Blake Lively referred to Justin Baldoni as a doofus director and a clown, according to newly unsealed court documents from the actress's legal case. The pair starred together in 'It Ends With Us', but Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and waging a smear campaign against her. Baldoni strongly denies the claims and is defending the lawsuit.
Text messages from 2023 between Lively and people close to her appear to show that Lively called Baldoni a rabid pig, while her friend Taylor Swift suggested Baldoni knew the lawsuit was coming because he's gotten out his tiny violin. Baldoni's $400m counter-suit was dismissed by a judge last June. Neither has yet responded to the BBC's request for comment.
Lively's case is set to go to trial in May. The newly unsealed documents show both Lively and Baldoni venting to friends and colleagues about filming 'It Ends With Us', and the subsequent press tour, ahead of the film's release in August 2024.
In the messages, Lively referred to Baldoni as this doofus director of my movie and described him as a clown who thinks he's a writer now. Lively's team did not deny the language she had used but said the text messages were missing context. They referred the court to the complete text exchange, including subsequent messages from Lively to Baldoni which said we all benefit from her relationship with Swift and her husband Ryan Reynolds, and you will too, I can promise you.
The messages also show Lively saying of Baldoni: Despite his repeated disturbing behaviour and acts, I still feel bad for him. To be reminded multiple times daily that he's smearing me for... asking him not to sexually or emotionally harass me? For making his movie better?
Lively's friends have echoed her sentiments, describing the working environment as hostile and the film set experience as troubling. The text messages reveal that both stars dealt with the pressures of their collaboration amidst the ongoing legal strife, which intensifies their public and personal conflicts.
Text messages from 2023 between Lively and people close to her appear to show that Lively called Baldoni a rabid pig, while her friend Taylor Swift suggested Baldoni knew the lawsuit was coming because he's gotten out his tiny violin. Baldoni's $400m counter-suit was dismissed by a judge last June. Neither has yet responded to the BBC's request for comment.
Lively's case is set to go to trial in May. The newly unsealed documents show both Lively and Baldoni venting to friends and colleagues about filming 'It Ends With Us', and the subsequent press tour, ahead of the film's release in August 2024.
In the messages, Lively referred to Baldoni as this doofus director of my movie and described him as a clown who thinks he's a writer now. Lively's team did not deny the language she had used but said the text messages were missing context. They referred the court to the complete text exchange, including subsequent messages from Lively to Baldoni which said we all benefit from her relationship with Swift and her husband Ryan Reynolds, and you will too, I can promise you.
The messages also show Lively saying of Baldoni: Despite his repeated disturbing behaviour and acts, I still feel bad for him. To be reminded multiple times daily that he's smearing me for... asking him not to sexually or emotionally harass me? For making his movie better?
Lively's friends have echoed her sentiments, describing the working environment as hostile and the film set experience as troubling. The text messages reveal that both stars dealt with the pressures of their collaboration amidst the ongoing legal strife, which intensifies their public and personal conflicts.
