Freedmanâthe attorney for Baldoni, Wayfarer and its representativesâslammed Livelyâs allegations.
âIt is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to âfixâ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions,â he said in a statement on The New York Times website. âThese claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.â
Freedman also defended Wayfarerâs decision to hire a crisis manager, saying this was done before the marketing campaign of the movie.
"The representatives of Wayfarer Studios still did nothing proactive nor retaliated, and only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and factual reporting and monitored social activity,â he later added. âWhat is pointedly missing from the cherry-picked correspondence is the evidence that there were no proactive measures taken with media or otherwise; just internal scenario planning and private correspondence to strategize which is standard operating procedure with public relations professionals.â
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
Baldoni Is Dropped by Talent Agency
Talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) dropped Baldoni after The New York Timesâ article was published on Dec. 21, Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agencyâs parent company Endeavor, confirmed to the outlet.
However, WME denied that Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds was to blame for the agency's parting of ways with Baldoni, which the It Ends With Us director later allege in his lawsuit filed against The New York Times (more on that below). Â
"In Baldoniâs filing there is a claim that Reynolds pressured Baldoniâs agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. This is not true,â WMEâwhich also represents Reynolds and Livelyâsaid in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter Jan. 1. "Baldoniâs former representative was not at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere nor was there any pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time to drop Baldoni as a client."
John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images
It Ends With Us Cast Members and More Stars React to Livelyâs Allegations Against Baldoni
In the days following Lively's CRD filing and The New York Times article, several famous figures shared their reactions to her allegations against Baldoniâincluding It Ends With Us author Hoover.
"@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met," she wrote on Instagram Stories Dec. 21, linking out to The New York Times. "Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."
Jenny Slate, who played the sister of Baldoni's character Ryle, also noted she stood with Lively.
âAs Blake Livelyâs castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,â Slate said in a Dec. 23 statement to Today. âBlake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.â
âWhat has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening," she added. "I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.â
In addition, Brandon Sklenarâa love interest for Lively's character Lily Bloomâshared a screenshot of the complaint published to The New York Times' website and linked out to the outlet writing, "For the love of God read this."
Plus, Lively's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn wrote they "stand with her in solidarity."
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for The Ford Foundation
Dec. 23, 2024: Baldoni and Heath's Cohost on The Man Enough Podcast Leaves ShowÂ
Liz Plank also announced her departure from The Man Enough Podcast, which she cohosted with Baldoni and Heath, on Dec. 23.
"I'm writing to you today to let you know that I have had my representatives inform Wayfarer that I will no longer be co-hosting The Man Enough podcast," she wrote on Instagram at the time. "Thank you for trusting me with your hearts and stories, for holding space for mine, and for making this show what it was. I will miss you, the listeners, so much. I love what this community created together with every fiber of my being, and that's because of you."
While Plank did not give a reason for her exit from the podcast, it came days after Lively's complaint against Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates.
"As this chapter closed for me, I remain committed to the values we've built together," the author continued in her message to her followers. "Thank you for being here, for trusting me, and for being by my side for the last four years. We all deserve better, and I know that together, we can create it."
She added, "I will have more to share soon as I continue to process everything that has happened. In the meantime, I will continue to support everyone who calls out injustice and holds the people standing in their way accountable."
Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images
Dec. 24, 2024: Baldoni's Former Publicist Sues Him, Abel, Nathan and Wayfarer
Baldoni's former publicist Stephanie Jones and her agency Jonesworks LLC filed a lawsuit against him, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel and crisis communications specialist Nathan in New York Dec. 24.
"Defendants Abel and Nathan secretly conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, to breach multiple contracts and induce contractual breaches, and to steal clients and business prospects," the lawsuit obtained by NBC New reads. "Behind Jonesâs back, they secretly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to implement an aggressive media smear campaign against Baldoniâs film co-star, and then used the crisis as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Jones and Baldoni, and to publicly pin blame for this smear campaign on Jonesâwhen Jones had no knowledge or involvement in it."
Per Abel's LinkedIn profile, she worked at Jonesworks until last summer. The lawsuit alleges Abel and Nathan "continue to point the finger falsely at Jones now that their own misconduct is coming to light," and "defame and attack" her in the industry.
As for Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer Jonesworks clients, the suit alleges they "repudiated their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and rebuffed Jonesâs efforts to settle this dispute privately in arbitration."
E! News reached out to the defendants for comment.
Gotham/GC Images
Lively's attorneys told Variety in a Dec. 23 piece that they obtained the texts featured in The New York Times article via a subpoena to Jonesworks. Freedmanâwho represents Nathan and Abel in addition to Baldoni and his Wayfarer associatesâadded to the outlet none of his clients were subpoenaed over this topic and that he intends to sue Jones for releasing messages from Abelâs phone to Livelyâs attorneys.
Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty Images
Dec. 31, 2024: Baldoni, Wayfarer & Others Sue The New York Times
Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times Dec. 31.
In the lawsuit obtained by E! News, The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract for its article about a retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively after she voiced concerns about purported misconduct on set.
Saying the report was "false" and based on Livelyâs CRD complaint, the plaintiffs denied the accusations and alleged messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context.
âDespite its claim to have 'reviewed these along with other documents[,]' the Times relied almost entirely on Livelyâs unverified and self-serving narrative," the lawsuit says, "lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives."
They also allege "it was Lively, not Plaintiffs, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign." She has denied this.
The New York Times said it plans to "vigorously defend against the lawsuit."
âThe role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,â it stated to E!. âOur 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."
Lia Toby/Getty Images
Dec. 31, 2024: Lively Files Lawsuit Against Baldoni and Wayfarer Associates
That same day, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, production entity It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, Nathan's company TAG and Abel in New York.
According to the court documents obtained by E! News, she is suing the defendants for sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent and/or remedy harassment; aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation; breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence infliction of emotional distress and false light invasion of privacy.
The allegations in the lawsuit were first detailed in the CRD complaint Lively filed earlier that month.
In response to the lawsuit Baldoni and his associates filed against The New York Timesâwhich does not list Lively as a defendantâher attorneys noted in a statement to E! that "nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims" in her CRD and federal complaints.
"This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Livelyâs administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice 'not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,' and that 'litigation was never her ultimate goal,'" they continued. "As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false."
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Jan. 2, 2025: Baldoni's Lawyer Expresses Intent to Sue Lively
In Baldoni and his associates' lawsuit against The New York Times, the plaintiffs expressed that they âare not done.â
"There are other bad actors involved," the court documents state, "and make no mistakeâthis will not be the last lawsuit."
In a Jan. 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni and Wayfarer's attorney Freedman said they "absolutely" plan to sue Lively.
Noam Galai/Getty Images for Netflix / Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Jan. 7, 2025: Baldoni's Lawyer Calls Out Deadpool & Wolverine
The headlines about Baldoni and Lively haven't stopped there.Â
For instance, social media users have speculated that her husband Reynolds trolled Baldoni in his movie Deadpool & Wolverine through the character Nicepool.
Reynolds has not publicly commented on the rumors; however, Baldoni's lawyer Freedman shared his reaction.
"What I make of that is that if your wife is sexually harassed, you don't make fun of Justin Baldoni," Freedman said during an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show posted to YouTube Jan 7. "You don't make fun of the situation. You take it very seriously. You file HR complaints. You raise the issue and you follow a legal process. What you don't do is mock the person and turn it into a joke."
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Lively's attorneys say there have been more "attacks" against her since her lawsuit.
"Ms. Livelyâs federal litigation before the Southern District of New York involves serious claims of sexual harassment and retaliation, backed by concrete facts," her lawyers said in a Jan. 7 statement to E! News. "This is not a 'feud' arising from 'creative differences' or a 'he said/she said' situation. As alleged in Ms. Livelyâs complaint, and as we will prove in litigation, Wayfarer and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set. And their response to the lawsuit has been to launch more attacks against Ms. Lively since her filing."
"While we go through the legal process, we urge everyone to remember that sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in every workplace and in every industry," they added. "A classic tactic to distract from allegations of this type of misconduct is to 'blame the victim' by suggesting that they invited the conduct, brought it on themselves, misunderstood the intentions, or even lied. Another classic tactic is to reverse the victim and offender, and suggest that the offender is actually the victim."
Lively's lawyers said "these concepts normalize and trivialize allegations of serious misconduct." They also noted "media statements are not a defense" to her claims and that they'll prosecute her claims in court.
John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images
In response, Baldoni's lawyer Freedman told E!, "It is painfully ironic that Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of weaponizing the media when her own team orchestrated this vicious attack by sending the New York Times grossly edited documents prior to even filing the complaint."
"We are releasing all of the evidence which will show a pattern of bullying and threats to take over the movie," he added. "None of this will come as a surprise because consistent with her past behavior Blake Lively used other people to communicate those threats and bully her way to get whatever she wanted. We have all the receipts and more."
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family).
Â
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images / Robert Kamau / GC Images
Jan. 16, 2025: Baldoni, Wayfarer, Nathan & Abel File Lawsuit Against Lively, Reynolds & Others
Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan and production entity It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane's firm Vision PR in New York Jan. 16.
According to the suit obtained by E! News, the plaintiffs accused all the defendants of civil extortion, defamation and false light invasion of privacy. As for Lively and Reynolds specifically, she is accused of breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and they're both accused of intentional interference with contractual relations and economic advantage as well as negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.
In the suit, the plaintiffs denied Lively's allegations of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. They also accused her of seizing control of It Ends With Us and working with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones and others to "tar and feather Plaintiffs in the press" after she received backlash for her marketing of the film. (Lively said in her filings she promoted the movie in accordance with Sony's marketing plan.)
Plaintiffs allege in the lawsuit the defendants worked with The New York Times "to put out a blockbuster news report as devastating as it was false.â The outlet stands by its report.
In part of a statement to E!, Freedman said, "Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth."Â
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Jan. 16, 2025: Lively's Lawyers Slam Baldoni's "Desperate" Lawsuit
Lively's legal team called his lawsuit "another chapter in the abuser playbook," saying in a statement to E! News, "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. "
She further accused him of retaliating once she made allegations against him, saying Baldoni is trying to shift the narrative that Lively "seized creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni."
"The evidence will show," it continued, "that the cast and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. The evidence will also show that Sony asked Ms. Lively to oversee Sonyâs cut of the film, which they then selected for distribution and was a resounding success."
Her team went on to slam Baldoni's reaction to her allegations of harassment.
"Their response to sexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, itâs her fault. Their justification for why this happened to her: look what she was wearing," her lawyers added. "In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Livelyâs complaint, and it will fail.â
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Jan. 21, 2025: Behind-the-Scenes Footage of It Ends With Us Released
Baldoni's legal counsel released behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of It Ends With Us, saying that the actor's actions in the video "clearly refute Ms. Livelyâs characterization" of him.
"The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another," Baldoni's attorneys said in a statement. "Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism."
However, Lively's legal team believes the video "corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described" in her lawsuit and that "every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance."
"The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk," they told E! News in a statement. "Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Livelyâs discomfort."
Â
Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty Images and Gotham/GC Images
Jan. 22, 2025: Lively and Reynolds Seek Gag Order on Baldoni's Lawyer
The couple issued a letter to the judge overseeing their case, requesting that Freedmanâthe head of Baldoni's counselâbe placed under a gag order amid their legal proceedings to "avoid improper conduct."
Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
Jan. 27, 2025: Baldoni's 2 AM Voice Memo to Lively Revealed
A seven-minute voice memo Baldoni allegedly sent to Lively during It Ends With Us' production was published online. In it, the director appeared to reference the movie's rooftop scene Lively had rewrote and how the changes were presented to him during an alleged meeting with Reynolds and their pal Taylor Swift.
"We should all have friends like that aside from the fact that they're two of the most creative people on the planet," he told Lively. "The three of you guys together, it's unbelievable."
In the recording, Baldoni also seemingly apologized to the actress for his lukewarm reception to her script, saying, "I f--ked up. One thing you should know about me is that I will admit and apologize when I fail."
NILS MEILVANG/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Jan. 27, 2025: Lively vs. Baldoni Trial Set
One month after Lively filed a formal lawsuit against Baldoni, a court date was set for March 9, 2026.
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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, an 18-year-old who spends countless days building up the courage to confess his feelings to Seon Ah (Dahyun), his first love.
Jinyoung transforms into Jin Woo, a devoted young man who, from his mischievous teenage years into adulthood, has eyes only for Seon Ah.
In the newly released stills, Jin Wooâs casually worn school uniform and sporty basketball attire capture his playful, carefree nature. However, a stark contrast emerges in another imageâneatly dressed and focused on an examâhinting at the changes he undergoes after meeting Seon Ah, heightening curiosity about his journey.
Meanwhile, Dahyun takes on a new challenge as she makes her big screen debut, unveiling a fresh side of herself as an actress. Known for her bright and pure image, Dahyun brings warmth and endearing charm to the role of Seon Ah, a model student and the embodiment of everyone's first love.
Seon Ahâs stills, showing her attentively taking notes and receiving an award, highlight her studious and composed demeanor. However, as she encounters Jin Woo, new layers of her character unfold, revealing a spectrum of emotions. Just like a still of her radiantly smiling against a seaside backdrop, each moment she spends with Jin Woo reveals a new facet of Seon Ah, adding depth and vibrancy to the story.
âYou Are the Apple of My Eyeâ is set to hit theaters on February 21.
In the meantime, watch Jung Jinyoung in âWho Is She!â below:
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40897c-who-is-she]
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