It seems like Hollywood’s longest bout of he said, she said. Throughout the summer, stories emerged about the strife between It Ends With Us star Blake Lively and her director and fellow actor, Justin Baldoni, which dominated the news as they promoted the film. Then, in late December 2024, Lively lodged a shocking legal complaint in California, stating that Baldoni had sexually harassed her during the shoot and subsequently tried to damage her reputation through cruel and targeted online attacks. The New York Times took notice and promptly released an exposé regarding the purported retaliatory smear campaign that Baldoni and his associates launched against Lively, 37. “You know we can destroy anyone,” Baldoni’s PR representative Melissa Nathan is reported to have stated in a text message.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, labeled the accusations as “categorically false. ” Nevertheless, the repercussions from the public were immediate: The Jane the Virgin star, 41, and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, were removed from talent agency WME, which also represents Lively and her spouse of 12 years, Ryan Reynolds. Just two days later, the cohost of Baldoni’s feminist “Man Enough Podcast” suddenly exited the program. Meanwhile, on Team Lively, her It Ends With Us co-stars Jenny Slate and Brendan Sklenar openly showed their support for her, along with celebrities like her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars as well as Amber Heard and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Then, it was Baldoni’s opportunity to act. On New Year’s Eve, he submitted a $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times, stating that the publication “‘cherry-picked’ and modified communications devoid of essential context and intentionally edited to mislead. ” A few weeks afterward, he lodged a federal lawsuit alleging defamation against Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist, asserting the power couple overwhelmed him during the filming of It Ends With Us and that Lively conspired to ruin his career.
A Closer Look
On the surface, the narrative revolves around legal disputes featuring celebrities, their complicated networks of connections, and, naturally, what actually transpired between Lively and Baldoni during the filming of It Ends With Us. Yet beneath the legal terminology, the stars have become embroiled in an all-out public relations battle, one that reveals Hollywood’s hidden realm of schemes and manipulation, where smear campaigns may be employed to inflict lasting damage on reputations and influence complete narratives.
While PR spins are typical in the entertainment industry, social media has created a vast (and occasionally alarming) environment for opinions and influence to emerge in unregulated manners. “Many publicists these days are utilizing the public as their extension, you know, to assist them in their campaigns,” PR expert Molly McPherson shared with NPR. “There are countless individuals on TikTok eager to weigh in. Thus, it’s a rich, fertile area to influence public opinion. ” Lively’s lawsuit is highlighting this new form of covert campaigns. McPherson adds: “This is the first time that I believe it has come to light. ”
Women’s rights lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represented the individuals accusing the deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, states that regarding Lively’s reputation, her choice to confront her allegations of harassment and bullying “is ultimately beneficial for her image. ” However, in terms of who is performing better in the public’s estimation, talent manager and social media specialist Courtney Lupilin indicates that support seems to be fairly evenly split between Lively and Baldoni.
When Lively first submitted her complaint, some believed they had been skillfully influenced by the purported smear campaign Baldoni initiated with his crisis PR team. Were her extravagant promotional appearances — and efforts to market her Betty Buzz brand “Ryle You Wait” themed-cocktails (named after her abusive on-screen romantic partner in It Ends With Us) — failures on her part, or was she a target of media misrepresentation? In her lawsuit, Lively asserts that she adhered to Sony’s strategy to promote the film as a rom-com and alleges that Baldoni acted independently with his focus on victims of domestic violence.
PR expert and crisis consultant Mark Borkowski refers to the legal conflict as “a Grand Guignol of egos, lawsuits, and hastily drafted PR statements attempting to stanch a hemorrhaging reputation. ” He claims the storyline is more about a Hollywood power struggle than about justice. “Let’s not be naive — reputations aren’t built on truth; they’re built on narrative control,” he informs Us. “In the court of public opinion, innocence is a quaint afterthought, and perception is the only currency that matters. Lively, with the velvet glove of media sympathy and a well-oiled machine behind her, plays the leading role. Baldoni, now losing credibility, scrambles in the wilderness of cancellation. ” Borkowski points out that Baldoni might achieve a comeback, as “Hollywood has always adored a redemption arc, provided it’s profitable. ” He further states: “The real lesson here? Fame is a fickle mistress, but the one rule remains unchanged: control the narrative, or be consumed by it. ”
Career Troubles
Neither Lively nor Baldoni will emerge from this situation without consequences. “This case has become so controversial that regardless of the outcome, it will influence their careers,” states Little Red Management CEO Lupilin. “There’s already been such extensive media coverage and so many varying opinions that there [is] bound to [be] some bias. ” While Lupilin thinks brands will avoid both Lively and Baldoni in the near future — “There are hundreds of other creators they could collaborate with” — she asserts that Baldoni will face a more difficult path to recovery, professionally. “For some, this is the first time [they’ve] encountered Justin’s name, so it may be the only reason people are aware of him now, which is unfortunate. ”
The legal dispute might have already impacted projects he had planned. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, a Pac-Man movie that Baldoni had been working on since 2022 could be at risk, along with two additional roles he had in development. Therefore, while Lively appears to be facing a greater backlash in the comments sections, she remains a well-established A-list actress and part of a Hollywood power duo. Her upcoming project, A Simple Favor 2, “is completed and will be released shortly,” director Paul Feig assured in early January, quelling speculations that the Prime Video film’s release had been postponed due to the controversy. Lupilin states: “It will be more challenging for Justin to recover from this than Blake regardless of how this unfolds.”
Legal Issues
As of the time of publication, a trial date has been scheduled for March 9, 2026, with a pretrial hearing occurring on Monday, February 3. During the 90-minute session on Monday, federal judge Lewis J. Liman stated that the trial date in March 2026 might be advanced if the complaints keep being “litigated in the press,” according to Deadline.
In response to the initial hearing, Lively’s team informed Us in a statement, “We are satisfied with the outcome of today’s hearing and ready to proceed right away with discovery in this case. The Court approved our request that all attorneys involved adhere to the rule of law and refrain from making any comments that could bias a jury. This case involves serious claims of sexual harassment and retaliation. We will hold the defendants responsible, and we are assured that when all the evidence is presented in this matter, Ms. Lively will succeed. ”
Baldoni’s attorneys, on the other hand, expressed to Us, “Our clients are heartbroken and are eager to progress the case as swiftly as possible. We simply couldn’t be more satisfied with the manner in which the case was conducted today, how it was overseen. We’re going to proceed as quickly as we can and demonstrate our innocence, in a society where occasionally individuals assess you prior to allowing you an opportunity. And we’re going to alter that.”
It’s a complex, emotional matter for everyone involved. “Much of what has been claimed revolves around individuals’ intentions,” observes civil litigator Caitlin Kovac. “And that’s something we will never truly understand.”
Attorney Bloom states that any potential financial compensation will be irrelevant. “The court of public opinion holds equal or greater significance than the legal court,” Bloom informs Us. “In the end, there will be a decision; it might be $0, it could be $5 million, it may even be $10 million. But what is the value of their reputations? What is the worth of their film careers? Likely much greater than what is being contested in the case.”
When discussing damages (Baldoni is seeking $400 million; Lively for an undisclosed figure), Kovac states that both sides will probably engage experts to examine what they might have earned or what chances they would have had “but for the actions of the other party. ” (In Lively’s case, she asserts that sales of her haircare line, Blake Brown, fell by as much as 78 percent due to Baldoni’s purported smear campaign.)
On January 21, Freedman provided almost 10 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from It Ends With Us to counter Lively’s allegations that Baldoni behaved inappropriately during the filming of a slow dance scene for the movie. Lively’s representatives describe the footage — which has been scrutinized and discussed on social media — as “damning,” stating, “any woman who has experienced inappropriate touching in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort. ” Kovac remarks: “Individuals can examine the same objective facts and arrive at entirely different interpretations. ” Attorney Gloria Allred, recognized for handling high-profile cases, concurs. “I believe both sides have advocates [who] cannot resist forming conclusions from what they are viewing and reading,” she informs Us. “This is the state of affairs in 2025. Therefore, at some point, the court may need to intervene.”
Regarding the possibility of Lively and Baldoni reaching a settlement before trial, Allred informs Us that it is improbable. “Typically, attorneys will attempt to resolve the case through a confidential settlement before [trial]. That is primarily about achieving peace, but a lawsuit resembles initiating a [full-scale] war,” she clarifies. “[The case] might also reach a settlement at some stage throughout this litigation, but it hasn’t happened yet, and I believe it is probably not going to settle in the near future.”
