Justin Baldoni accused Blake Lively of using bullying tactics to exile him from his own film and create her own edit of It Ends With Us — and a leaked email shows his frustration with her alleged behavior, In Touch can exclusively report.
The email was submitted as part of Justin’s lawsuit against The New York Times. The director accused the outlet and Blake, 37, of conspiring together to publish a one-sided story based on a complaint she filed against Justin.
In her complaint, Blake accused Justin, 40, and film producer Jamey Heath of sexual harassment on the set of the 2024 film.
She claimed Justin and Jamey made her uncomfortable on set, often walked into her trailer uninvited, spoke about sex, allowed an open set for sensitive scenes, spoke to her personal trainer behind her back and various other complaints.
Blake said she had a list of demands she required Justin and Jamey agree to before she returned to filming.
Justin and Jamey deny all allegations they did anything wrong.
The actress accused Justin of hiring crisis publicists to smear her publicly in retaliation for her complaining. Justin and Jamey claim Blake and her team leaked the complaint to The New York Times.
Justin and his team believe the outlet cherry-picked evidence to push the narrative Blake wished to present.
The New York Times denied the allegations. A spokesperson for the outlet said, “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported.” The rep said the reporters had reviewed “thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and email that we quote accurately and at length in the article.”
In Justin’s lawsuit, he claimed Blake seized control of his film after they wrapped.
He claimed Blake demanded the studio allow her to cut her own edit of the film. The studio allowed Justin and Blake to both turn in an edit.
Justin said both edits were tested with an audience and his scored higher. He said despite Blake allegedly initially agreeing to release whatever film tested higher, she refused to follow through with the deal once her film tested worse. His lawsuit claims the studio caved under pressure.
His suit read, “She insisted that her cut be the version released to the public, even going so far as to claim that the author of the book would also refuse to promote the Film if Lively’s version was not chosen. Under immense pressure, Sony and Wayfarer once again conceded.”
Justin said Blake also demanded a producer and p.g.a mark despite him believing she did not deserve it.
The director then addressed her alleged “bullying tactics.”
Justin’s lawsuit read, “Consistent with her pattern of vindictiveness, as the premiere of the Film approached, Lively instructed Sony that she and the cast would not participate in any marketing or promotion of the Film alongside Baldoni.
She made certain that Baldoni was removed from all artwork for the Film (posters included) and stripped him of his ‘A Film By’ credit.”
His lawyer continued, “Furthermore, Lively and [her husband Ryan Reynolds] unfollowed him on social media, as did the author of the book—someone with whom Baldoni had maintained a five-year personal relationship, and for whom Baldoni created this opportunity—and other cast members, creating the false impression that Baldoni had done something wrong.”
“It became clear that Lively was working diligently to contrive a narrative that would explain why she took over the film and exiled Baldoni. Baldoni had no intention of ever making this information public, ever. He promoted the Film as originally intended, gave Lively full credit and praise, and wanted the Film to succeed. He wanted to move on. Lively, however, refused to let it go,” the suit added. Justin claimed that at the premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan approached his agent and demanded he drop him as a client.
His lawyer added, “Lively systematically excluded Baldoni from all marketing and promotional efforts with her and the cast for the Film. He was not invited to any cast promotional events, cast screenings, premieres, photo shoots, or other cast campaigns. Baldoni was marginalized from the marketing process and left in the dark about the purported ‘Marketing Plan’ allegedly created by Lively and Sony.”
Justin said while on vacation he learned Blake had demanded he not attend the film’s premiere on August 9, 2024. He claimed Blake threatened that if Justin attended, she and the majority of the cast would boycott. Justin said he refused to “succumb to the bullying tactics.”
“Just days before the Film’s premiere, Baldoni was still unsure if he would even be ‘allowed’ to attend. His friends and family, many traveling from outside New York, were left in limbo, unable to finalize travel plans or book flights. Finally, through Sony, Wayfarer persuaded Lively to ‘permit’ Baldoni and the Wayfarer team, along with their friends and family, to attend— though only under demeaning and humiliating conditions. They were relegated to a separate theater to view the Film, required to arrive at a different time than the rest of the cast, and instructed to leave the venue immediately after Lively arrived. Baldoni was also excluded from the official celebrity after-party, despite it being an event paid for by Wayfarer,” the suit continued.
“Upon arrival, Baldoni began participating in red carpet photos and interviews. However, his efforts were abruptly cut short when it was conveyed that ‘Lively was on her way’, and he was instructed to stop immediately. He and his family were quickly ushered away,” the suit read.
In an email between Justin and one of his publicists, Jennifer Abel, submitted in court, Justin wrote, “Just find ways to keep me busy when she gets everyone together. Obviously if the whole cast is making content together that’s her trying to clue people onto their being an issue. Everything she does is calculated yet also manic.”
He added, “Attempting to rewrite history and like I’m not the one who developed this and spent five years, trying to make it. And like there’s an issue with me, it’s just mean and hurtful and she knows exactly what she’s doing.”
Justin has yet to file an official response to Blake’s federal lawsuit.
Blake’s lawyer spoke out after Justin filed his lawsuit. The lawyer said, “Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today. [Baldoni’s] lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse.”
