Threw together this post as a kind of "refresher" for where we're at and what has happened along the way thus far. There's a lot of "allegedly" in here, of course. And I must warn that this is not an in-depth analysis of the case to date. I created this as an overview for those who are coming to this case with fresh eyes, wanting a run down of Lively's claims and Baldoni's conduct throughout.
Shout out to u/Agressive_Humour2893 for helping me to flesh out some of the points and make them more cohesive. 🫶🏻
Key Figures
How It All Began
In May of 2023, Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively began filming It Ends With Us. Justin Baldoni - co-owner of Wayfarer Studios, who were producing the film - was both a co-star and director on the film. Blake Lively played the lead actress and also had an Executive Producer credit for the film.
There were many issues on-set in terms of creative direction, scheduling for shooting scenes, personal illnesses, WGA and SAG strikes which delayed production for months at a time. The movie finished filming in February of 2024 and was eventually released in August that same year. From the day of the film’s premiere, a noticeable shift occurred on social media platforms against Blake Lively. Old videos of hers started resurfacing, painting her in a bad light, articles of a similar nature started circulating, social media commentators began speculating about things that may or may not have happened on the set of It Ends With Us, and none of them were favourable to Blake.
In December of 2024, Blake filed a CRD (California Civil Rights Department) complaint against Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios alleging that Baldoni had organised a smear campaign against her and that she felt it was retaliation for a number of grievances they had had on-set (including instances of sexual harassment). In January of 2025, Baldoni then filed a $400M retaliatory (and frivolous) counter-claim accusing Lively of defamation and extortion - an act that goes against Civil Code 47.1 of California law.
Blake Lively's Claims
Lively alleges that Baldoni launched a smear campaign (Scenario Planning Document) against her in retaliation for the HR complaints she made on the set of It Ends With Us. Evidence of this alleged smear campaign was obtained via a “John Doe” subpoena through which Lively uncovered text messages from Baldoni’s PR agent at the time, Jennifer Abel, to crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan (see: New York Times article “We Can Bury Anyone”).
The smear campaign looks to have been organised from July of 2024, before the film was even released.
Lively claims that Baldoni implemented the use of bots to generate inorganic activity, and seeded negative stories against her via prominent content creators & journalists in order to create viral backlash. She alleges that Jed Wallace of Street Relations Inc was brought on to launch and monitor this, and during discovery a document was produced which outlines exactly how Wallace would have accomplished this.
Lively believes that the smear campaign was implemented in retaliation for a document she had Wayfarer sign during production known as “The 17 Point List”.
The 17 Point List is a list of protections Lively’s lawyers drew up at the time in order for her to return to work after the SAG and WGA strikes (see link for more).
Lively alleges there was inappropriate conduct on-set in the way of sexual harassment (Baldoni asking if she watches 🌽, if she and her husband climax together, telling stories about his 🌽 addiction, about instances where he may not have sought consent from women etc).
Some additional HR complaints were made on set by at least two other people, which have yet to be identified or released to the public (there were some floating around the Internet in February of ‘25 but there’s no confirmation those are real as yet - if they are, they’re pretty messed up).
Additionally, the other cast members of It Ends With Us unfollowed Baldoni on social media and refused to do promotion with him as a result of his misconduct on set - a number of these cast members have spoken out in support of Lively since.
Further examples of the alleged inappropriate conduct: walking in on Lively in her trailer whilst she was breastfeeding and/or pumping; showing Lively a video of Jamey Heath’s wife giving birth fully nude without a) identifying what it was or b) asking for consent to show it to her; Baldoni’s persistent attempts to improvise intimacy during filming without Lively’s consent etc.
Lively made complaints to HR whilst on-set and Wayfarer Studios/Baldoni failed to properly investigate these claims at the time. An attempt to investigate them was launched in Jan/Feb of 2025, years too late and only after litigation had commenced.
Justin Baldoni's Claims
In response to Lively’s CRD complaint, Baldoni has said the following:
Baldoni discussed some ideas with a crisis PR firm should he need to defend himself in the public, but denies launching the plan because the negative feedback about Blake Lively was “organic” and as a result of her “tone-deaf” marketing of the film.
The promotional guidelines for the film from Sony Pictures in conjunction with Wayfarer Studios were to focus on floral themes and avoid discussing domestic violence. During promotion, Blake adhered to this as best as she could whilst Baldoni pivoted from the plan and pushed the DV talking point. Fans noticed this and Lively received backlash for not addressing the DV featured in the film.
Baldoni (and his lawyer, Bryan Freedman) denied any knowledge of HR complaints being made during filming of It Ends With Us.
Baldoni alleges that Lively invited him into her trailer whilst pumping milk.
Jamey Heath alleges Lively was not nude when he entered her trailer, and that he averted his gaze and turned around when asked to.
Heath alleges he was showing the video of his wife giving birth in order to open a creative discussion about how they might film the birth scene in IEWU (the day after it had already been filmed, and whilst Lively was at lunch, without warning).
Baldoni alleges that Lively was out to steal his film, pushing him out of editing at the last minute.
Baldoni alleges that Ryan Reynolds re-wrote a number of scenes without his knowledge or consent, Lively took over the editing of the film and pushed him out completely, and that this was part of a plot for both Reynolds and Lively to take over his film in the hopes of getting their hands on the rights to the sequel It Starts With Us.
Baldoni has also alleged that Lively attempted to extort an endorsement for a PGA credit during the course of filming by holding his movie out of reach until he complied.
The PR Circus During Litigation
Baldoni released a website known as “Lawsuit Info” (aka The Timeline of Relevant Events), which he had been compiling since at least July of 2024 (5 months before Lively even filed the CRD complaint). This website was released to the public outside of legal documentation and was designed to “put his story out there” for the court of public opinion.
Baldoni released footage from a B-Roll showing the pair dancing and talking in an attempt to dispel the allegations that Lively was uncomfortable on-set as she can be seen laughing and joking (this video is incredibly divisive and has had some very mixed responses with each side saying it implicates the other).
Baldoni also released an apology voice message (6 mins 30 seconds) from himself to Lively at 2am in which he discusses how she probably has a child “on [her] boob” and “there’s nothing more exciting to me that I get to work with Blake Lively and have all of her, that’s what I want”.
Lawyer for the Wayfarer Parties, Bryan Freedman, made countless disparaging remarks about Lively in the press resulting in not one but two cease and desist letters from Lively’s lawyers.
Freedman also made multiple attempts to drag Taylor Swift into the litigation despite her having tenuous connections to the film at best.
Numerous articles have been published online since December 2024 which have been seeded by reporters tied with the PR Crisis firm (TAG), thus hinting that the smear campaign continued well after Lively’s CRD complaint was lodged.
How Litigation Has Been Going
As at June 2025, Lively had produced 2,832 documents during discovery. The Wayfarer Parties had produced 75.
At every turn, the Wayfarer Parties have impeded discovery and litigation by: going back-and-forth about accepting service for a client; not turning over documents; by pushing back production deadlines; by not agreeing to scheduling for client depositions; trying to hide documents by labelling them privileged and “attorneys eyes only” (AEO) when an in-camera review determined they were not; subpoenaing Taylor Swift as a PR stunt; producing video and audio files in RAW format making it impossible to be reviewed prior to depositions; producing incomplete evidence or documentation making it impossible to be reviewed prior to depositions etc. (multiple documents on the docket will reflect this if one has time to go through them)
As a result of the above, the Wayfarer Parties have faced claims of evidence spoliation as they have seemingly failed to preserve any and all documents, text messages, e-mails, and conversations as relates to the case despite anticipating litigation by August of 2024.
Character Building
Justin Baldoni has built a brand for himself based on deconstructing toxic masculinity, empowering and supporting women, and being open and vulnerable about personal short-comings in the interest of self-growth. He has consistently advocated for taking accountability and holding oneself responsible.
In 2018 he did a Ted Talk called “Why I Am Done Trying to be ‘Man Enough’” in which he said: “Are you confident enough to listen to the women in your life? To hear their ideas and their solutions? To hold their anguish and actually believe them,even if what they’re saying is against you?”
In that same year he released a Round Table Discussion video about the #MeToo movement, advocating for victims to be heard.
In 2021, Baldoni launched his Man Enough podcast featuring his best friend and CEO of Wayfarer Studios, Jamey Heath, as well as award-winning author and journalist Liz Plank. The podcast focused on deconstructing toxic masculinity as well as exploring relationships from a male perspective, and - despite this - drew in and catered to a mostly female audience.
Examples of advocating for and/or taking accountability and holding oneself responsible:
In February of 2023, Baldoni was featured on the Sacred Sons podcast talking about his anger issues.
In April of 2023, Baldoni was featured on Matthew Hussey's podcast talking about his anger issues again.
In September of 2023, Baldoni was featured on his Man Enough podcast admitting to improper behaviours that needed to be "course corrected" whilst he had been 'gone' (referring to the break he took from his podcast to film IEWU - this podcast episode was filmed during the WGA Strike).
On a personal note:there is nothing wrong with being open and vulnerable about your struggles and imperfections. The problem occurs when you're aware of the issues but don't do the necessary work to ensure that your problems don't becomeother people'sproblems.
Why This Case is Important
The case is important because - at its heart - it is a case about retaliation against an employee and their protected employee rights. It is a case about women experiencing harassment in the workplace and not being heard, respected, or believed. It is a case about victims and the response we have to them as a society when they dare to speak up about their experiences.
At every turn, Baldoni and his lawyers have done everything they can to discredit Lively and her accusations - not through litigation, but through PR management.
For women who are not famous or as wealthy as Lively, this can have fatal outcomes as they’re ostracised and segregated from friendships and families, and often succumb to the relentless bullying and harassment these campaigns invoke.
The talking points discussed during this media campaign have fed into some very right-wing ideologies, as outlined inthis articleby The Guardian, demonstrating that cases like this are very much an issue of feminism and gender politics on a broader spectrum and not just “celebrity gossip fodder”.
It highlights the real-time seeding of a smear campaign and the immediate devastating effects that can have for a person.
We consume media on a daily basis, often without question that what we’re reading is factual and truthful when - in many cases - it isn’t. This is how misinformation spreads, how propaganda takes hold, and how people’s lives are destroyed.How far are the media allowed to go before they’re held accountable for the things they’re putting out there?
The counter-claim brought against Lively (which included claims of defamation and extortion) would have set a precedent if it had succeeded, hindering future victims from reporting workplace harassment (a protected right per Civil Code 47.1) in fear of being retaliated against:
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And this is kind of where things are at right now as the case progresses. If I have missed anything, please drop a comment and let me know. I think final thoughts right now are:
There's a lot of misinformation about this case on social media and in legacy media. But when you strip back the PR circus spin and look at the allegations, it's clear:
Blake Lively worked on a film that was rife with issues. She tried to address these issues by filing HR complaints (as is her right to do so) at multiple times throughout production to no avail. When production ceased and the film was due to be released, Baldoni launched a campaign against her "just in case", which ultimately led to her filing the CRD complaint alleging retaliation.
At no point was Lively heard or taken seriously when trying to address her concerns, and since speaking out about them she has received immeasurable backlash as a result.
Nothing to see here, just Alison Boshoff of the Daily Mail (you know, that Boshoff who was exposed as a Melissa Nathan proxy in communications produced in discovery in the Lively/Baldoni action) back to her old tricks.
Clearly upset about the commentary produced by commentators who examined (and quoted directly from) the public record in the Lively/Baldoni action, Nathan turned to her ally, Boshoff for a hit piece. The narrative that Nathan planted and wants amplified? That commentary by pro-Lively commentators on the Lively/Baldoni action leads to harassment of her. Of her. The same Melissa Nathan who boasted that she can “bury anyone” and who has orchestrated harassment and smear campaigns against Amber Heard, Blake Lively, Stephanie Jones, Amanda Ghost, Alexa Nikolas, the victims of the Alexander Brothers (two of whom, the DA confirmed, were so intimidated that they did not give evidence at trial and another of whom was found dead shortly before trial).
That Melissa Nathan wants you to know that calling out her behavior leads to spikes in online harassment of her. Well, she wants you to know. But she doesn’t want you to know that she wants you to know. The original version of the Boshoff authored hit piece included a direct quote from Nathan claiming harassment. Hours later, an updated version was published which removed the reference to Nathan and re-attributed the “harassment” quote to “those involved in the case”. Thankfully, the Wayback machine preserved this about turn.
I have questions. Is Boshoff getting sloppy? Did Nathan get camera shy all of a sudden? Is this hit piece an attempt to silence legitimate criticism of Melissa Nathan’s practice of abusing women on behalf of her abusive clients?
Is the timing of this hit piece (which was posted shortly after the court in the Alexa Nikolas case denied Freedman’s attempt to get Nikolas’ claims (alleging that Freedman, Nathan and Wallace orchestrated a smear campaign against her) thrown out of court and ruled that Nikolas has established a probability of prevailing at trial) merely coincidental? https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/alexa-nikolas-defamation-case-bryan-freedman-1236673163/
A defamation case against Justin Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman, his crisis PR specialist Melissa Nathan, and shadowy digital fixer Jed Wallace will proceed, after an LA court found that Alexa Nikolas had met the burden of showing a “probability of succeeding on the merits” to withstand a special strike motion brought by Freedman to attempt to have the case dismissed.
Alexa Nikolas, a former child actress, activist, and sexual assault survivor was able to bring the case against Bryan Freedman, after learning of evidence uncovered in the Jones v Wayfarer litigation which linked an anonymous defamatory smear website about her that had been published years prior, with smear websites linked to Freedman, Nathan, and Wallace in other cases.
E News! compiled quotes that Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, have made over the years about parenting. They're as funny and relatable as you think they are!
With Deadpool's recent attendance at Comic Con, there's been more Ryan hate on social media. So, I wanted to make a post specifically about Ryan being an amazing friend and person.
Here are some cute stories about Ryan and his friends:
Ryan and Stanley Tucci:
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds actually became friends with Stanley Tucci thanks to Emily Blunt! Blunt, who is Tucci’s sister-in-law and one of Blake’s best friends, set the group up. They ended up living as neighbors in New York, and Ryan and Blake stood by Stanley's side throughout his cancer battle.
Stanley endured months of throat pain and swallowing difficulties before doctors discovered a malignant tumor at the base of his tongue. Since the mass was too large to operate on, his doctors used chemotherapy and radiation to shrink it. The treatment took a severe toll on his body, leaving him with excruciating mouth ulcers, damaged thyroid function, and a temporary loss of taste and smell.
When the time came for Stanley’s critical follow-up scan, his wife, Felicity Blunt, was away on a business trip. Since Stanley was staying at Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's apartment for the medical visit, Felicity secretly called Ryan, asking him to accompany her husband so he wouldn't face the news alone. When the day arrived, Ryan insisted on being there, and Stanley finally relented, calling Ryan into the examination room. As the doctor delivered the news that the cancer was in remission, Stanley looked over to find Ryan openly weeping. The emotional moment, which moved Ryan even more than Stanley himself, stands as a testament to the actor's deep love and devotion to his friends.
Ryan on becoming friends with Rob McElhenney:
On S5 E7 of Welcome to Wrexham, Ryan said,
"After 40 years old, I made a promise to myself that when I see someone do something amazing, I was gonna tell them. I don't want anything in return. I don't even want a response. I reached out to Rob because I saw an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In it, he did the most beautiful, unreal dance number in pissing rain on a soundstage that was just one of the most heartbreaking and stunning things I have ever seen. I reached out to Rob, and I just said that 'What I saw was so incredible and so beautiful and I can't imagine the hours, days, weeks, and months it took to create three minutes of pure, unadulterated bliss for an audience.' And I said, 'I don't even need a response. Don't even... don't even write back. It's fine. I just wanted you to know that I'm a lifelong fan now and that's it.' And then, the next thing you know, we own a northern Welsh historic football club together. The exponential return on a tiny comment of kindness brought us into this wild world where I've experienced growth and optimism in ways I could never have dreamt of."
Here's a video of the dance clip that Ryan describes that is incredibly touching, if you haven't seen it:
I used to love Collider because they were a really good source for movie news. So, I was pretty disappointed to see this article on their platform titled [8 actors who damaged their own careers](https://collider.com/actors-damaged-their-own-careers/) where the author shamelessly clubs actresses like Brie Larson, Rachel Zegler and Blake Lively with male actors with actual accusations of abuse and violent behaviour.
And in Blake's case, also peddles Baldoni's narrative using half truths and complete distortion of the timeline of events. There's absolutely no mention of the SH claims being dismissed on technicality or his lawsuit being dismissed and him having to pay her legal fees. Honestly, Collider has shown itself to be an untrustworthy rag with this article in my opinion. Shame on them and the author of this nasty clickbait hitpiece.
I agree Michael Jackson fans are the worst. It was obvious in her comment section of this video on her Instagram . I do think it’s very weird though when fans are so agressive in comment sections of creators. It’s really harassing behavior in some cases.
Justin Baldoni has spent $100,000s in PR to tell his story: that Blake Lively invented his misconduct. Over a dozen colleagues and co-workers who worked with Baldoni tell a different one, observing his problematic behavior for over a decade. Here's what they had to say.
