Justin Baldoni Opens Up About Turmoil Before Blake Lively's Shocking Legal Claims

Justin Baldoni was struggling long before his legal battle with Blake Lively.

In reality, during a recent podcast episode published in November 2024 (a month before Blake filed her lawsuit against the director of “It Ends With Us” and his studio, Wayfarer Studios, leading to a heated legal dispute), Justin openly discussed his difficult year.

In a recent episode of Gent’s Talk podcast, he shared that this morning he contacted both his close friend Jamey (or Heath) and the president of his company, Tera (or Hanks). He confided in them that he wasn’t feeling great mentally, explaining that he was worn out, hadn’t taken time to rest, and hadn’t allowed himself to heal properly.

He went on to say, “Last year was quite demanding for me. There was a great deal of financial gain, but also a lot of emotional strain that affected me and my loved ones deeply.

30 with his heart pounding due to nervousness.

Justin added, “As I took a moment to reflect, I came to understand that I haven’t really allowed myself the space to recover from this past year.

He mentioned that he had sent a comparable text message to his publicist, Jennifer Abel, in an attempt to be open and honest with his most trusted colleagues and friends, reflecting a sense of transparency and emotional exposure.

He pondered on the fact that his identity is constantly evolving, striving to remain genuinely honest and true to himself. This way, he could serve others effectively and make a significant impact.

He said, “Just like everyone else, I can sometimes feel lost, but healing and growth aren’t a straight path. If there are no setbacks or periods of stagnation, there’s no chance to reassess and keep progressing.

Justin’s freshly released interview unfolds during a legal dispute with Blake and her spouse Ryan Reynolds, which escalated following Blake’s submission of a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department against Justin and several Wayfarer colleagues, accusing them of orchestrating a defamation campaign. Additionally, she alleged that Justin and another individual, Jamey, exhibited inappropriate sexual behavior on set. In response, Justin has refuted all accusations made against him.

Since then, both Blake and Justin have each submitted lawsuits towards one another. Furthermore, Justin has also initiated a libel lawsuit against The New York Times over an article they published about the controversy (which the publication denies making any such allegations). Additionally, a defamation lawsuit against Blake was filed by Street Relations, a crisis PR firm – a representative for the actress described this as “transparent retaliation.

To get the full scoop on everything that’s happened since “It Ends With Us” was published this past summer, continue on!

Approximately four months following the theater release of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us,” Blake Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her costar Justin Baldoni and his associates on December 20, as reported by The New York Times.

In the complaint obtained by TopMob News, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, its co-founder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, her company RWA Communications, crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, her company The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations Inc. were named as defendants.

In her complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates engaged in a “sophisticated press and digital plan” in retaliation for expressing concerns about reported on-set misconduct. She claimed that she and other cast and crew members experienced invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior by Baldoni and Heath.

The actress further stated that this alleged campaign against her caused significant harm to both her personally and professionally. The accusations listed in the complaint include sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate, prevent, or remedy harassment, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, false light invasion of privacy, and interference with prospective economic advantage.

The following day, “The New York Times” released an article detailing a supposed counterattack smear operation carried out by Baldoni and his colleagues against Lively, backed by her CRD complaint. In their report, they shared messages from Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), and Nathan (a crisis communications expert) – all of which were included in the complaint. The newspaper’s website also made available the related court documents for perusal by readers.

Lively expressed her hope to the outlet that her legal action would serve to expose these underhanded retaliatory tactics used to harm individuals who speak out about misconduct, and offer protection to those potentially targeted in the future.

Upon hearing about Lively’s criticisms, as a loyal advocate for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their associates, I, Bryan Freedman, swiftly denounced her allegations. It’s disgraceful that Lively and her representatives would make such severe and undeniably false claims against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and our representatives. This seems to be another desperate move to improve her tarnished reputation, which was earned through her own words and actions during the film campaign; unedited interviews and press activities that were visible to all on the internet, enabling the public to form their own opinions. These allegations are entirely false, excessively sensational, and purposefully salacious, intended to cause harm and perpetuate a narrative in the media.

I also defended Wayfarer’s decision to engage a crisis manager, explaining that this was done before the movie marketing campaign. Moreover, I later clarified that our representatives did not take any proactive measures nor retaliate, but only responded to incoming media queries to ensure balanced and accurate reporting and monitored social activity. What’s conspicuously absent from the selectively presented correspondence is the evidence that no proactive steps were taken with the media or otherwise; only internal strategic planning and private correspondence, which is standard practice among PR professionals.

After an article in The New York Times published on December 21st, William Morris Endeavor (WME) ended their association with Baldoni. This decision was confirmed by Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s parent company Endeavor, to the outlet. However, it is important to note that WME has since denied any involvement from Ryan Reynolds in their decision to part ways with Baldoni, a claim later made by Baldoni in his lawsuit against The New York Times. In his statement to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1st, WME clarified that there was no pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time for them to drop Baldoni as a client, and that his former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere where such an incident was alleged to have occurred.

After Lively’s CRD filing and a New York Times article, several well-known personalities expressed their support for her allegations against Baldoni. Among them was the author of “It Ends With Us,” Hoover, who showed her backing via an Instagram Story on December 21. She wrote, “@blakelively, you have always been honest, kind, supportive and patient since we first met. Thank you for being exactly the person you are. Never change. Never wilt.”

Actress Jenny Slate, who portrayed Baldoni’s character Ryle’s sister, also expressed her solidarity with Lively. On December 23, she made a statement to Today, saying, “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation.” She further added, “Blake is a leader, loyal friend, and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her. What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”

Brandon Sklenar, a romantic interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom in the series, shared a screenshot of the complaint published on The New York Times’ website and linked to the outlet with the caption, “For the love of God, read this.”

Furthermore, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn wrote that they stand with her in solidarity.

Liz Plank recently shared her decision to step down from co-hosting “The Man Enough Podcast” with Baldoni and Heath. In an Instagram post, she expressed gratitude for the trust, support, and connections made during her tenure on the show. She mentioned that a new chapter was starting for her but remained dedicated to the values they had built together. Plank’s departure came after the controversy surrounding Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. Although she did not specify the reason for leaving, she emphasized her commitment to justice and accountability in her message to followers. She also mentioned that she would share more about her experiences soon as she processes the situation further.

In a lawsuit filed against him, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, crisis communications specialist Nathan, and formerly his publicist Stephanie Jones and her agency Jonesworks LLC, Baldoni is accused of orchestrating a secret conspiracy lasting several months. This conspiracy aimed to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, breach multiple contracts, induce contractual breaches, and steal clients and business prospects, according to the lawsuit obtained by NBC News.

Behind Jones’ back, Abel, Nathan, Baldoni, and Wayfarer allegedly coordinated a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars. They then used this crisis as an opportunity to create a rift between Jones and Baldoni, falsely blaming Jones for the smear campaign when she had no involvement in it.

Abel worked at Jonesworks until last summer, according to her LinkedIn profile. The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan have since been pointing fingers falsely at Jones as their own misconduct is exposed, defaming and attacking her in the industry.

Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer Jonesworks clients, are accused of breaching contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refusing to settle this dispute privately through arbitration in the lawsuit. TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.

In a statement given to Variety on December 23rd, Lively’s legal team disclosed that they obtained the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and their Wayfarer associates, further explained that none of his clients were served with a subpoena concerning this matter. He also stated his intention to sue Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s attorneys.

On December 31st, Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times. In this lawsuit, obtained by TopMob News, The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract for an article concerning a supposed retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively after she expressed concerns about purported misconduct on set.

The report was deemed “false” by the plaintiffs, who also claimed that the messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. According to the lawsuit, The New York Times disregarded evidence contradicting the plaintiffs’ claims and exposed their true motives. The plaintiffs allege that it was Lively, not them, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign. However, she has denied this.

The New York Times plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” In response to TopMob, The New York Times stated, “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.

On that very day, Lively decided to take legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, his company TAG, and Abel in New York. Court documents obtained by TopMob News show that she is accusing the defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract, false light invasion of privacy, and aiding and abetting these actions.

These allegations were initially outlined in the CRD complaint Lively submitted earlier that month. In response to the lawsuit filed against them, Baldoni and his associates have taken legal action against The New York Times – which does not include Lively as a defendant. However, her lawyers made it clear to TopMob that this lawsuit doesn’t alter the claims in her CRD and federal complaints. They stated, “The premise that Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse to avoid suing Baldoni and Wayfarer is false. As shown by the federal complaint filed by Lively today, this is not the case.

In their legal action against The New York Times, the plaintiffs have made it clear that they are far from finished. According to court documents, there are more wrongdoers involved in this matter, and it is important to note that this will not be the only lawsuit they file. In a recent interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed that they intend to take legal action against Lively as well.

The buzz surrounding Baldoni and Lively hasn’t subsided yet. For example, people on social media have suggested that Reynolds may have teased Baldoni in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds has not spoken out about these rumors publicly; however, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman shared his perspective. During an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show (available on YouTube from Jan 7), Freedman stated, “If your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of Justin Baldoni. You don’t turn the situation into a joke by mocking the person. Instead, you take it seriously, file HR complaints, raise the issue, and follow due process.

In a statement made on January 7th, Ms. Lively’s legal team clarified the nature of their lawsuit against Wayfarer in the Southern District of New York. The case is based on substantial allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, supported by factual evidence. This is not a dispute stemming from artistic disagreements or a he-said-she-said scenario. As outlined in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and as they intend to demonstrate in court, Wayfarer and their associates have engaged in unlawful retaliation against Ms. Lively for standing up for herself and others on a film set by means of astroturfing. Since the filing of the lawsuit, these individuals have escalated their attacks against Ms. Lively.

In the meantime, they urged everyone to keep in mind that sexual harassment and retaliation are unacceptable in any workplace or industry. A common strategy to deflect accusations of such misconduct is to shift blame onto the victim by implying they invited it, brought it upon themselves, or misunderstood the intentions. Another tactic is to redefine the roles of victim and offender, suggesting that the alleged offender is actually the victim.

Her lawyers emphasized that these tactics serve to minimize and trivialize serious allegations of misconduct. They also pointed out that media statements are not a valid defense for their client’s claims, and they will continue to pursue her case in court.

Back in January, I, as a fervent admirer, found myself joining forces with Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, and crisis communication specialist Nathan from It Ends With Us Movie LLC, to take legal action against Lively, Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, and her firm Vision PR in the bustling city of New York.

The suit, obtained by TopMob News, alleges that all defendants have engaged in civil extortion, defamation, and invading privacy through false light. Lively and Reynolds, in particular, are accused of breaching the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, as well as intentionally interfering with contractual relations, seeking economic advantage, and negligently interfering with prospective economic advantage.

In our lawsuit, we refute Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and a smear campaign against her. Instead, we accuse her of seizing control over It Ends With Us and collaborating with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish our reputation in the media after she faced criticism for her marketing tactics for the film (which she claims were in accordance with Sony’s marketing plan).

In their lawsuit, plaintiffs claim that defendants collaborated with The New York Times to publish a sensational yet false news report. The media outlet defends its published piece.

In response to TopMob’s inquiry, Freedman stated, “Either Blake Lively was deceived by her team or she intentionally and deliberately distorted the truth.

As a seasoned lifestyle advisor, I’d like to shed light on a familiar scenario that unfortunately surfaces too often. Recently, when addressing a lawsuit, Lively’s legal team referred to it as “the next instalment in the abuser’s playbook.” In a statement shared with TopMob News, they explained, “This is a timeless narrative: A woman presents robust evidence of sexual misconduct and retaliation, and the perpetrator endeavors to reverse the roles of victim and offender. Experts term this DARVO – Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender.

Additionally, she contended that he responded by counter-attacking her claims, implying that Lively took over creative control and distanced the cast from Mr. Baldoni.

It was further clarified,” it proceeded, “that the cast and others had encountered unfavorable incidents with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Additionally, it will be revealed that Sony tasked Ms. Lively to manage Sony’s portion of the film, which they subsequently chose for distribution and turned out to be a significant hit.

Her team went on to slam Baldoni’s reaction to her allegations of harassment.

In a nutshell, their defense against sexual harassment accusations revolves around blaming the victim, stating that she wanted it and is to blame. They also attempt to justify the incident by pointing out her clothing choices. However, this tactic of shifting blame onto the woman is pathetic and serves no purpose in denying the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint. It will ultimately prove fruitless.

In simpler terms, Baldoni’s lawyer shared previously unseen footage from the set of the movie “It Ends With Us,” stating that the actions shown in the video contradict Ms. Lively’s portrayal of Baldoni.

In their statement, Baldoni’s lawyers explained that the particular moment was intended to portray the two characters developing feelings for each other and yearning to be near one another. It’s evident in the performance that both actors are acting appropriately within the context of the scene, showing mutual understanding and professionalism.

Nonetheless, Lively’s lawyers argue that the video aligns precisely with Lively’s account in her lawsuit, asserting that every scene was spontaneously created by Baldoni without any prior discussion or agreement.

According to their statement, the video depicts Miss Lively pulling back and continually requesting that the characters simply converse, a situation that many women who have experienced inappropriate workplace touching may find relatable due to her apparent unease.

In simpler terms, they wrote a letter to the judge managing their case, asking for Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, to be bound by a confidentiality order during the ongoing court process to prevent any inappropriate behavior.

A seven-minute audio message, which Baldoni is said to have sent to Lively during the filming of “It Ends With Us“, was made public. In this recording, it seems that Baldoni discussed the movie’s rooftop scene that Lively rewrote and mentioned a meeting with Reynolds and their mutual friend Taylor Swift, during which these changes were supposedly presented to him.

He said to Lively, “It’s great to have friends as creative as them, not just because they’re among the most imaginative individuals globally, but their collective creativity is astonishing. Together, they’re simply incredible!

In the conversation, I acknowledged my mistake and expressed remorse to the actress for not fully appreciating her script initially. To be transparent about who I am, I always own up to my shortcomings and offer a sincere apology when things don’t go as planned.

Approximately a month following Lively’s submission of a legal complaint against Baldoni, a court hearing was scheduled for March 9, 2026.

2025-02-11 16:53

Justin Baldoni Opens Up About Turmoil Before Blake Lively’s Shocking Legal Claims

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