The public is obsessed with Lively vs. Baldoni because it's modern-day David and Goliath: 'No Filter' host
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By Cortney O'Brien
Published April 19, 2025
The court battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has ruled headlines for months, and "No Filter" podcast host Zack Peter says that's because the story may have biblical proportions.
The drama between the "It Ends with Us" co-stars started shortly after last summer's release of the movie, based off Colleen Hoover's book of the same name. The story showcases a powerful message about a woman walking away from an abusive relationship. In the lead-up to the film's release, fans were concerned that Lively appeared to be losing the movie's message about domestic violence by often talking about fashion and hair products.
Then came the rumors of a feud between the film's stars. Lively took the first shot, filing a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni countered that Lively "falsely" accused him in an attempt to repair her reputation following fallout from their press tour after she allegedly took control of the film. Baldoni filed his own lawsuit against Lively on Jan. 16, suing the actress and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million in a complaint alleging defamation and civil extortion, among other accusations. A more detailed timeline of their bitter feud can be found here.
According to Peter, the public appears to have taken sides.
BLAKE LIVELY VS. JUSTIN BALDONI: EVERYTHING TO KNOW
"I think the Blake and Baldoni story has so many elements to it that, I mean, one, I feel like culturally we love a takedown story, right?" Peter recently told Fox News Digital. "If somebody that's big and on top of a pedestal, we like to see them fall. That's just part of the culture. But I think we're seeing, as much as people are being fatigued with Hollywood in general, we're seeing two very powerful players in Hollywood, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, that are very clearly taking advantage of somebody that they see as much lower on the totem pole."
BLAKE LIVELY 'TRIED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE' OF JUSTIN BALDONI DURING 'IT ENDS WITH US' FILMING: CREW MEMBER
He described their battle as a modern-day David and Goliath. Lively and Ryan Reynolds are the powerhouse Hollywood "it" couple, going against the lesser-known and lesser-connected actor, Baldoni.
"And so I think we kind of are in this David and Goliath story and the public is rooting for Justin Baldoni because they see that he is the David against this big machine that used to have control, right?" Peter mused. "I think there's the takedown element. We want to see Hollywood fall. We want to see these powerful elite celebrities kind of be humbled and know that their tricks don't work anymore. And then I think we're also just tired of the media manipulation, right? Like Hollywood PR tactics and mainstream media, I feel like those two things people have finally started to see behind the curtain."
"We've met Oz and now, at this point, we don't want to be lied to anymore, or we don't want to be swayed to believe one thing or the other," he continued. "And now we actually want to see these people held accountable and to stop flexing their power to take advantage of more vulnerable people."
BLAKE LIVELY AND JUSTIN BALDONI LAWSUIT: MESSAGES EXPOSE ALLEGED LIES, THREATS AND INTIMATE SECRETS
Fox News Digital has reached out to Lively and Baldoni for comment.
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Lively and Baldoni's back-and-forth legal battle has seemingly no end in sight. After both filed their respective lawsuits against the other, the two have shown no signs of settling outside of court.
A trial date is set for March 2026. Print Close
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