Blake Lively referred to Justin Baldoni as a doofus director and a clown, according to newly unsealed court documents from the actress's legal case. The pair starred together in It Ends With Us, but Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and waging a smear campaign against her. Baldoni strongly denies the claims and is defending the lawsuit.
Text messages from 2023 between Lively and people close to her appear to show that Lively referred to Baldoni as a rabid pig, while her friend Taylor Swift suggested Baldoni knew the lawsuit was coming because he's gotten out his tiny violin. Baldoni's $400m (£295m) counter-suit was dismissed by a judge last June. Neither has yet responded to the BBC's request for comment.
Lively's case is set to go to trial in May. The newly unsealed documents show both Lively and Baldoni venting to friends and colleagues about filming It Ends With Us, and the subsequent press tour, ahead of the film's release in August 2024.
In the messages, Lively referred to Baldoni as this doofus director of my movie and described him as a clown who thinks he's a writer now. In their filing earlier this week, Lively's team did not deny the language she had used but said the text messages were missing context.
They referred the court to the complete text exchange, including subsequent messages from Lively to Baldoni which said we all benefit from her relationship with Swift and her husband Ryan Reynolds, and you will too, I can promise you. The messages also show Lively saying of Baldoni: Despite his repeated disturbing behaviour and acts, I still feel bad for him.
To be reminded multiple times daily that he's smearing me for... asking him not to sexually or emotionally harass me? For making his movie better? For calling in all the favours to turn out all the biggest musicians and entertainers to contribute to making his movie better? For leading a marketing campaign for free?
She continued: I literally don't know a single thing I've done that he can smear me about. Ryan [Reynolds] says [Baldoni] should be writing me apology and thank you letters every day. And instead he chooses to make a monster outta me.
The documents note that Plank recalled working on Baldoni's set as truly one of the worst days of [her] life. Similarly, texts sent by Baldoni also suggest friction between him and Lively. In February 2024, Baldoni told Heath that he was concerned that Lively would use the allegations she had made against him as leverage.
His comments reveal a deeply contentious relationship and an alarming backdrop to issues of conduct within the film industry, particularly surrounding the making of 'It Ends With Us'. The text messages were unsealed on Tuesday before a summary judgement hearing in Lively's ongoing lawsuit that is scheduled for 22 January.
Text messages from 2023 between Lively and people close to her appear to show that Lively referred to Baldoni as a rabid pig, while her friend Taylor Swift suggested Baldoni knew the lawsuit was coming because he's gotten out his tiny violin. Baldoni's $400m (£295m) counter-suit was dismissed by a judge last June. Neither has yet responded to the BBC's request for comment.
Lively's case is set to go to trial in May. The newly unsealed documents show both Lively and Baldoni venting to friends and colleagues about filming It Ends With Us, and the subsequent press tour, ahead of the film's release in August 2024.
In the messages, Lively referred to Baldoni as this doofus director of my movie and described him as a clown who thinks he's a writer now. In their filing earlier this week, Lively's team did not deny the language she had used but said the text messages were missing context.
They referred the court to the complete text exchange, including subsequent messages from Lively to Baldoni which said we all benefit from her relationship with Swift and her husband Ryan Reynolds, and you will too, I can promise you. The messages also show Lively saying of Baldoni: Despite his repeated disturbing behaviour and acts, I still feel bad for him.
To be reminded multiple times daily that he's smearing me for... asking him not to sexually or emotionally harass me? For making his movie better? For calling in all the favours to turn out all the biggest musicians and entertainers to contribute to making his movie better? For leading a marketing campaign for free?
She continued: I literally don't know a single thing I've done that he can smear me about. Ryan [Reynolds] says [Baldoni] should be writing me apology and thank you letters every day. And instead he chooses to make a monster outta me.
The documents note that Plank recalled working on Baldoni's set as truly one of the worst days of [her] life. Similarly, texts sent by Baldoni also suggest friction between him and Lively. In February 2024, Baldoni told Heath that he was concerned that Lively would use the allegations she had made against him as leverage.
His comments reveal a deeply contentious relationship and an alarming backdrop to issues of conduct within the film industry, particularly surrounding the making of 'It Ends With Us'. The text messages were unsealed on Tuesday before a summary judgement hearing in Lively's ongoing lawsuit that is scheduled for 22 January.
