Blake Lively slams ‘ongoing smear campaign' she alleges has been carried out by Justin Baldoni and his team
The 37-year-old actress made the admission during a deposition in New York City, according to a transcript released after a court order.
According to People, which obtained a section of the deposition, she was asked by an unnamed lawyer for Justin: 'When did the smear campaign end?'
Blake replies: 'It doesn't feel like it's ended.'
When the lawyer follows up by asking: 'It's still ongoing?', Blake replies: 'It feels that way, yes.'
The attorney then asks: 'Who do you believe is involved in the ongoing smear campaign?'
Gossip Girl actress Blake answers: 'I believe – outside of what I know through attorneys – I believe that the defendants are involved.'
And when the attorney asks her 'Which ones?" Blake says: 'All of them. And I believe you are.'
She also tells the attorney: 'I believe the act of a retaliatory lawsuit and the press that you have done and the statements that you have made about me and my character have felt incredibly retaliatory.'
The deposition took place on Wednesday, 30 July, and the full transcript is reported to span nearly 300 pages.
A portion was made public following Judge Lewis J. Liman's order from 8 August, revealing the tense exchange between Blake and a lawyer representing Justin, 41.
The deposition came after Blake filed a lawsuit in December against Justin and his Wayfarer Studios team, along with their publicist and crisis PR representatives, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign. The defendants have denied the allegations.
Justin's $400 million countersuit was dismissed by the judge in June.
Bryan Freedman, Justin's attorney, told TMZ at the time that he would question Blake under oath.
He added: 'I'm gonna ask her questions under penalty of perjury, and she's gonna have to provide evidence, and she's gonna have to provide the truth of the stories.'
Mr Freedman added Justin is seeking to be 'vindicated' and 'wants the truth to come out, and he wants to do that in the appropriate way'.
The lawyer added: 'He's waiting for his day in court, where he can speak out to tell the truth.'
A spokesperson for Blake said in a statement from 7 August they were 'pleased with the outcome of her deposition and now look forward to deposing Justin Baldoni and each of the co-defendants in short order'.
Filings show Blake's lawyers accused Justin's team of leaking deposition details to create a 'media circus' and advance a narrative of a direct confrontation.
Multiple defendants and eight attorneys were present at her deposition.
Justin's lawyers have countered any leaks could have originated from Blake, her actor husband Ryan Reynolds, her attorneys or staff.
The trial in the case is scheduled for March 2026.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Perth Now
Pete Davidson's Saturday Night Live co-stars found him 'annoying'
Pete Davidson thinks some of his Saturday Night Live co-stars found him "annoying". The 31-year-old actor starred on the long-running TV comedy sketch show between 2014 and 2022, and Pete admits that he wasn't universally popular among the cast. Speaking on The Breakfast Club, he shared: "You got to remember, everyone there did Second City, improv, worked so hard — so hard. I'm not saying I didn't work hard, but I was only doing comedy for three, four years. "And a lot of what people liked about me was, 'Oh, this was a kid from Staten Island that's just talking s***. So you gotta remember all of these people are 10, 15 years older than me and working so hard." Pete thinks that some of the his castmates' frustrations stemmed from their relatively modest pay at Saturday Night Live. The comedian explained: "At the time, you weren't allowed to do stuff outside of the show that was a payday. "It was like the Yankees — no beards. You gotta dress up to go to the afterparty and all this s***. So I think I did rub people the wrong way, and I think it was just annoying for the cast." Meanwhile, Pete recently revealed that Eddie Murphy inspired him to reduce his social circle. The actor stars alongside Eddie, 64, in The Pickup, their new comedy movie, and Pete confessed to being inspired by his co-star. Speaking to People, Pete joked: "I've been guilty of having 700 friends in the green room. People I just met or are just in the crew, and then I'm like, 'Why did they not have my best interest in mind?'" Pete observed that Eddie "moved" in a totally different way to himself, and the comedy star eventually decided to follow suit. Pete said: "He has a really small crew, and it's the same people for a really long time, and I think that's really important to have an efficient career and just overall life in this business. "You have to be able to trust who's around you, and you got to be able to move a certain type of way. "I'm not Eddie Murphy by any means, but especially when you're at his level, you need to be able to trust everyone around you."
7NEWS
12 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Bindi Irwin gives emotional health update after endometriosis surgery
Bindi Irwin has had her appendix and '51 endometriosis lesions' removed. The 27-year-old Australian star — the daughter of late Crocodile Hunter legend Steve Irwin — has given an update amid her long battle with endometriosis following her diagnosis in 2023, which came after a decade of chronic pain. She wrote on Instagram this week alongside a smiling selfie: '13 years of fighting for answers. '51 endometriosis lesions, a chocolate cyst, and my appendix were all removed across two surgeries with @seckinmd. 'My hernia from giving birth that was unzipping — was taken care of. 'I can FINALLY say that I'm feeling better. Genuinely healing.' Endometriosis is a disease where abnormal tissue grows outside the uterus. Irwin underwent emergency surgery in May, which meant she missed a gala honouring her father, who died in 2006. Now, she added that after her health struggles — which she's been very candid about with fans — she's finally able to 'function' again. 'I cannot express the gravity of my emotions as I am beginning to recognise myself again. 'I felt utterly ashamed as a teenager and young adult being told that my pain was just part of being a woman. 'I felt lesser. I felt hurt. I felt weak. That is not OK.' The conservationist and activist — who has daughter Grace Warrior, four, with husband Chandler Powell — is keen to get rid of the 'stigma' around conversations about women's health and health care. Bindi missed her late dad's annual gala in May after rupturing her appendix, and her brother Robert explained her absence at the time. He told People magazine: 'She's going to be OK, but surgery — out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them. She's just come out the other side of endometriosis and now the appendix goes. Health is so important — it really is.'
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Blake Lively slams ‘ongoing smear campaign' she alleges has been carried out by Justin Baldoni and his team
Blake Lively has described the ongoing pressure she feels from what she calls a 'smear campaign' by her former It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni and his team. The 37-year-old actress made the admission during a deposition in New York City, according to a transcript released after a court order. According to People, which obtained a section of the deposition, she was asked by an unnamed lawyer for Justin: 'When did the smear campaign end?' Blake replies: 'It doesn't feel like it's ended.' When the lawyer follows up by asking: 'It's still ongoing?', Blake replies: 'It feels that way, yes.' The attorney then asks: 'Who do you believe is involved in the ongoing smear campaign?' Gossip Girl actress Blake answers: 'I believe – outside of what I know through attorneys – I believe that the defendants are involved.' And when the attorney asks her 'Which ones?" Blake says: 'All of them. And I believe you are.' She also tells the attorney: 'I believe the act of a retaliatory lawsuit and the press that you have done and the statements that you have made about me and my character have felt incredibly retaliatory.' The deposition took place on Wednesday, 30 July, and the full transcript is reported to span nearly 300 pages. A portion was made public following Judge Lewis J. Liman's order from 8 August, revealing the tense exchange between Blake and a lawyer representing Justin, 41. The deposition came after Blake filed a lawsuit in December against Justin and his Wayfarer Studios team, along with their publicist and crisis PR representatives, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign. The defendants have denied the allegations. Justin's $400 million countersuit was dismissed by the judge in June. Bryan Freedman, Justin's attorney, told TMZ at the time that he would question Blake under oath. He added: 'I'm gonna ask her questions under penalty of perjury, and she's gonna have to provide evidence, and she's gonna have to provide the truth of the stories.' Mr Freedman added Justin is seeking to be 'vindicated' and 'wants the truth to come out, and he wants to do that in the appropriate way'. The lawyer added: 'He's waiting for his day in court, where he can speak out to tell the truth.' A spokesperson for Blake said in a statement from 7 August they were 'pleased with the outcome of her deposition and now look forward to deposing Justin Baldoni and each of the co-defendants in short order'. Filings show Blake's lawyers accused Justin's team of leaking deposition details to create a 'media circus' and advance a narrative of a direct confrontation. Multiple defendants and eight attorneys were present at her deposition. Justin's lawyers have countered any leaks could have originated from Blake, her actor husband Ryan Reynolds, her attorneys or staff. The trial in the case is scheduled for March 2026.
