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On January 16, 2025, actor and director Justin Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in the Southern District Court of New York. The lawsuit claims that Lively and Reynolds attempted to «destroy» Baldoni’s career through false accusations and a defamation campaign related to the production of the film It Ends With Us.

The dispute between the parties originated during the filming of It Ends With Us, where Baldoni served as director and co-star alongside Lively. According to the lawsuit, Lively sought to take full control of the production, and when she failed to do so, she began making allegations of sexual harassment against Baldoni. Baldoni asserts that these accusations were used as retaliation and aimed at damaging his professional reputation.

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Justin Baldoni is suing Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist and her PR firm for $400 million, alleging defamation & extortion over the ‘It Ends With Us’ situation. pic.twitter.com/LHQjXQAHEz

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 16, 2025

In December 2024, Lively filed a formal complaint with the California Department of Civil Rights, alleging that Baldoni sexually harassed her during production and later launched a campaign to discredit her. The complaint included text messages and emails that, according to Lively, evidenced Baldoni and his team’s inappropriate behavior. In response, Baldoni vehemently denied the accusations, labeling them as baseless and malicious.

The situation escalated when Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times on January 1, 2025, claiming $250 million in damages. Baldoni accused the newspaper of publishing an article describing a campaign to discredit Lively, based on information that he argued was taken out of context and manipulated. The New York Times defended its report, stating it was based on meticulous investigation and the review of numerous documents, including messages and emails.

What Baldoni’s New Lawsuit Says

Baldoni’s new lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds also includes publicist Leslie Sloane and the agency Vision PR, Inc.Baldoni claims that Lively, with the help of her husband and PR team, spread false information to the media with the intention of damaging his reputation and career.

Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, stated that they have an «overwhelming amount of unaltered evidence» proving that Lively and her team tried to destroy Baldoni and his team by «spreading grossly edited, uncorroborated, new, and manipulated information to the media.»

Meanwhile, Lively’s legal representatives argue that Baldoni’s legal actions are an attempt to silence her and discredit her legitimate concerns about the work environment during the production of the film. They emphasized that Lively followed the proper channels to file her complaints and that Baldoni’s legal retaliation aims to intimidate those who speak out about inappropriate conduct in the entertainment industry.

The inclusion of Ryan Reynolds in the lawsuit is based on allegations that he used his industry influence to pressure the William Morris Endeavor (WME) agency to stop representing Baldoni, which reportedly occurred on December 22, 2024. Although WME denied receiving pressure from Reynolds or Lively, Baldoni maintains that this move was part of a broader strategy to sabotage his career.

Additionally, according to Baldoni’s lawsuit, Lively attempted to assume significant control over the creative direction of the film, even involving her husband, Reynolds, to rewrite a scene and make «unauthorized changes to the script covertly.» It is worth noting that Reynolds did not hold an official role in the production of It Ends With Us.