Topline
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's Controversy Clarified: Lawsuit Allegations Lighten Critics' Choice Awards Monologue Speech
Hollywood award show hosts saluted the ongoing legal feud between actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, staging sarcastic jabs and lighthearted quips related to their high-profile spat over the movie "It Ends With Us." Their on-stage banter followed in the footsteps of Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser, who declined to broach the subject during the show due to its sensitivity.
Timeline
Jan. 8, 2025
Talk show host and filmmaker Judd Apatow belittled "It Ends With Us" at the 77th Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards, labeling it a "terrible movie" and tying its success to the legal battle between Baldoni and Lively.
Feb. 7, 2025
Comedian Chelsea Handler, while hosting the Critics' Choice Awards, poked fun at the ongoing legal battle, praising Lively and Baldoni for providing entertainment amidst heavy headlines and coyly predicting no sequel for "It Ends With Us."
Feb. 5, 2025
Justin Baldoni's legal representative, Bryan Freedman, suggested the possibility of calling Taylor Swift as a witness in the court case if the case went to trial. Freedman mentioned Swift's potential involvement during a TMZ interview, hinting at a past meeting between the two actors that has been referenced in Baldoni's lawsuit against Lively.
Feb. 4, 2025
Public relations consultant Jed Wallace sued Blake Lively for defamation in Texas federal court, alleging she defamed him in a civil rights complaint and lawsuit, resulting in multiple million-dollar losses.
Feb. 3, 2025
Director Paul Feig revealed that an upcoming film featuring Lively, "A Simple Favor 2," would debut at the SXSW Film and TV Festival, despite initial rumors of a delay due to the legal dispute between Lively and Baldoni.
Feb. 1, 2025
New York federal judge Lewis J. Liman indicated the trial would be moved up if the dispute continued to be litigated in public. He urged both parties to observe the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which restricts lawyers from making comments that could potentially taint a jury.
Jan. 31, 2025
Baldoni and his team launched a website dedicated to his lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. The website contained an amended complaint and a timeline of events, as well as Baldoni's alleged text messages and emails with Lively. The site also shared a statement that Baldoni claims he was forced to issue by Reynolds and Lively, which would place the blame on him for the project's problems.
Jan. 29, 2025
Lawyers for Lively and Reynolds signaled their intention to motion for dismissal of the lawsuit at a pre-trial conference scheduled for Feb. 3.
Jan. 28, 2025
The Hollywood Reporter cited unnamed sources suggesting Baldoni had lost multiple jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars due to Lively's lawsuit, with his "Pac-Man" movie project reportedly in jeopardy.
Jan. 27, 2025
Liman set a trial date for March 9, 2026, and scheduled a pretrial conference to review complaints about Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman. Lively's lawyers raised concerns about Freedman's website disseminating communication between the two actors and set documents, and accused him of making disparaging and defamatory statements about Lively and her character.
Jan. 27, 2025
The Daily Mail published a nearly seven-minute voice note alleged to have been sent by Baldoni to Lively during the filming of "It Ends With Us," in which he apologized for his reception to changes she proposed for a scene, admitted faults, and referenced her breastfeeding.
Jan. 21, 2025
Baldoni's legal team released a ten-minute video from the movie's set, which included repeated takes of a slow-dancing scene, diminishing Lively's claims of inappropriate behavior by Baldoni during filming.
Jan. 16, 2025
Baldoni sued Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and her public relations firm, Vision PR, claiming she tormented him, his family, and his partners, falsely accused him of sexual harassment, and used him as a scapegoat to avoid negative press.
Jan. 10, 2025
Baldoni's former publicist, Stephanie Jones, issued subpoenas to various tech companies and digital publishing platforms as part of her defamation and breach of contract lawsuit against Baldoni and associates.
Jan. 10, 2025
Director Paul Feig confirmed that the "A Simple Favor 2" film would be released soon, refuting rumors of cancellation due to the legal battle.
Jan. 8, 2025
Feig dismissed claims that the film had been shelved "indefinitely," partially due to the ongoing Lively/Baldoni dispute.
Jan. 6, 2025
In an interview with Baldoni’s attorney, Harvey Levin, TMZ founder claimed both Lively and Baldoni attempted to skew the story, revealing instances of bias from both sides in the back-and-forth defamation claims.
Jan. 5, 2025
Freedman appeared on Megyn Kelly’s YouTube channel to discuss Baldoni's plans to sue Lively and her team, affirming Lively's allegations of poor behavior and accused her of orchestrating her own smear campaign against Baldoni.
Jan. 3, 2025
Freedman declared his intention to file a countersuit against Lively despite denying her claim that Baldoni and his team launched a smear campaign against her.
Jan. 2, 2025
Glaser confirmed avoiding mentioning Baldoni and Lively during her Golden Globe hosting stint due to the potential backlash.
Dec. 31, 2024
Baldoni filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the outlet of amplifying damaging claims against him made by Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Dec. 31, 2024
Lively formally filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against Baldoni, his publicist, Wayfarer Studios, and other defendants, accusing him of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation.
Dec. 24, 2024
Baldoni was sued by his ex-publicist, Stephanie Jones, alleging a conspiracy to discredit her and steal her clients.
Dec. 24, 2024
Vital Voices rescinded an award they had given to Baldoni, citing his controversial behavior and public image.
Dec. 21, 2024
Baldoni was reportedly dropped by his talent agency.
Dec. 20, 2024
Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, alleging Baldoni invaded her privacy, pressured her to lose weight, and coordinated a PR campaign aimed at damaging her image.
Despite the ongoing legal feud between actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, businesses continue to associate with them. For instance, Director Paul Feig revealed that an upcoming film featuring Lively, "A Simple Favor 2," will debut at the SXSW Film and TV Festival. On the other hand, Baldoni's legal representative, Bryan Freedman, sought to call Taylor Swift as a witness in the court case, highlighting potential business connections between the two actors.
