Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively remain locked in a legal battle, which was initiated when the latter accused her It Ends with Us co-star and director of sexual harassment on set and of launching a smear campaign against her. Since then, the two stars have both filed lawsuits against each other. One of the latest developments in the conflict has seen Lively’s team criticizing a cover image from a trade’s recent story. Within the actual piece itself though, some of Baldoni’s former collaborators shared their experiences working with him.
Said story came from The Hollywood Reporter, which included a piece of original art depicting Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Ryan Reynolds and more. As for the written content of the piece, it includes alleged details about the atmosphere on the set of It Ends with Us. Among the claims is that Baldoni’s religion – the Iranian body of faith known as Baha’i – factored into how he operated while working with others. When addressing the ongoing dispute, an IEWU insider had the following to say about Baldoni and Lively’s dynamic:
The Justin that I know isn’t capable of doing the things that he’s accused of doing because he truly sees himself as this feminist. But Blake clearly got grossed out. I honestly feel like it was a perfect storm of two opposing personalities.
Blake Lively filed her complaint in December 2024 around which time Justin Baldoni denied the claims and was fired from WME talent agency. After Lively eventually sued Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios company and more for the same alleged reasons noted in the complaint, he countersued her, Ryan Reynolds and more as part of a $400 million lawsuit for extortion and defamation among other purported offenses. Prior to that, Baldoni also sued The New York Times, which published the initial allegations, on the grounds of libel and more. Most recently, the Rhythm Section actress claimed that two other women had issues with the IEWU helmer during their time on set.
THR’s story went on to divulge further details about the Baha’i faith, including the fact that within the religion, there’s no true hierarchy of power. It’s said that, instead, there’s more of a focus on the religious body as a whole. Several sources – who reportedly worked with Justin Baldoni on his 2019 directorial effort, Five Feet Apart – also spoke to some of those principles impacting the way the filmmaker approached his work. One insider claimed there was “an openness and emotionality” while another shared more on Baldoni’s philosophy:
Everybody is valuable no matter where you are in the hierarchy of the production. Everyone had the ability to bring up any concerns that are happening in our community. He liked to use that term: community.
A few notable individuals have since weighed in on the Lively/Baldoni situation, including WME head Ari Emmanuel, who fired the Jane the Virgin star amid the controversy. Emmanuel said during a recent interview that he’s “ride or die” for Lively and Ryan Reynolds while also referring to Baldoni as “bologna.” It would seem that the topic has even captivated SNL producer Lorne Michaels, who apparently couldn’t stop discussing it while texting Dana Carvey after the show’s recent 50th anniversary special.
Gregory Doll, a partner of the legal firm Doll Amir & Eley, also opined that the situation between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively will only become “nastier” as they continue to spend money and time on it. A tentative trial date has apparently been set for March 9, 2026. In the meantime, we can only wait and see if others who’ve reportedly worked with Baldoni – and Lively as well – choose to speak out about their experiences as these latest sources have.
