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The production of the 2024 American filmIt Ends with Us, starring American actorsBlake Lively andJustin Baldoni, has been the subject of controversy due to highly publicized disputes and litigation between Lively and Baldoni about an allegedhostile work environment andsmear campaign. The film, based on the2016 novel of the same name by the American authorColleen Hoover, was directed by Baldoni, and produced by Baldoni and Lively amongst others. It was released in August 2024 to box office success.
During the film's press tour, fans of the novel criticized Lively's lighthearted attitude towards the story's themes ofdomestic violence andemotional abuse in her interviews. Media outlets andtabloids reported a conflict within the film's cast, with fans noticing Baldoni's diminished role in the film's promotion. Baldoni faced allegations ofsexual harassment on set while Lively was accused of creatively hijacking the film from Baldoni. In December 2024, Lively filed a complaint with theCalifornia Civil Rights Department, alleging that Baldoni created a hostile workplace through inappropriate comments. It was followed by an article inThe New York Times that accused Baldoni of hiring apublic relations (PR) team to damage Lively'spublic image in response to her complaints. Lively further sued Baldoni and his PR representatives, alleging they violatedU.S. federal andCalifornia state law by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns.
Baldoni, in refuting these claims, suedThe New York Times in December 2024 fordefamation, requesting $250 million in compensation. That same day, Lively filed an official lawsuit against him, his Wayfarer associates and PR agents, who then collectively filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husbandRyan Reynolds, and theirpublicist in January 2025, allegingextortion, defamation, andinvasion of privacy. Baldoni alleged that Lively usedfalse sexual harassment claims and threats to withdraw from production to gain creative control over the film, excluding him from the process, dismissing his editors and music composer, and barring him from the film's premiere. In February 2025, Lively accused Baldoni of an ongoing smear campaign creating a negative public image of her and applied for agag order on Baldoni, who denied the claim. The concernedU.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied a gag order.
In May 2025, Baldoni petitioned tosubpoena the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift, claiming that Lively used Swift and Reynolds to coerce him into accepting Lively's rewrite of the film; he alleged that Livelyblackmailed Swift with leaking private text messages to garner her public support in the controversy. Swift denied any involvement in the production, and Baldoni withdrew the subpoena request after the court condemned him for anabuse of process. In June 2025, the court dismissed Baldoni's suits against Lively, Reynolds, andThe New York Times, but granted him access to Lively's text conversations with Swift. Lively filed to subpoena the American media proprietorScooter Braun and his entertainment company,Hybe America, alleging association with Baldoni's PR. Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni's PR executive Jed Wallace was dismissed in November 2025.
A number ofexhibits were unsealed on January 20, 2026, preceding the January 22summary judgment hearing. These materials included text conversations between Lively and Swift, communications between Ryan Reynolds, his WME agents, and with Sony; and multiple deposition excerpts. The testimonies included accounts from co‑starJenny Slate and other cast and crew, and also from Baldoni’s publicists.
Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni and his other associates is set fortrial on May 18.
It Ends with Us is a 2016romance novel written by the American authorColleen Hoover. The book's main character is theflorist Lily Bloom, who dates theneurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid. Ryle turns out to beviolent once Lily is already invested in their relationship. After coming across her childhood friend and first love, Atlas Corrigan, Lily sees an alternative. The story was inspired by Hoover's parents, who had an abusive marriage as per Hoover.[1]
It Ends with Us has been translated into more than 20 languages other than English and had sold over a million copies worldwide by 2019. It was voted the best romance novel of 2016 byGoodreads.[2] In 2021, the novel experienced a surge in popularity due to attention onBookTok.[3][4] In 2022,It Ends with Us toppedThe New York Times Best Seller list and thePublishers Weekly annual list.[5][6] It subsequently became the best-selling novel of 2023,[7] and Hoover's most popular work.[1]
In July 2019, the American actor and directorJustin Baldoni announced onInstagram that he had picked upIt Ends with Us from Hoover for afilm adaptation, produced through his digital content company,Wayfarer Studios.[2] In January 2023, the American actressBlake Lively was cast in the role of Lily Bloom, while Baldoni was cast as Ryle Kincaid.[8] It was Baldoni's decision to cast Lively as Lily, whereas Hoover asked Baldoni to play Ryle himself.[9] ActorsBrandon Sklenar,Jenny Slate, andHasan Minhaj were also cast.Principal photography began inHoboken, New Jersey, in May 2023.[10] Following a pause in production due to the2023 Writers Guild of American (WGA) strike andthe SAG-AFTRA strike,[11][12] filming resumed inJersey City, New Jersey, in January 2024.[13][14]
Photographs of Lively and Baldoni from the set appeared on internet news outlets and social media websites.[15] It caused fans of the novel to question the direction of the movie. Lively's outfits particularly were described as "chaotic" and "disheveled, almost-frumpy".[16] Some expressed concern that Lively is too old to play Lily, who is in her early 20s in the book. Hoover later blamed her own ignorance and explained that the characters in the book are too young for their life experiences, and that the film is a more realistic portrayal.[15] The film's trailer was released on May 16, 2024, set to the 2020 song "My Tears Ricochet" by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift, a close friend of Lively.[17]
On June 25, 2024, Lively submitted an email to the Producers Guild of America (PGA),[18] requesting the PGA "tag" also known as the Producers Mark.[19] She states that "this film, and my work in itoff camera, means more to me than anything I've done in my 20 year career." Lively continues: she was "officially granted the title of Producer, after a year and a half of asking, and working tirelessly to prove the validity of that title."
The film was released on August 9, 2024.[15] It received mixed-to-positive reviews fromcritics and posted a solidbox-office performance,[9] marking both Baldoni and Lively's highest-grossing project yet.[15]
Media outlets alleged a "feud" between Baldoni and the rest of the film's cast when Baldoni was mostly absent from the film'spress tour throughout 2024, sitting for interviews separately from the cast.[15] Baldoni spoke toAccess Hollywood,Today,Entertainment Tonight andGood Morning America, while Lively spoke toVogue,Capital FM andCBS Mornings; they never appeared together.[20] The cast also deflected in answering specific questions about Baldoni. Multiple viewers described Lively's answer to a question on aYahoo! Entertainment interview about building trust with Baldoni as "wild" as she did not mention him at all.[9]
Social media discussions about Lively grew more critical. She faced criticism for promoting her alcohol brand while also promoting a film about domestic violence, an issue that is often linked toalcoholism, and for promoting the film in an upbeat tone, encouraging audiences to "grab your friends and wear your florals" to the theater. Lively also promoted her hair care line during the press tour, which some viewed as inappropriate given the film's focus on domestic violence.[21] Lively specifically received criticism after giving what some considered a sarcastic reply to a journalist's question about how fans could best discuss the themes of the film with her.[22] In her complaint and subsequent lawsuit, Lively would attribute these negative reactions to an allegedsmear campaign run by Baldoni'spublic relations (PR) counsel.[23]
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Lively was one of theproducers of the film. In an interview withPeople in April 2024, Baldoni said there "wasn't a part of this production that [Lively] didn’t touch and have influence on [...] Everything that she put her hands on and her mind to, she made better." Lively later confirmed this in an interview withVariety, saying "The work I did as a producer was far more all-consuming than anything I did playing Lily. I just did it all. There's nothing I didn't touch on this film."[9] Lively also had stated onE! News that her husband, Canadian-American actorRyan Reynolds, wrote a scene in the film that is a fan-favorite from the book, sparking fan speculation about whether there were disputes with Baldoni over creative control.[20]
The allegations of conflict were further fueled when Lively walked thered carpet and posed for photographs alongside her co-stars, including Sklenar and Slate, at the film'sNew York premiere on August 6, 2024, while Baldoni walked with his wife and family and did not pose with the rest of the cast. According to Baldoni's complaint, Lively and Reynolds had demanded Baldoni not attend the premiere at all. When Lively arrived on the red carpet, Baldoni's group was ushered into the basement of the building.[15] Additionally, Baldoni did not introduce the film in the main theater ahead of the screening; Lively and Hoover introduced the film instead, as opposed to the usual tradition of directors introducing the film. Baldoni watched the film with friends and family in a smaller theater.[15] At the premiere, Baldoni toldEntertainment Tonight that he likely would not direct the film's potential sequel based on Hoover's follow-up novel,It Starts with Us (2022), and added"I think Blake Lively's ready to direct, that's what I think."[9]
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Fans and media outlets also noticed that Hoover and Lively, along with several other members of the cast, were not following or had unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram.[20][25] Canadian journalistLiz Plank, a friend of Baldoni and also his co-host of the podcastMan Enough, attended the premiere and posted about it to her Instagram but did not pose with Baldoni or mention him in any of her posts.[9]
On August 8, 2024,The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film's post-production faced issues, and claimed that Lively commissioned her own edit of the film from the American film editorShane Reid, who'd edited theMarvel Studios filmDeadpool & Wolverine, which was also slated for release that year, starring Lively's husband, Reynolds.[26] Australian-British actorHugh Jackman, Reynold's co-star inDeadpool & Wolverine, had also attended the premiere, posing with Reynolds and Lively. Reynolds also used the event to promoteDeadpool & Wolverine and appeared in a promotional video forIt Ends with Us.[9]
Videos about this alleged feud became viral onTikTok and amassed views. Some fans and social media users speculated that Reynolds and Lively may have seized creative control of the film from Baldoni. Some others posted unflattering comments about Lively's character, with videos of Lively being allegedly rude to a reporter who congratulated Lively on her pregnancy and Lively's usage of the word "trannies" during herGossip Girl days surfaced online.[9]
On August 13, 2024, it was reported that Baldoni has hiredcrisis PR manager Melissa Nathan of The Agency Group (TAG).[27] Nathan has previously worked for clients including the American actorJohnny Depp during his legal disputes with the American actressAmber Heard, such asDepp v. Heard andDepp v News Group Newspapers Ltd.[15] On August 14, the tabloidPage Six published claims that Baldoni made Lively upset when she heard he asked her trainer how much she weighed before shooting a scene in which he had to lift her, as he had a history of back pain. Lively had recently given birth when she began working onIt Ends with Us and was reportedly uneasy with her weight.[9]
On August 20, Sklenar became the first cast member to directly address the feud allegations. He wrote on Instagram, "Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about…. What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film." Sklenar asked fans not to direct negativity toward his female colleagues, and tagged all the female cast members, including Lively, in the post, and did not tag Baldoni.[28]
On December 20, 2024, Lively filed a complaint with theCalifornia Civil Rights Department, alleging Baldoni created ahostile work environment throughsexual harassment and boundary violations, such as improvising kissing during filming of romantic scenes.[29][30] The complaint also accused Baldoni of embarking on a "social manipulation" campaign to "destroy" Lively's reputation, which she says harmed her business and caused "severe emotional distress." On December 21, the tabloidTMZ claimed that the complaint mentioned that a meeting was held during filming to address Lively's concerns, which was also attended by Reynolds; Lively claims she came to the meeting with a list of demands regarding Baldoni's alleged behavior, including "no more adding ofsex scenes,oral sex, or on-cameraclimaxing by [Lively] outside the scope of the script [Lively] approved when signing onto the project." Baldoni refuted many of her claims at the meeting and denied ever seeing the more serious allegations. In a statement toTMZ, responding to the accusations, Baldoni's attorneyBryan Freedman alleged that Lively's complaint is an attempt at fixing her "negative reputation", describing her accusations as "false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt." On the issues during production, Freedman accused Lively of "threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release."[9][31][32]
Hours after theTMZ news,The New York Times published its own extensive review of the court documents, under the title " 'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine".[9] The paper reported that Lively alleges that Baldoni hired a PR crisis management team after she confronted him about the alleged harassment. Documents obtained by Lively via court-issuedsubpoena allegedly showed a coordinated effort on Baldoni's behalf to discredit her across both traditional andsocial media.[30] The paper quoted Lively's claims, "Baldoni had improvised unwanted kissing and discussed hissex life, including encounters in which he said he may not have receivedconsent" and "repeatedly entered [Lively's] makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed, including when she wasbreastfeeding."[33] Nathan had also reportedly sent a text to Baldoni's publicist saying "You know we can bury anyone."[9]
Freedman claimed that Lively has planted "negative and completely fabricated and false stories with media" about Baldoni, which "was another reason why Wayfarer Studios made the decision to hire a crisis professional." In his statement toThe New York Times, Freedman said that Wayfarer "did nothing proactive nor retaliated" against Lively.[9] Prior to the recommencement of filming after the 2023 WGA strike, Wayfarer Studios had agreed to implement safeguards including providing a full-timeintimacy coordinator and bringing in an outside producer.[30]The Hollywood Reporter andRolling Stone magazine reported that Lively and Reynolds's demands to Wayfarer Studios included "not showingnude videos or images of women to Lively; no more mentions of Baldoni's alleged previous 'pornography addiction'; no more discussions about sexual experiences in front of Lively and others; no further mentions of cast and crew'sgenitalia; and no more inquiries about Lively's weight."[34][35] According toThe New York Times, after Lively raised concerns, Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath hired crisis management experts who allegedly coordinated efforts to "destroy" Lively's reputation through social media campaigns and strategic media placement.[30]
In response to Lively's legal filing, Freedman maintained that the claims were "completely false" and also suggested the text messages shared by Jones withThe New York Times were "cherry-picked" to make his clients look unfavorable.[36][37] According to Freedman, the text messages have been presented out of context by Jones and Lively in a way that alters their meaning; he also stated that he has "never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation."[38]
On February 9, 2025, Lively filed a 163-page, amended complaint inNew York, updating her initial complaint with "significant additional evidence and corroboration of her original claims,” as well as “a new claim for defamation." Lively's lawyers alleged that it "provides significant additional evidence and corroboration of her original claims" and "includes previously undisclosed communications" involving Lively, Sony, Wayfarer Studios and "numerous other witnesses." A spokesperson for Lively said that the new filing "details the corroboration that backs up Blake’s original sexual harassment and retaliation concerns" and that "other women confided in Blake about their discomfort and fear of coming forward, and their concern about the current public vitriol."[15][9]
Freedman responded in a statement obtained byPeople, calling the amended complaint "underwhelming" and alleging that it was "filled with unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed persons who are clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims." He states his clients "have been transparent in providing receipts, real time documents and video showing a completely different story than what has been manipulated and cherry picked to the media."[15][9]
Baldoni and Lively sued each other in theDistrict Court for the Southern District of New York, on various grounds. Baldoni also suedThe New York Times, separately in Los Angeles before joining them and Reynolds as a co-defendant in his New York case against Lively in January 2025. Baldoni's defamation lawsuits against Lively, Reynolds andThe New York Times were dismissed in June 2025.[48][49][50] In October 2025, Baldoni let a deadline to file an amended complaint lapse.[50] Lively's case against Baldoni and his PR counsel will beheard on May 18, 2026.[51]
In December 2024, Baldoni filed a libel lawsuit for $250 million againstThe New York Times in theLos Angeles County Superior Court accusing it of pushing an "unverified and self-serving narrative" using "cherry-picked and altered communications stripped of necessary context," and allegedly ignoring evidence disputing Lively's claims.[52] Baldoni's lawyer stated, "In this vicious smear campaign fully orchestrated by Lively and her team,The New York Times cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful 'untouchable' Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative."[52]
The New York Times defended its actions, stating "The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead. Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article."[53] This case would be dismissed by Baldoni in January 2025 when he addedThe New YorkTimes as a party to his lawsuit in New York City.[50]
Lively filed a federal lawsuit against Baldoni on December 31, 2024, addressing the same issues she had raised in her complaint to the California Civil Rights Department.[54]
Lively's representatives directly addressed this being a response to Baldoni's lawsuit, saying, "This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively's administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice 'not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,' and that 'litigation was never her ultimate goal.' As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively's complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer's allegations in court."[54]
Lively's lawsuit alleges that Baldoni and his public relations team orchestrated a sophisticated, multi-tiered campaign to damage her reputation in retaliation for speaking out about sexual misconduct on the film's set. The complaint names Baldoni, his film studio, Wayfarer, Wayfarer president Jamey Heath, Wayfarer co-founderSteve Sarowitz, public relations representatives Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, and Melissa Nathan's PR agency The Agency Group PR. Lively's legal team claimed that Wayfarer and its associates violated federal and California state law by retaliating against her after she reported sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns. The statement also accused Baldoni of initiating unwelcome physical advances, asserting that when Lively or others avoided his touch, both Baldoni and Heath retaliated by becoming irritated, cold, and uncooperative. Lively claimed she was forced to work in an "unwelcoming and volatile environment".[55]
On January 23, 2025, Lively's legal team filed an unsuccessful request for a gag order against Baldoni's attorney,Bryan Freedman, accusing him of continuing to engage in a smear campaign against Lively by repeatedly revealing information to the press.[56]
On August 8, judgeLewis J. Liman granted Lively's motion to strike herdeposition from court records, writing that the defendants' attachment of the nearly 300-page deposition and then citing only two pages "served no proper litigation purpose and instead appears to have been intended to burden Lively (and as a result, the Court) and to invite public speculation and scandal".[57] On October 22, Lively's lawyers accused the defendants of using auto-deletion functions on theSignal messaging service to destroy or fail to preserve their communications in 2024, prior to the lawsuit, about the alleged campaign against Lively.[58]
In reaction to Lively's lawsuit, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, toldNBC on January 3, 2025, that Baldoni intended to countersue Lively.[59][60] On January 16, 2025, Baldoni's attorney filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane's company for civilextortion,defamation, andinvasion of privacy. The 179-page complaint, filed in theSouthern District of New York, claims that Lively attempted to hijack control of the film with demands and threats, and despite getting most of what she wanted, decided to accuse Baldoni of a smear campaign, "to deflect attention and blame for Lively's disastrous misjudgments... Lively would recast herself as the long-suffering martyr by portraying Baldoni and Wayfarer as her persecutors," according to the complaint.[61] Baldoni argued that Lively, along with Reynolds and Sloane, engaged in a coordinated effort to damage his reputation, derail his career, and obscure the film's original purpose of highlighting domestic violence awareness.[62] He also claimed that the smear campaign alleged by Lively did not exist.[61] On January 31, Baldoni filed a 168-page timeline of events, including text messages that provided further context into the environment during production, to support the assertion that Lively had conducted a smear campaign against him.[63][64] The original suit againstThe New York Times in California was dismissed by Baldoni after the paper was also named as a defendant in the new suit.[65]
After amending their complaint in February 2025, Baldoni's lawyer accused the NYT of conspiring with Lively long before her CRD complaint was filed stating "This fresh evidence corroborates what we knew all along, that due to a blind pursuit of power, Ms. Lively and her entire team colluded for months to destroy reputations through a complex web of lies, false accusations and the manipulation of illicitly received communications".[66]
In March 2025, Lively hired Nick Shapiro, former CIA chief of staff and Obama administration communications director, as crisis PR strategist for the legal dispute.[67]
In June 2025, the lawsuit was dismissed by JudgeLewis J. Liman as he found that Baldoni failed to show that Lively engaged in "wrongful extortion" and that the allegedly defamatory statements were restricted to the California Civil Rights Department complaint and reporting on such, which would both be covered byprivilege defences. Judge Liman allowed Baldoni time to amend the complaint to refocus on contractual obligations.[68] Baldoni's legal team indicated that he would do so, but that did not materialize, leading the judge to render final judgment on the case in October 2025. Baldoni still has the right to appeal the judgment after the decision is made on whether Lively can recover legal fees.[50][69]
The New York Times filed a lawsuit against Wayfarer in October 2025 seeking to recoup approximately $150,000 in legal fees.[70]
In Lively's previously filed California Civil Rights Department, she alleged social media PR expert Jed Wallace weaponized a "digital army" to create and promote fakesocial media content on behalf of Baldoni that appeared authentic, aiming to damage her reputation and sway public opinion. However, she did not include him in her initial lawsuit. Wallace responded by suing Lively inTexas federal court for defamation, seeking at least $7 million and a court declaration that he did not engage in harassment or retaliation. His complaint argues that "Neither Wallace nor Street had anything to do with the alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate or aiding and abetting the alleged harassment or alleged retaliation."[71]
In February 2025, Blake Lively amended her complaint, adding Jed Wallace.[72] Wallace filed amotion to dismiss denying that there was a smear campaign and signed a declaration under penalty ofperjury explaining that he merely engaged in online monitoring and saying that he "had (and have) no desire to torch Lively or her reputation, nor did I act on that imagined desire with anyone." In July 2025, "in a blow to her claim that she endured a smear campaign" Lively's case against Wallace was dismissed withoutprejudice with the judge ruling that Lively "did not prove her case that New York is the proper venue for Wallace to be sued."[73] Lively amended and re-filed her complaint against Wallace, but it was dismissed again in November 2025 resulting in him being formally removed from her lawsuit.[74]
On January 22, 2025, after Baldoni's team released footage from the set depicting a dance scene that they assert contradicts a major sexual harassment claim in Lively's lawsuit,[clarification needed][75] Lively requested a gag order against Justin Baldoni and his representation. Lively claimed that Baldoni's lawyer had leaked information regarding her, describing it as a "continuation of the initial retaliation harassment" she wrote about in her first complaint.[76][77] Sources for Baldoni said, it would be "grossly unfair to impose a gag order after Justin has been defamed byThe New York Times in an article that they say has cost him three jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars."[78] The judge denied the gag order request.[79][80] Justin Baldoni launched a website called The Lawsuit Info in February 2025, which presents his complaint and a timeline of the events.[81]
In April 2025, it was revealed that Lively obtained the text messages used in herCRD complaint by quietly filing a covert lawsuit in September 2024, months before she went public with accusations against Baldoni and his associates.[82] Baldoni and his associates were not named as defendants, but were referred to as 10 unnamed Does. The filing was also made without Lively or Reynold's name attached, instead listing her inactive company Vanzan as the plaintiff. Using the clandestine lawsuit, a subpoena was issued to Stephanie Jones, Baldoni's formerpublicist, and her firm Jonesworks, that demanded all communications related to Baldoni, Lively, and her husband,Ryan Reynolds. The subpoena led to the release of private messages between PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan and Jones's former employee Jennifer Abel, which were later used as the basis for Lively's claims. The lawsuit was withdrawn on December 19, 2024, two days before Lively's accusations were published inThe New York Times article. Baldoni's attorney expressed frustration with the secretive lawsuit saying "This sham lawsuit was designed to obtainsubpoena power without oversight or scrutiny, and in doing so denied my clients the ability to contest the propriety, nature, and scope of the subpoena." He added, "This was done in bad faith and constitutes a flagrant abuse of process."[83]
On July 19, 2025, Lively subpoenaed celebrity bloggerPerez Hilton for communications with Baldoni and his associates. She alleged that Hilton may have participated in a coordinated smear campaign against her, using his platform to distribute derogatory content.[84] Hilton responded by filing amotion to quash and denying that he was part of any smear campaign asserting "I was not paid by anyone to speak negatively about Blake Lively, I was not told to speak negatively about her, I was not promised any favors or discounts or anything".[85] He argued that the subpoena was a “fishing expedition” and asserted his status as a journalist protected by theFirst Amendment. After initiallyrepresenting himself, theAmerican Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada ultimately stepped in to represent himpro bono. One day after Hilton retained the ACLU, Lively withdrew the subpoena against him.[86]
In August 2025, Lively subpoenaedcontent creators, suspecting them of working with Baldoni's team, which they denied.[87] The initial subpoenas went out toGoogle and sought "account information for 16YouTubers, including names, emails,IP addresses, physical addresses and bank account and credit card numbers".[88] Lively also sent subpoenas to TikTok and ultimately targeted 107 content creators in total. The subpoenas forced the content creators to either spend money on lawyers orrepresent themselves to filemotions to quash the subpoena. One subpoenaed YouTuber wrote that Lively's subpoena "targeted creators who have expressed unfavorable opinions about her online. The Subpoena was not supported by any evidence. It served to intimidate, harass, chill constitutionally protected free speech, and threaten the safety and privacy of non-parties."[89]
On February 20, 2025, Blake Lively's public relations representative, Leslie Sloane, filed amotion to dismiss Baldoni's lawsuit, arguing that her alleged defamatory statements that the "whole cast doesn't like Justin," "the whole cast hates him" and "Blake was sexually assaulted" were either opinions that couldn't be subject to a defamation claim or were substantially true.[90] According to Sloane's attorneys, "The Wayfarer Parties dragged Leslie Sloane and Vision PR, Inc. into the instant litigation as a smoke and mirrors exercise to distract from their own sexual harassment and systematic retaliation".[91] On March 6, Baldoni asked the judge to deny Sloane's motion, arguing that "In a desperate effort to salvage Lively's reputation and to escape her wrath, the Sloane Parties conspired with Lively and Consolidated Defendants Ryan Reynolds ("Reynolds") and The New York Times Company ("New York Times") to make scapegoats of the Wayfarer Parties for Lively's woes".[92]
On February 28, theNew York Times filed a motion to dismiss Baldoni's claim against it, arguing that "the only thing theTimes is, in fact, alleged to have done is engage in newsgathering and publishing an Article and Video about the Wayfarer/Lively dispute".[93] On March 4, the judge granted theNYT's request for stay of discovery pending a decision on its motion to dismiss, saying that the newspaper had offered "substantial grounds for dismissal" and "a strong showing that its motion to dismiss is likely to succeed on the merits" and that "The Wayfarer Parties are unlikely to be unfairly prejudiced by a stay while the Court decides the pending motion".[94][95] On March 14, Baldoni opposed the motion, arguing that "The NYT went past merely reporting on Plaintiff Blake Lively's ("Lively") California Civil Rights Department Complaint ("CRD Complaint") and actively vouched for the veracity of its false narrative."[96]
On March 18, Ryan Reynolds filed a motion to dismiss Baldoni's claim against him, arguing that "The entirety of Plaintiffs' defamation claim appears to be based on two times that Mr. Reynolds allegedly called Mr. Baldoni a 'predator'",[97] which couldn't be subject to a defamation claim because, according to Reynolds lawyers, "allegations suggest that Mr. Reynolds genuinely, perhaps passionately, believes that Mr. Baldoni's behavior is reflective of a 'predator,'" and "[T]he law establishes that calling someone a 'predator' amounts to constitutionally protected opinion… While Mr. Baldoni 'may not appreciate being called' a predator, those hurt feelings do not give rise to legal claims."[98] According to the lawyers, Baldoni's lawsuit "is long on hyperbole, prose, and "claims," but devoid of any facts necessary to state ones recognized by law."[99]
On March 20, Lively filed a motion to dismiss Baldoni's claim against her, invoking a 2023 California law prohibiting weaponizing defamation lawsuits against "communication[s] made by an individual, without malice, regarding an incident of sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination". According to the actress's lawyers, "Wayfarer Parties' vengeful and rambling lawsuit against Blake Lively is a profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court."[100]
On June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni's defamation and extortion suit. While he did not evaluate any facts of the case, he found Lively's accusations of sexual harassment "legally protected" due to being part of a legal proceeding and thus immune from a lawsuit. Liman also stated that Leslie Sloane, Lively's publicist, did not defame Baldoni in her dealings withDaily Mail, finding that Sloane likewise relied on Lively's account.[101] He similarly wrote thatThe New York Times, "reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened".[65] Liman allowed Baldoni to "amend and refile a couple of allegations regarding interference with contracts."[101] In July 2025, Lively's case against Wallace was dismissed withoutprejudice with the judge ruling that Lively did not prove her case that New York is the proper venue for Wallace to be sued."[73]
Swift has been a close friend of Lively and Reynolds, and thegodmother of their children.[102] Baldoni's lawsuit claimed that Lively had utilized Reynolds and Swift to pressure Baldoni into accepting one of her rewrites for the film. The complaint alleged that Baldoni texted Lively after feeling pressured stating her changes made the scene "more fun and interesting", and that he "would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor". Lively responded to his text by referring to herself as "Khaleesi" and Reynolds and Swift as her "dragons" and "most trusted partners" who have been "by my side for far too many experiences where I've been overlooked", according to the complaint.[103][104] On May 9, 2025, Swift wassubpoenaed by Baldoni's attorney as a witness in the case. A spokesperson for Swift denied that she had any involvement with the film beyond licensing her song "My Tears Ricochet" to be used, as did 19 other artists. The spokesperson added: "This document subpoena is designed to useTaylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case."[105][106]
On May 14, 2025, Baldoni's attorney wrote a letter to JudgeLewis J. Liman claiming that a "source who is highly likely to have reliable information" informed him that Lively's attorney threatened Swift's attorney to disclose "private text messages of a personal nature" if Swift fails to "release a statement of support" for Lively. The letter also alleged that Lively asked Swift to delete their text messages from the past "four or five months".[107][108] Lively's attorney denied the allegations as "unequivocally and demonstrably false" and asked Liman to strike the letter.[109] Lively argued that Baldoni "was dragging Swift into the conflict as part of a public relations strategy."[110] The following day, Baldoni's attorney filed a sworn affidavit under penalty of perjury to attest to his claims. Liman struck both of Baldoni's filings and wrote in his order, "the sole purpose of the letter is to 'promote public scandal' by advancing inflammatory accusations, on information and belief, against Lively and her counsel". Liman also warned Baldoni's team that they will receivesanctions if thecourt is misused any further.[108][48] Baldoni subsequently withdrew his request to subpoena Swift.[111]
On June 18, 2025, the court allowed Baldoni to obtain the message communications between Lively and Swift, without the need to subpoena Swift. It ruled that the messages "may be relevant to the case".[110] On September 11, Baldoni's lawyers submitted a letter to Liman, stating that Swift had agreed to adeposition and asked the judge to accommodate it in the scheduling order.[112] In response, Lively's attorneys requested the judge deny the deposition, asserting it as another move "to fuel their relentless media strategy", and that Baldoni's camp "have not come close to establishing good cause".[112] Swift's counsel also responded, denying that Swift had agreed for a deposition but that if she is compelled to do so she is only available after the window for depositions has ended. They reiterated that Taylor "take[s] no role in those disputes".[112] On September 12, Liman denied Baldoni's request, writing that his team "have offered no evidence that they have served a renewed subpoena on Swift", while granting Lively a 10-day extension on depositions for Baldoni and the co-founders of Wayfarer Studios,Steve Sarowitz and Jamey Heath.[113]
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Swift released her twelfth studio album,The Life of a Showgirl, on October 3, 2025. When the album's tracklist was revealed pre-release, media outlets highlighted the tracks "Ruin the Friendship" and "Cancelled!" as a possiblediss tracks aimed at Lively, based on the song titles.[115] After the album's release, journalists picked "Cancelled!" as the only song about Lively, interpreting it as indicative of Swift's unwavering support to Lively instead of a diss. The song is about challengingcancel culture and expressing solidarity with controversial friends amid public adversity and tarnished public image.[116][117][118]
On January 20, 2026, before asummary judgment hearing of Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni scheduled for January 22, hundreds of exhibits were unsealed, including text messages between Swift and Lively, texts from Ryan Reynolds to Sony and his agents at WME, depositions from Slate and Isabela Ferrer, as well as communications from Hoover. Baldoni's legal counsel highlighted Lively's texts to Swift, including one before filming began where Lively calls Baldoni a "doofus" and a "clown" who "thinks he's a writer now" and showed Lively asking Swift to support her in pressuring Baldoni into accepting her rewrite of a scene, despite Swift not having read her edit. Another text message from Swift to Lively in December 2024, a few days before Lively's lawsuit was publicized, said "I think thisbitch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tinyviolin", referring to an article where Baldoni disclosed that he was sexually assaulted in college. This text message supports Baldoni's assertion that Swift was involved. In a later text exchange, during the 2025 litigation with Baldoni, Lively apologizes to Swift for becoming emotionally distant, "digitally paranoid", and less amicable with Swift, with Swift admitting to feeling uncomfortable with the situation and wanting to mend their friendship.[119][120]
On June 11, 2025,People reported that Lively is set to petition the court to subpoena the American media proprietorScooter Braun and his entertainment companyHybe America. According toDeadline, the notice of the subpoena request was sent to Hybe on June 10. Lively's subpoena seeks to recover documents and information that Hybe America has on Melissa Nathan, Baldoni's crisis PR agent since August 2024 and co-defendant in Lively's suit against Baldoni.[121][122] Hybe has an investment stake in TAG, the publicity firm founded by Nathan.[123] Following this news, publications associated Lively's subpoena of Braun with Swift's masters dispute with Braun and Baldoni's attempt to subpoena Swift in his lawsuit.[124][125][123]
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