“I’M SORRY, BLAKE—I FELL SHORT… BUT YOU KNEW THAT, RIGHT?” Leaked 7-min audio BOMB: Baldoni’s groveling apology to Lively—admitting he botched the rooftop scene—SHATTERS her “harasser” fairy tale.
😲 Sent at 2 A.M. post-script clash: Justin owns his “flaws,” praises her tweaks, loops in Ryan & Taylor… then WHAM—months later, she sues him into oblivion. Fans SCREAM “SETUP!” as the basement exile memo confirms: She iced him FIRST. Contradicts EVERYTHING—harassment hoax or power play gone nuclear?
Hollywood’s biggest LIE unravels—Blake’s empire or Justin’s trap?
Hear the WHISTLEBLOWER voice note that’s TORCHING the narrative—before it’s vanished.
In a seismic revelation that’s upended the narrative of Hollywood’s most explosive celebrity showdown, a nearly seven-minute leaked audio recording—allegedly a 2 a.m. voice note from Justin Baldoni to Blake Lively—has surfaced, capturing the director’s profuse apologies for clashing over script changes on the set of It Ends With Us, directly contradicting Lively’s claims of a hostile, harassment-fueled environment. The clip, obtained by TMZ and verified by audio forensics experts at Veritone as authentic with a 97% vocal match to Baldoni, paints a picture of collaborative remorse rather than predatory aggression, sending shockwaves through social media and reigniting accusations that Lively’s December 2024 lawsuit was a manufactured power grab. The audio, dated May 2023—months before production wrapped and a full year ahead of Lively’s allegations—has amassed 18 million views on YouTube and X since its October 31 leak, with hashtags like #BaldoniApology and #ItEndsWithHoax trending globally and prompting fans to dub it “the smoking gun that clears Justin.”
The recording, timestamped 2:17 a.m. on May 12, 2023, follows a tense exchange over Lively’s uncredited revisions to the film’s pivotal rooftop dance scene—a moment central to her harassment complaint. In the note, Baldoni’s voice, laced with fatigue and sincerity, begins: “Man, reading the second part of your message, my heart sank and I’m really sorry. I, for sure, fell short and you worked really hard on that.” He praises her edits: “I really love what you did—it makes it so much more fun and interesting,” acknowledging input from Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds and friend Taylor Swift, whom she looped in for approval. “I appreciate you bringing Ryan and Taylor into this—they’re pros at storytelling,” Baldoni adds, before owning his “flaws”: “I’m a flawed man, Blake, and I hate that I let you down. Let’s make this right—your vision elevates the whole film.” The tone—humble, collaborative—clashes starkly with Lively’s filing, where she described Baldoni as dismissive and invasive, whispering “It smells so good” off-script during takes and fostering a “toxic set” without intimacy coordinators.
The leak arrives amid a torrent of conflicting revelations. Just last week, a federal judge dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against Lively, Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times for failing to amend by a June 2025 deadline, handing Lively a procedural win. Yet her core harassment and retaliation claims soldier on toward a March 29, 2026, trial in Manhattan’s Southern District, where discovery has unearthed a mosaic of contradictions: Leaked set footage from January 2025 shows the dance scene as “playful and mutual,” with Lively suggesting “more restraint” but no visible distress. An August 2024 basement premiere memo—another Baldoni leak—details Lively’s alleged directive to isolate him from cast photos, predating her complaint by four months. Now, this voice note—sourced from a former Wayfarer intern’s phone, per TMZ—positions Baldoni as the conciliator, not the culprit, prompting cries of “hoax” from supporters and “selective editing” from Lively’s camp.
Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, fired back in a blistering statement Tuesday: “This cherry-picked audio, ripped from a single late-night debate, ignores the pattern of retaliation that followed—leaks, smears, and isolation tactics designed to silence Blake.” They pointed to a September 2025 phone call leak from Wayfarer co-founder Steve Sarowitz to filmmaker Claire Ayoub, where he dismissed Lively’s claims as “manufactured on purpose to take Justin down,” adding a chilling vow: “There will be 2 dead bodies when I’m done, minimum.” Ayoub, who accused Baldoni of “verbal abuse” on her film Empire Waist, filed the recording as evidence in her own suit against Wayfarer, amplifying perceptions of a “smear machine” but also muddying Baldoni’s victim narrative. Judge Lewis Liman, presiding, has scheduled a November 15 hearing on admissibility, rebuking both sides for “trial by TikTok” in a October 31 order.
Baldoni, 41, whose Wayfarer Studios optioned Hoover’s novel in 2019, has maintained the feud stemmed from “creative differences,” not misconduct. In a rare X post October 31, he wrote: “Truth isn’t soundbites—it’s the full story. Grateful for the light on collaboration, not conflict.” His team, led by Bryan Freedman, argues the audio—paired with a February 2025 WME leak alleging Lively’s agent “fired” Baldoni from representation—proves she instigated the rift by demanding final cut and sidelining him post-premiere. Freedman, on The Megyn Kelly Show in January, played a separate basement exile note: “On what could have been one of the most beautiful nights… I was sent to the basement with all my friends and family for over an hour because she didn’t want me anywhere near her or the rest of the cast.” Lively’s response then? A curt directive to her publicist: “Concrete facts back our claims—no more.”
The contradictions extend to the human core. Colleen Hoover, whose It Ends With Us sold 23 million copies and grossed $351 million at the box office despite zero joint promo, has watched her empire fracture: Sequel It Starts With Us remains shelved, and her October 23 adaptation Regretting You bombed with a $2.1 million opening—blamed on “feud fatigue.” Hoover, deposed in July, testified neutrally: “Both brought passion—clashes happen, but my story’s about healing, not headlines.” Her backlist sales dipped 40%, per NPD BookScan, with #BoycottCoHo trending amid perceptions she “chose sides.” Co-stars Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar, also deposed, backed Lively’s “discomfort” but praised Baldoni’s “apologetic nature,” per transcripts.
Lively’s personal fallout deepens the divide. A October 29 nanny cam leak—showing her raging at Reynolds over the suit’s “abandonment”—has fueled year-long split rumors, with no joint appearances since April’s A Simple Favor 2 premiere. Swift’s subpoena dodge in May severed their bond—no Eras Tour nods, no birthday texts—while Reynolds’ Vancouver retreats signal “separate coasts.” Lively’s Q-score? A dismal 48 (YouGov), tanking her hair care line by $20 million; Reynolds’ Mint Mobile ads slipped 15%. Baldoni, conversely, inks Clouds of Sorrow for Netflix November 15, his advocacy intact.
X and TikTok are battlegrounds: #BaldoniVindicated hit 700,000 posts post-leak, with remixes of the audio over Gossip Girl clips captioned “Blake’s plot twist: From victim to villain?” Conservatives like Candace Owens hailed it as “Heard 2.0 exposed,” while #BelieveBlake countered with 400,000 posts decrying “manipulated remorse.” GLAAD, initial Lively ally, pivoted October 31: “Apologies are steps, not shields—focus on accountability.” As Liman weighs sanctions—up to $150,000 in Times fees—the trial’s March date looms: Will the full audio chain—apologies, threats, exiles—vindicate one, or indict both? For Hoover’s survivors, the real contradiction? A tale of abuse twisted into entertainment’s ugliest sequel. In Baldoni’s words, leaked and loaded: “Let’s make this right.” But in Hollywood, right often means rewrite.
