Blake Lively Sues Justin Baldoni over Harassment & Smear… Who’s-Who Guide to the messy web of alliances, connections and defections behind the ‘It Ends With Us’ feud

Hollywood Scandal Explodes: Blake Lively Sues Justin Baldoni Over Harassment and Smear Campaign Allegations

In a dramatic turn of events, Hollywood is grappling with a high-stakes legal battle between actor Blake Lively and It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni. Lively filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, accusing Baldoni and others tied to the film of harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign aimed at discrediting her for speaking out about alleged misconduct on set.

The lawsuit, filed in New York, comes on the same day Baldoni and his associates launched a $250 million libel suit against The New York Times for its exposé on Lively’s allegations. The competing lawsuits have ignited a firestorm, thrusting the surprise hit film and its creators into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Lively’s Explosive Allegations

Blake Lively’s lawsuit accuses Baldoni, production company Wayfarer Studios, and others of engaging in a “retaliatory scheme” to silence her and tarnish her reputation. The suit alleges Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath created a toxic work environment rife with inappropriate comments about women’s bodies and personal sexual experiences. It also claims Baldoni pressured Lively to share details about her intimate life.

The alleged retaliation included planting damaging stories online, engineering social media attacks, and coordinating with crisis communications experts to smear Lively in the media.

“This was a carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme,” the lawsuit states.

Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, reportedly confronted Baldoni about his behavior during a tense meeting, but their concerns were allegedly met with a concerted effort to discredit the actor.

Baldoni Fights Back

Justin Baldoni’s legal team denies all allegations, calling them “outrageous and intentionally salacious.” The director’s libel suit against The New York Times claims the publication relied solely on Lively’s “unverified narrative” while ignoring evidence contradicting her story. Baldoni also alleges that Lively orchestrated her own smear campaign to deflect from criticism of her public image.

The lawsuit also names Wayfarer Studios and crisis communications expert Melissa Nathan, whose leaked text message, “We Can Bury Anyone,” became the headline for The Times story.

Behind the Scenes of It Ends With Us

It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, debuted in August to box office success but was marred by rumors of discord between Lively and Baldoni. The film, praised for its raw portrayal of domestic violence, faced criticism for romanticizing abuse—a concern Baldoni dismissed as subjective interpretation.

In the months leading up to its release, Baldoni stepped back from promotional duties, leaving Lively and Reynolds to handle press circuits. Their frosty professional dynamic fueled speculation of deeper issues, culminating in Lively’s legal action.

Hollywood Divided

The lawsuits have sparked heated discussions in Hollywood about power dynamics, workplace harassment, and the treatment of female actors. Baldoni, who had cultivated a reputation for advocating progressive masculinity, was dropped by his talent agency, WME, following the allegations. The agency also represents Lively and Reynolds.

“This is about accountability,” Lively’s legal team said in a statement. “No one, regardless of their position, should feel unsafe or unheard in their workplace.”

What’s Next?

As both lawsuits progress, the stakes are high for all parties involved. Lively’s claims could have far-reaching implications for how misconduct allegations are handled in Hollywood, while Baldoni’s libel suit puts The New York Times under intense scrutiny.

With public opinion split and both sides refusing to back down, the scandal is set to dominate headlines in the weeks to come. What remains clear is that this legal battle is about more than just one film—it’s about the shifting culture of accountability in Hollywood.

The Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni War: A Who’s-Who Guide to a Messy Scandal

Untangling the messy web of alliances, connections and defections behind the ‘It Ends With Us’ feud.

Read below for network blurbs.

STUDIO
SONY
It Ends With Us studio — reveling in the film’s $350 million box office haul — announced that it was “fully and firmly” supporting Lively; it’s also making Baldoni’s Eleanor the Great.

BRANDON SKLENAR
After signing with WME, Lively’s It Ends With Us co-star urged his followers (in ALL CAPS) to read her complaint in a gesture of support.

RYAN REYNOLDS
The actor and marketing maestro attended the “hostile work environment” summit between Lively and Baldoni while remaining quiet during the controversy.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
VISION PR
Home to Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, and Reynolds’, Jami Kandel; Baldoni’s attorney has suggested Sloane planted stories against him (she denies this).

TALENT AGENCY
WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR
The agency — which represents Lively and Reynolds — dropped Baldoni within hours of reports of Lively’s sexual misconduct complaint.

TAYLOR SWIFT
Lively’s bestie, name-dropped by Baldoni’s team as somebody who “weaponizes feminism.”

SCARLETT JOHANSSON
Set to make her directorial debut in the Baldoni-produced Eleanor the Great (and formerly married to Reynolds).

MEDIA
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Broke Team Lively’s complaint about Baldoni, who has sued NYT for $250M for libel, alleging it relied on cherry-picked facts that portrayed the filmmaker in a false light.

PRODUCTION COMPANY
WAYFARER
The independent production company founded by Baldoni and Steve Sarowitz with the mission of “championing inspirational stories towards social change.”

PRINCE HARRY & MEGHAN MARKLE
Senior Wayfarer executive Tracy Ryerson left for Archewell.

LEGAL
BRYAN FREEDMAN
Baldoni’s lawyer threatening to “sue into oblivion” Lively’s PR team while defending TAG PR as operating within bounds.

MANAGEMENT
JACK WHIGHAM
The talent manager whose Range Media Partners reps Baldoni and Depp.

JOHNNY DEPP
Reportedly worked with Nathan and Matthew Hiltzik amid his high-profile defamation battle against ex-wife Amber Heard.

AMBER HEARD
Issued a statement supporting Lively, suggesting similar tactics were used against her: “I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.”

SOCIAL MEDIA
JED WALLACE
Owner of Street Relations, a firm Lively accused of releasing “a digital army … to create, seed, and promote” content against her.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
STEPHANIE JONES
Owner of Jonesworks PR firm initially enlisted by Baldoni; turned against her former employee, Jen Abel. Now suing Baldoni, accusing him of smearing her.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
JEN ABEL
Baldoni’s publicist and ex-Jones works staffer whose confiscated phone was the source of sensational text messages about Lively. She’s insisted “there was no ‘smear’ implemented.”

PUBLIC RELATIONS
MELISSA NATHAN
Crisis expert whose The Agency Group was hired by Baldoni. She allegedly texted “we can bury anyone” in regard to Lively.

SCOOTER BRAUN
Swift’s sworn enemy is a client of TAG PR, the agency Baldoni allegedly hired to smear Lively.

TALENT AGENT
JASON HODES
The WME partner represents Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and also is married to Jones.

DWAYNE JOHNSON
A former Jonesworks client (and Reynolds’ Red Notice co-star) who also has received his share of negative press (e.g., pees in bottles on set).

MEDIA
SARA NATHAN
Melissa’s sister, who covered rumors of on-set strife between Lively and Baldoni for the New York Post while keeping in touch with her sibling and Abel.

CRISIS PR
MATTHEW HILTZIK
A crisis guru whose company was employed by Johnny Depp and trained previous employee Melissa Nathan (she exited in October 2023).