The feud between Baldoni and Lively dates back to late 2024, when Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint on the set of their film It ends with us. Baldoni not only directed but also played the male lead, while Lively played the female lead. According to the actress, the actor also started an online smear campaign against her. Baldoni denies it, and filed a countersuit for defamation, which has since been dismissed. Lively’s charges will be heard in court in early 2026.
From court documents that the British newspaper DailyMail was able to obtain, messages from Baldoni surfaced addressed to actor Rainn Wilson. In it, he claimed that Reynolds had taunted him and that he felt “emotionally paralyzed” after a confrontation with the actor at Reynolds and his wife Lively’s New York apartment.
Blake Lively wants around 140 million damages from Justin Baldoni
“Ryan spoke to me like I was five and made fun of me,” the messages allegedly read. “They said Jamey (Heath, the CEO of production company Wayfarer Studios, ed.) and I am not who we claimed to be, and that our podcast would be unsafe because it makes people think we are safe.”
Series of complaints
According to Baldoni, Reynolds then listed a series of complaints from his phone, which he said were “taken out of context” from reality. That was also the first time for Baldoni that he saw the couple as opponents rather than as people with whom he worked.
He reportedly hesitated for a while before abandoning the film. But he eventually decided against it. “The only way forward was to acknowledge his feelings and apologize. I couldn’t even do that properly.”
Judge closes Justin Baldoni defamation case: Blake Lively goes free
Reynolds spoke of abuse, and his anger was triggered by questions Baldoni had asked a personal trainer about Lively’s weight. She had to be lifted by Baldoni. The actor himself claims that he had back problems and did not want to risk another injury.
The new documents come after Baldoni and his legal team submitted a deleted scene from the film into evidence last Thursday, showing what they say was Lively impromptu kissing her reluctant colleague.