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Fox News
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
The public is obsessed with Lively vs. Baldoni because it's modern-day David and Goliath: 'No Filter' host
Print Close 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. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 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 URL
Fox News
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds' 'SNL' appearance slammed as fans accuse couple of 'manipulating the public'
As Blake Lively and Ryan Reynold's legal drama with "It Ends With Us" director and co-star Justin Baldoni rages on, the couple got hit with a slew of hateful comments after their surprise appearance at the "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary show on Sunday. During the special, former cast members Tina Fey and Amy Poehler took the stage to engage with celebrity friends in the audience. When Reynolds stood up, the comedy duo asked, "How's it going?" Reynolds jokingly responded, "Great, why? What have you heard?," seemingly referencing the ongoing, and very public, back-and-forth with Baldoni. The response seemed to have caught Lively off guard as she appeared to nervously look up at her husband of 12 years. Despite the attempted joke, some fans were not thrilled with the couple's appearance. "How sweet of SNL to try and do damage control for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively—but it won't work," one person wrote on X. "So natural and hilarious," a fan quipped. "Whoever decided it was a good idea for Ryan Reynolds to do this needs to be fired. Why would he and Blake Lively think this was cute ? He isn't funny and now that we know what a low life he is it just makes him even more cringe than he already was." "The timing of Ryan Reynolds appearing on SNL seems a little convenient. Just another attempt at manipulating the public into buying the 'I'm just a nice, funny guy' act," another wrote. "Given this results in an awkward moment that kind of hangs rather than the hosts quipping back with some kind of joke and Blake's facial expression, I don't think this was planned at all. I think Ryan's attention-hungry nonsense caused him to take the chance to go for it," another fan wrote. Despite the negativity, some were quick to offer their support. "I thought it was funny," one user on X wrote. "Yall are too serious." "Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively showing up to SNL 50 is bold," another wrote, adding a laughing emoji. "Reynolds always delivers the best lines," another user wrote. Representatives for Lively and Reynolds did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. In December, Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department and later in federal court. In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, accusing them of civil extortion and defamation. WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI RELEASES UNEDITED 'IT ENDS WITH US' FOOTAGE FEATURING BLAKE LIVELY Not long after filing his lawsuit, Baldoni and his team released unedited footage from the set of "It Ends with Us" that they claim refutes Lively's previous accusations of sexual harassment. However, the actress' legal team claims the footage bolsters Lively's allegations. After the release, Lively's legal team demanded a gag order be issued against Baldoni's lawyer. On Jan. 23, Baldoni's lawyers filed a response, calling Lively's gag order attempt an "intimidation tactic" and "tactical gamesmanship." Baldoni and Lively's legal teams were in federal court recently, and a judge ordered that they follow New York's Rules of Professional Conduct, which limit speaking to the press. Neither party will be permitted to make statements to the press that have a "substantial likelihood" of prejudicing a jury. However, the legal teams will be allowed to defend their clients in the media against publicity not created by either side in the dispute.
Fox News
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Justin Baldoni surfs in Hawaii as Blake Lively legal battle rages on
Justin Baldoni has escaped to paradise as his legal battle with Blake Lively rages on. The 41-year-old actor - who was accused of sexual harassment, retaliation and infliction of emotional distress in a December lawsuit filed by Lively - was seen surfing in Hawaii this week. In a photograph obtained by Fox News Digital, Baldoni seemed relaxed and in good spirits as he casually rode the waves. The vacation comes nearly two months after Lively filed her lawsuit on December 31. Though the actor seems unbothered, sources close to the director told Fox News Digital that Lively's claims have since cost him three jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars. "Justin Baldoni's career is going to nosedive because of this legal battle," Ryan McCormick, a Reputation Management Expert & Managing Partner at Goldman McCormick PR, told Fox News Digital. "It's not because of his acting ability or following," he continued. "Even if all accusations are proven false, I think in the eyes of studios, he's radioactive. Entertainment companies take a risk on each film, not knowing if it will connect with the masses. With Baldoni, there's now added perils of not knowing if another legal battle will manifest with his future co-stars." "In addition, the actor has run awry with one of Hollywood's most powerful couples," he added. "Their sphere of influence goes far beyond what the public sees. I can see Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds subtly letting film studios know that they will not do business with them if they do business with Baldoni." "Also, Lively has 44M followers on Instagram and [Ryan] Reynolds (Lively's husband) has 53 million. Baldoni has 4 million. For all the negative press Lively has gotten in the past year, she can recover from this legal hurricane. Baldoni's brand and marketability have unfortunately been fatally compromised," he concluded. In December, Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department and later in federal court in December. In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing them of civil extortion and defamation. His team then released unedited footage from the set of "It Ends With Us" that they claim refutes Lively's previous accusations of sexual harassment. However, Lively's legal team claims the footage bolsters the actress's allegations. After the release, Lively's legal team demanded a gag order be issued against Baldoni's lawyer. WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI RELEASES UNEDITED 'IT ENDS WITH US' FOOTAGE FEATURING BLAKE LIVELY On Jan. 23, Baldoni's lawyers filed a response, calling Lively's gag order attempt an "intimidation tactic" and "tactical gamesmanship." Baldoni and Lively's legal teams were in federal court on Feb. 3 where the judge ordered that they follow the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which limit speaking to the press. Neither party will be permitted to make statements to the press that have a "substantial likelihood" of prejudicing a jury. However, the legal teams will be allowed to defend their client in the media against publicity not created by either side.
Fox News
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Blake Lively admits she clashed with directors over need for creative input: resurfaced interview
Blake Lively wanted to be more than just an actress on a set, according to an unearthed interview from the 2022 Forbes Power Women's Summit. During the sit-down in New York, Lively, 37, admitted some directors and producers felt uncomfortable with her need to feel "authorship" while working on projects. "When I was younger, in my life and career, I would sort of shape myself to the version of myself that I thought they wanted, or when I would show up on a set I knew that they just wanted me to show up and look cute and stand on a little pink sticker where I'm supposed to go and say what I'm supposed to say," Lively said in the resurfaced interview. "But I also knew, like, that wasn't fulfilling for me, that I wanted to be a part of the storytelling, that I wanted to be part of the narrative, whether that be in the writing, in the costume design, in creating the character." Despite some willingness from production for Lively to be hands-on with the project, Lively also said she received backlash. "Sometimes, I had directors or producers or writers who would welcome that and invite that once they saw that I was able to offer that, and sometimes I would have people who really resented that because they were like, we just hired you to be an actor. "Yet when I went in the meetings, I would just seem like I'm just there to be the actor and ready to get the gig, I wouldn't reveal that I actually need to have authorship in order to feel fulfilled." She added, "So, I think that for them, sometimes that might have felt like a rug pull because you're like, you're trying to assert yourself into something that we didn't hire you to do, and so it was a really strange position to be in. I want to have more authorship. It's about knowing what I want and what I need and knowing what I need from the outset." "I would just seem like I'm just there to be the actor and ready to get the gig, I wouldn't reveal that I actually need to have authorship in order to feel fulfilled." Representatives for Lively did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. It's unclear which of Lively's projects the star is referring to. The "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" actress is embroiled in a legal back-and-forth with Justin Baldoni, her "It Ends With Us" director and co-star, whom she accused of sexual harassment. Baldoni, 41, filed his own $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. In an attempt to show how Lively allegedly took control of the movie's production, Baldoni's legal team claimed in documents that the actress used her friendship with Taylor Swift to threaten him. While working on the film, Lively insisted on rewriting the rooftop scene. Baldoni had been hesitant about the idea but told the 37-year-old actress he would "take a look at what she put together," according to the complaint. WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI RELEASES UNEDITED 'IT ENDS WITH US' FOOTAGE FEATURING BLAKE LIVELY Afterward, Lively invited Baldoni over to her New York City home, where the actor said he felt Swift and Reynolds pressured him into using the rewritten scene. "Later, Baldoni felt obliged to text Lively to say that he had liked her pages and hadn't needed Reynolds and her megacelebrity friend to pressure him," the complaint said. Lively filed a sexual harassment suit in December against Baldoni, his Wayfarer studio and former PR reps. The same day Lively filed her suit, Baldoni filed a $250 million suit against the New York Times for a December article about the alleged smear campaign Baldoni attempted to run against his co-star. Weeks later, Baldoni then named Lively and Reynolds in a separate $400 million lawsuit in which he accused the Hollywood power couple of attempting to hijack "It Ends With Us" and create their own narrative. Judge Lewis J. Liman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ordered a trial set for March 9, 2026.
Fox News
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni war escalates with new defamation lawsuit
Blake Lively has found herself entangled in yet another lawsuit. On Tuesday, Jed Wallace and his crisis PR firm, Street Relations Inc., filed a lawsuit against the 37-year-old actress for defamation after she named both parties in her December civil complaint against "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni. While Lively did not name the parties in her formal lawsuit, Wallace said the damage had already been done after naming Wallace and Street Relations in her initial complaint with the State of California Civil Rights Department. "Neither Wallace nor Street had anything to do with the alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate or aiding and abetting the alleged harassment or alleged retaliation," the lawsuit, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, states. "Neither could they have breached a contract with Lively because no such contract exists." According to the documents, Lively's claims "made with either negligence or 'actual malice'" have caused "millions of dollars in reputational harm including both general and special damages through emotional harm (Wallace), actual damages and real and projected loss of business (Wallace and Street) in an amount that exceeds $1,000,000." Wallace and Street Relations seek punitive damages in an amount of "not less than $6,000,000." In a statement to Fox News Digital, Lively's legal team said, "Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively 'into oblivion' for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation. This is not just a publicity stunt — it is transparent retaliation in response to allegations contained within a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that Ms. Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department. While this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows, and that he too will be held accountable in federal court." Representatives for Wallace and Street Relations did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. In December, Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department and later in federal court. In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of civil extortion and defamation. Baldoni's team also released unedited footage from the set of "It Ends With Us" that they claim refutes Lively's previous accusations of sexual harassment. However, the actress' legal team claims the footage backs up Lively's allegations. After the release, Lively's legal team demanded a gag order be issued against Baldoni's lawyer. WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI RELEASES UNEDITED 'IT ENDS WITH US' FOOTAGE FEATURING BLAKE LIVELY On Jan. 23, Baldoni's lawyers filed a response, calling Lively's gag order attempt an "intimidation tactic" and "tactical gamesmanship." Baldoni and Lively's legal teams were in federal court Monday, when the judge ordered that they follow the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which limit speaking to the press. Neither party will be permitted to make statements to the press that have a "substantial likelihood" of prejudicing a jury. However, the legal teams will be allowed to defend their client in the media against publicity not created by either side.
