Paul Feig Shuts Down Rumors of Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick's Alleged Feud!

Contrary to rumors swirling around, there’s no tension between Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick – that’s just a myth, as clearly stated by ‘A Simple Favor’ director, Paul Feig.

The director, who collaborated with the two actresses for the 2018 film ‘Another Simple Favor’ and its recent sequel, addressed Melanie King’s claim on what was once Twitter on March 7. King alleged that Lively was too afraid to walk the red carpet at the premiere because Kendrick allegedly doesn’t want to work with her again due to anger.

Feig responded to the post March 8, “Um … you’re wrong.”

There was speculation about a rumored disagreement between Lively and Kendrick, as Lively’s attendance at SXSW was her first solo event since her legal dispute with Justin Baldoni began. The gossip intensified when the actresses didn’t take photos together without others present at SXSW, unlike how they had posed for pictures during promotional events for the original comedy.

Paul Feig kindly requests that you disregard any rumors suggesting tension between Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick.

In response to YouTuber Melanie King’s claim on March 7, the director, who collaborated with both actresses in the 2018 film “A Simple Favor” and its recent sequel “Another Simple Favor”, denied allegations that Lively was too afraid to attend the movie premiere at SXSW due to a conflict between them, stating that Anna Kendrick had no intention of refusing to work with Lively in the future.

Feig responded to the post March 8, “Um … you’re wrong.”

Gossips about a supposed disagreement between Lively (who attended the event, marking her first solo appearance amidst her current legal dispute with Justin Baldoni) and Kendrick, were further stirred when these actresses didn’t take individual pictures together at SXSW, as they had done during promotional activities for the original comedy.

At the premiere of “Another Simple Favor,” the former Twilight star gave a mysterious response when asked about reuniting with her costar. In a viral video posted by Entertainment Tonight on March 7, Kendrick simply said, “Well, you already know…

Instead of saying “Lively, on the other hand, told the outlet at the event that being back with her costar was ‘the best.'”, you could also write: “At the event, Lively shared with the outlet that being reunited with her costar was simply ‘the best’.

Kendrick spoke warmly about her reunion with the former Gossip Girl cast member in an October interview. She told People, “It was wonderful,” adding, “Their characters had such a unique chemistry that it’s just delightful to be reunited, and it does feel a bit like picking up where we left off.

Two months following the release of the interview, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, her director and co-star from “It Ends With Us“, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. In January, Baldoni responded with a counterclaim against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of extortion and defamation. Both parties have also accused each other of orchestrating smear campaigns. However, neither side admits any wrongdoing.

Feig has expressed his support for the Gossip Girl alum amid the controversy.

In a post on X in December, he expressed that working with Blake on two movies has been an extraordinary experience. He described her as highly professional, imaginative, cooperative, gifted, and compassionate – qualities he’s seldom encountered. He strongly believes that the defamatory campaign against her is unjustified and regrettable, as she did not deserve to be subjected to such treatment.

Later, he dispelled rumors suggesting that the legal dispute between Lively and Baldoni affected the unveiling of the movie “Another Simple Favor.

He penned, “This seems quite unfounded. My apologies,” on X in January. “Rest assured, the film has been completed and will be released shortly. Be cautious about trusting rumors you find on social media nowadays.

Read on for more info on Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle…

Two months following the release of the interview, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, her director and co-star from “It Ends With Us,” alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. In January, Baldoni countered by suing Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for extortion and defamation. Both parties accuse the other of orchestrating smear campaigns against them. However, neither side has admitted to any wrongdoing.

Feig has expressed his support for Lively amid the controversy.

He expressed in December on X that after working with Blake on two films, he can confidently say she is among the most professional, innovative, collaborative, gifted, and compassionate individuals he has ever encountered. In his opinion, the negative campaign against her was unjust and it’s regrettable that she had to endure such a situation.

He subsequently dismissed speculations that the legal dispute between Lively and Baldoni hindered the debut of Another Simple Favor.

He wrote on X in January, “This seems incredibly untrue. I apologize,” which translates to, “What was written is completely false. My apologies.” In simpler terms, he expressed doubt about the accuracy of what was posted and conveyed regret for any inconvenience caused. Regarding the movie, he clarified that it has been completed and will be released shortly, advising caution when trusting social media information these days.

Read on for more info on Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle…

Four months following the theater release of the film adaptation based on 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 the complaint, Lively claimed that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates initiated a “sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation” for expressing concerns about alleged misconduct on set. According to her, she and other cast and crew members experienced invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior by Baldoni and Heath.

Lively further stated that this alleged campaign against her caused “substantial harm” to her personally and professionally. The accusations listed in the complaint include sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent, and/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, an article was published by The New York Times, detailing a suspected counterattack smear operation that Baldoni and his cohorts are said to have orchestrated against Lively – referencing her CRD complaint. In the piece, the publication shared messages sent from Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), and Nathan (crisis communications specialist) – all mentioned in her complaint. The readers were also able to peruse the court documents on The New York Times‘s website. Lively expressed to the outlet, “I hope my legal action will help unveil these underhanded retaliatory actions aimed at harming those who speak up about misconduct, and safeguard others who might be targeted in a similar manner.

Following the disclosure of Lively’s complaint, Bryan Freedman – lawyer for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their representatives – strongly refuted Lively’s accusations. In a statement on The New York Times website, he stated, “It is regrettable that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make grave and factually incorrect allegations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives, as another desperate attempt to improve her tarnished reputation stemming from her own remarks and actions during the film’s campaign; interviews and press activities that were publicly observed, unedited, and in real-time, enabling the internet community to form its opinions. These claims are entirely false, excessive, intentionally scandalous, and aimed at damaging his reputation and reviving a sensationalized media narrative.”

Freedman further justified Wayfarer’s decision to hire a crisis manager, explaining that this was done prior to the movie’s marketing campaign. Later on, he added, “The representatives of Wayfarer Studios took no proactive measures nor retaliated; they only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure accurate and fair reporting and monitored social activity.”

What is significant here is that the correspondence cherry-picked does not show any evidence of proactive measures taken with the media or otherwise; it merely reveals internal strategic discussions among public relations professionals, which is a standard practice within the field.

After the article in The New York Times, published on December 21st, William Morris Endeavor (WME) severed ties with Baldoni. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, the agency’s parent company, confirmed this to the outlet. However, it was later denied by WME that Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband, played a role in their decision to part ways with Baldoni. This claim was made by Baldoni in his lawsuit against The New York Times (more on that below). In response, WME, which also represents Reynolds and Lively, stated to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1st that Baldoni’s allegation about Reynolds pressuring Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere was false. They added that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and there was no pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time to drop Baldoni as a client.

After Lively’s CRD filing and an article in The New York Times, several notable personalities expressed their support for her allegations against Baldoni. One of them was the author of ‘It Ends With Us’, Hoover, who showed her backing on Instagram Stories. On December 21st, she wrote, “Blake Lively, you have always been truthful, kind, supportive and patient since we first met. Thank you for being exactly who you are. Never change. Never wilt.”

Similarly, Jenny Slate, who portrayed Baldoni’s character Ryle’s sister, also expressed her solidarity with Lively. On December 23rd, she issued 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 many others who know and love her. What has been exposed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”

Additionally, 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, writing, “For the love of God, read this.” Lastly, 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 the “The Man Enough Podcast”, which she co-hosted with Baldoni and Heath. In an Instagram post, she expressed her gratitude for the trust and support of listeners, stating that the show was special because of their collective effort. She did not provide a specific reason for her departure but shared that she remains committed to the values they’ve built together. Plank also emphasized her continued support for those who speak out against injustice and hold accountable those who obstruct them. She hinted at sharing more about her decision as time passes.

Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist, and her agency Jonesworks LLC have taken legal action against Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, Abel (his current publicist), and Nathan (crisis communications specialist) in New York on December 24th. According to the lawsuit obtained by NBC News, the defendants, Abel and Nathan, are accused of conspiring secretly for months to attack Jones and Jonesworks publicly and privately, breach contracts, induce contractual breaches, and steal clients.

Behind Jones’s back, they coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to launch a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars. They then used the resulting 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, who worked at Jonesworks until last summer according to her LinkedIn profile, is alleged to continue defaming and attacking Jones now that their misconduct has been exposed. The suit also claims that Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer Jonesworks clients, repudiated their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refused to settle the dispute privately through arbitration.

TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.

According to a report published on December 23rd by Variety, Lively’s legal team claims they obtained the text messages mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents both Nathan, Abel, and Baldoni as well as Wayfarer associates, told the outlet that neither of his clients were served a subpoena related to this matter. He further stated his intention to sue Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s legal team.

31st December saw a lawsuit filed against The New York Times. In this legal action, The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract due to an article about a supposed retaliatory smear campaign by the plaintiffs against Lively following her public concerns regarding on-set misconduct.

The defendants claim the report was untrue, based largely on Lively’s complaint to CRD, and assert that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. They argue that The New York Times heavily relied on Lively’s self-serving narrative while overlooking a vast amount of evidence contradicting her claims and revealing her real motives.

The plaintiffs also allege that it was Lively, not them, who initiated the calculated smear campaign, a claim she has denied. The New York Times has declared its intention to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”

In response, The New York Times stated that they will “defend against the lawsuit vigorously.” They added, “The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts wherever they lead. Our story was thoroughly and responsibly researched. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and extensively in the article.

That very day, Lively initiated a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, his company TAG, and Abel in New York. The court documents obtained by TopMob News indicate that she is accusing the defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to address harassment, aiding and abetting such actions, breach of contract, intentionally inflicting emotional distress, negligently causing emotional distress, false light invasion of privacy, among other claims. These allegations were initially detailed in the CRD complaint she filed earlier that month. In response to this lawsuit, Baldoni and his associates have countered with a lawsuit against The New York Times (where Lively is not listed as a defendant). Regarding this, her lawyers stated to TopMob that “the premise of this lawsuit – that Lively’s administrative complaint was a ruse and litigation wasn’t her ultimate goal – is false. As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Lively today, this perspective on the Wayfarer lawsuit is incorrect.

In their legal action against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have signaled that they have more to address. Court documents indicate that there are other wrongdoers involved, and they make it clear that this lawsuit is not the only one they intend to file. In a recent interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed their plans to take legal action against Lively as well.

As a devoted follower, I can’t help but notice that the news about Baldoni and Lively hasn’t ended there.

For one instance, online spectators have hypothesized that Reynolds, her husband, poked fun at Baldoni in his movie “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

So far, Reynolds hasn’t openly addressed these speculations; however, Baldoni’s legal representative, Freedman, has shared his thoughts.

During an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show (available on YouTube from Jan 7), Freedman expressed his viewpoint: “In my opinion, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni’s situation. You treat it seriously. You file complaints, raise the issue, and follow due process. What you don’t do is joke about it.

In their statement, Ms. Lively’s legal team clarified that the ongoing lawsuit against Wayfarer and associates is based on substantial allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. This is not a simple disagreement or he-said-she-said situation, as they claim Wayfarer and its associates resorted to unlawful astroturfing against Ms. Lively for attempting to ensure safety on a film set. Since the filing of the lawsuit, further attacks have been directed towards Ms. Livery.

While the legal process unfolds, her lawyers emphasize that sexual harassment and retaliation are always illegal in any workplace or industry. They caution against common tactics employed to divert attention from such misconduct, such as blaming the victim or reversing roles between the offender and the alleged victim. These strategies serve to normalize and trivialize serious allegations. The lawyers also remind everyone that media statements do not serve as a defense for their client’s claims and they will vigorously pursue her case in court.

On January 16th, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit in New York against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s firm Vision PR. The plaintiffs allege that all defendants have committed civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy through false light. Specifically, the suit claims that Lively and Reynolds breached good faith, interfered with contracts, and caused economic harm intentionally or negligently.

The plaintiffs deny Lively’s accusations of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Instead, they accuse her of seizing control of It Ends With Us and collaborating with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish the plaintiffs’ reputation in the press following negative feedback on Lively’s promotion of the film. (Lively claims that she followed Sony’s marketing plan for the movie.)

In the lawsuit, it is claimed that defendants colluded with The New York Times to publish a sensational but false news report. The outlet maintains its report’s accuracy.

In response to TopMob, Freedman stated, “Either Blake Lively was deceived by her team or she deliberately misled the truth.

Lively’s legal team referred to his lawsuit as “an additional instance in the script for those who abuse,” commenting to TopMob News that “This scenario is familiar: A woman presents solid evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser tries to shift the blame onto the victim. This behavior is often termed DARVO – Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender.

She additionally claimed that he reacted after she brought charges against him, stating that Baldoni is attempting to change the storyline to suggest that Lively took creative control and distanced the cast from Mr. Baldoni.

It was further explained that the proof will make clear that both the cast members and others had unfavorable encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Additionally, it will demonstrate that Sony requested Ms. Lively to supervise their portion of the film, which they subsequently chose for distribution, resulting in a significant success.

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

In response to sexual harassment accusations, they blamed her for wanting it and deemed her responsible. Their explanation for the incident was that she dressed provocatively. Her legal team further stated, summarizing their stance: while the victim concentrates on the abuse, the perpetrator focuses on the victim. This strategy of targeting the woman is pathetic, as it does not dispute the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint and will ultimately fall short.

In simpler terms, Baldoni’s lawyer shared previously unseen footage from the set of “It Ends With Us“, stating that the actor’s behavior on camera directly contradicts Ms. Lively’s portrayal of him.

According to Baldoni’s lawyers, the particular scene aimed to depict the two characters growing fond of each other and yearning for physical proximity. It’s evident that both actors were acting appropriately and professionally, given the nature of the scene.

Nevertheless, Lively’s lawyers contend that the video fully supports, word for word, what Ms. Lively claimed in her lawsuit. They argue that every instance depicted in the video was spontaneously created by Mr. Baldoni without any prior discussion or approval.

In a statement provided to TopMob News, it was explained that the video depicts Ms. Lively leaning back and continually requesting the characters to simply converse. Anyone who has experienced inappropriate touch at work may relate to Ms. Lively’s visible unease.

In their ongoing case, the couple wrote a letter to the presiding judge, asking for Freedman, the lead attorney from Baldoni’s team, to be subjected to a restraining order on speaking publicly. This is to prevent any inappropriate behavior during the legal process.

A seven-minute audio message, reportedly sent by Baldoni to Lively during the filming of “It Ends With Us”, was made public. In this recording, it seems that Baldoni mentions the movie’s rooftop scene, which Lively rewrote, and how these adjustments were discussed in an alleged meeting involving Reynolds and their friend Taylor Swift.

He said to Lively, “It’s not just because they’re among the most inventive individuals globally, but we should all be fortunate enough to have friends like them. The combination of the three of you is simply extraordinary, it’s hard to believe!

In the recording, it appears that Baldoni expressed an apology to the actress for not responding favorably to her script, stating, “I made a mistake. An important aspect of my character is that I acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.

Approximately a month following the legal action initiated by Lively, a court hearing was scheduled for March 9, 2026.

According to reports from TopMob News, Baldoni’s legal team has updated their January 16th counterclaim in the U.S. District Court against Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane, now also involving The New York Times.

In the revised paperwork, Baldoni alleges that Lively and her associates conspired for several months and provided misleading information to The New York Times.

In a different case, not related to the $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times, it was claimed that the newspaper selectively chose and manipulated communications, removing crucial context and intentionally editing them in such a way as to deceive.

Baldoni set up a website detailing his legal dispute with Lively, which includes the initial amended complaint submitted by Baldoni’s lawyers on January 31st, along with a chronology of significant events. This chronology reportedly contains screenshots of text conversations between Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni, as claimed in the document.

The website went live a month following Freedman’s announcement that they would publish all the text messages exchanged between the two parties.

Baldoni’s lawyer stated to NBC News during an interview in January, ‘We desire transparency; we want the truth to be openly available. We want those records disclosed so that people can form their own opinions using the evidence.’

In the updated lawsuit, Lively’s legal team asserted that two additional female crew members from the production of “It Ends” expressed discomfort due to Baldoni’s on-set conduct.

As a diligent follower reporting the matter, I can confirm that I wasn’t the only one expressing concerns about Mr. Baldoni, as TopMob News has acquired evidence to support this. The accounts of my discomfort, along with others, were recorded from May 2023 onwards when the events transpired. Crucially, and contradictory to the entire narrative that Defendants have constructed, Mr. Baldoni acknowledged these complaints in writing at the time. He was aware that women besides myself had expressed unease and voiced their concerns about his behavior.

The revised lawsuit didn’t mention the two potential witnesses that Lively suggested would testify, as they were withheld for safety reasons because of the potentially threatening, harassing, and intimidating environment allegedly created by the defendants’ reprisal efforts.

In an interview with TopMob, Freedman contended that the grievance was riddled with “unverified second-hand information” and suggested that unknown individuals are now unwilling or hesitant to corroborate or openly endorse her allegations.

Following Baldoni’s claims that Sloane spread “harmful tales” making him appear as a “sexual offender” and organizing a “defamatory strategy” supposedly led by Lively, Sloane requested to withdraw from the legal case by filing a motion for dismissal.

As a dedicated follower, I can share that, according to the documents acquired by TopMob News, my attorney asserted that there was no substantial ground for the allegations directed towards my client. Instead, they claimed I was unwillingly caught up in the lawsuit as part of a misleading tactic to divert attention from Lively’s accusations, essentially using me as smoke and mirrors.

Nick Shapiro, who previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the CIA, was recruited by Lively to provide counsel on the legal communication strategy for a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit being handled in the Southern District of New York. This information was shared by a member of her litigation team from Willkie Farr & Gallagher with Variety on February 28th.

Shapiro, who served for the CIA from 2013 to 2015 during the Obama administration, later took up roles as Visa’s vice president of worldwide security and communications, and then Airbnb’s head of global crisis management. After spending three years with the rental company, he established his own consulting firm, 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.

TopMob News has reportedly obtained documents showing that The New York Times, currently engaged in a $250 million lawsuit with Baldoni, submitted a motion to release itself from a separate $400 million lawsuit involving Lively, Baldoni, and Sloane. In simpler terms, The New York Times is trying to get out of the second, larger lawsuit.

In the court submission, the newspaper contended that Baldoni’s team was spinning a “single perspective story that has attracted numerous news articles,” but it asserted that “The Times” should not be involved in this disagreement.

After The New York Times filed a motion for dismissal, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman approved their request to pause the discovery process, as reported by TopMob News based on obtained documents.

The judge’s decision to momentarily suspend the exchange of information and documents between parties was in favor of a request made by the newspaper on February 28th. The judge is currently considering this motion.

According to the document dated March 4, Liman argued that the New York Times has provided “solid evidence” and made a convincing case that their motion to dismiss could very well be granted based on its merit.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but echo the judge’s words, expressing my firm belief that the legal team of the beloved Baldoni won’t be unjustifiably disadvantaged during this court pause, as the judge is considering the upcoming motion.

In response to TopMob News, a representative from the New York Times stated about the recent ruling, “We are grateful for today’s court decision, which acknowledges the significant First Amendment implications. The court has prevented Mr. Baldoni from overwhelming The Times with discovery requests in a case that should not have been initiated against us.

2025-03-09 23:18

Paul Feig Shuts Down Rumors of Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s Alleged Feud!

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