In a twist that has turned Hollywood’s latest legal showdown into a full-blown spectacle, Justin Baldoni, the actor-director behind It Ends With Us, has dropped a bombshell, claiming to expose “foolish mistakes” in the lawsuits filed by Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds against him. The accusations, unveiled on March 26, 2025, during a fiery press conference streamed live from Los Angeles, have thrust the ongoing feud into overdrive, with Baldoni asserting that the power couple’s legal moves are crumbling under their own missteps. As the Deadpool & Wolverine star and his Gossip Girl alum wife face off against Baldoni in a tangle of defamation and harassment claims, the question gripping fans and insiders alike is: Did Lively and Reynolds overplay their hand, handing Baldoni the upper edge in this Tinseltown tug-of-war?
The press conference, held outside the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, saw Baldoni flanked by his legal team, led by bulldog attorney Bryan Freedman, as he laid bare what he called “amateur-hour errors” in the couple’s legal strategy. “Blake and Ryan thought they could bury me with their star power and a flood of half-truths,” Baldoni declared, his voice steady but edged with defiance. “But their lawsuits are a house of cards—built on sloppy lies, doctored texts, and a desperate need to control the narrative. I’ve got the receipts, and they’re about to regret this.” The crowd—reporters, fans, and curious onlookers—buzzed as Baldoni waved a stack of documents, promising to unravel the couple’s “foolish” miscalculations.
This clash traces back to December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment during the filming of It Ends With Us, a $150 million-grossing adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel he directed and co-starred in. She alleged inappropriate behavior—like an unscripted neck-nuzzling scene—and claimed Baldoni retaliated with a smear campaign when she spoke up. Reynolds, her husband, backed her publicly, reportedly calling Baldoni a “predator” to WME execs, leading to Baldoni’s ousting from the agency. Lively escalated with a federal lawsuit on December 31, 2024, targeting Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios, and his PR team for defamation and retaliation.
Baldoni fired back in January 2025 with a $400 million countersuit against Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and her firm Vision PR, alleging they’d hijacked his film, defamed him, and tried to “destroy” his career with “fabricated” claims. He’d already sued The New York Times for $250 million over its December 21 exposé, “We Can Bury Anyone,” which broke Lively’s story, claiming it used manipulated texts. Now, Baldoni’s latest move—exposing what he calls Lively and Reynolds’ “lawsuit mistakes”—ups the ante, painting them as bumbling aggressors in a war they’re losing.
At the presser, Baldoni zeroed in on three “foolish” errors. First, he accused Lively’s team of doctoring evidence—specifically text messages cited in her suit, like one from his publicist Jennifer Abel saying they’d “bury” Lively. Baldoni waved unedited versions, claiming, “They cut out context showing this was about burying bad press from her tone-deaf interviews, not her personally. It’s a rookie move—discovery will shred this.” Freedman chimed in, “We’ve got the full threads, timestamps intact. Their edits are laughable—juries don’t fall for that.”
Second, Baldoni slammed Reynolds’ involvement, calling his motion to dismiss the countersuit on March 18 a “cowardly dodge.” Reynolds argued his “predator” comments were protected opinions and his Deadpool & Wolverine character Nicepool—a “woke” jab Baldoni claims mocks him—wasn’t defamation but “hurt feelings.” Baldoni scoffed, “Ryan wants out because he knows he overstepped. He bullied me in a meeting—screamed about fat-shaming Blake over a legit back-injury concern—then weaponized his clout to tank my agency deal. That’s not ‘supportive spouse’—that’s a co-conspirator tripping over his own ego.” Freedman added, “His motion’s a hail Mary—it won’t hold up. He’s in this up to his neck.”
Third, Baldoni highlighted Lively’s February 18 amended complaint, which added anonymous co-stars who’d “testify” to his misconduct. “They’ve got no names, no affidavits—just vague promises,” he said. “It’s a bluff, and a bad one. If these witnesses existed, where are they? This is desperation, not strategy.” He pointed to a website his team launched in February, TruthOnSet.com, hosting a 168-page timeline with texts—like one from Reynolds praising him pre-filming—and emails contradicting Lively’s narrative. “They thought I’d fold,” Baldoni said. “Instead, I’m exposing their playbook.”
The fallout’s seismic. X lit up with “#BaldoniExposes” trending, fans posting, “Justin’s got the goods—Blake and Ryan are cooked!” A YouTube video, “Baldoni BURNS Lively & Reynolds’ Lawsuit Fails,” hit 3 million views, dissecting his claims with fan fervor. Lively’s camp stayed tight-lipped, but a spokesperson told Variety, “This is more abuser tactics—attacking the victim won’t erase the evidence.” Reynolds’ rep fired back to People, “Ryan’s the man Justin pretends to be—his claims are a tantrum, not a case.” Yet doubters online noted, “If Blake’s got proof, why’s it so shaky?”
Baldoni’s no stranger to PR savvy—his Jane the Virgin fame and Wayfarer’s “purpose-driven” ethos built a progressive rep he’s now defending tooth and nail. Lively, 37, and Reynolds, 48, wield A-list clout—her Age of Adaline grace, his Deadpool billions—but their It Ends With Us press tour sparked whispers of tension with Baldoni, who skipped key events. Her suit claims he created a “hostile” set; his counters he was “ambushed” at their NYC penthouse in January 2024, with Reynolds berating him as Taylor Swift (allegedly) popped in to praise Lively’s script tweaks.
The “mistakes” Baldoni flags aren’t just legal—they’re personal. He accused Lively of “hijacking” the film, citing texts where she demanded cuts favoring her vision, sidelining his director’s role. “She didn’t just sue me—she stole my movie, then cried victim,” he said. Reynolds’ Nicepool dig—Baldoni’s suit calls it a “violent feminist caricature”—stings deeper, tied to a January 2024 shoot post-“ambush,” suggesting premeditated mockery. “They thought I’d take the hit,” Baldoni told Corden in February. “I’m not their punching bag.”
Legal experts are split. “If Baldoni’s evidence holds, Lively’s case could collapse—doctored texts are a death knell,” a UCLA law professor told Forbes. But a NYU litigator countered, “Reynolds’ dismissal bid’s solid—opinions aren’t defamation. Baldoni’s reaching.” The March 9, 2026, trial looms, with Judge Lewis Liman warning against “press litigation” after Freedman’s media blitz—yet Baldoni’s doubling down, subpoenaing Disney for Nicepool docs and Lively’s phone for more texts.
Hollywood’s watching a car crash in slow motion. Baldoni’s lost gigs—a Pac-Man film’s in limbo—while Lively and Reynolds face “violent” fan backlash, per a February 20 filing for a protective order. It Ends With Us’ $340 million haul feels pyrrhic amid this PR bloodbath. “Justin’s playing offense—smart if his receipts check out,” a crisis PR vet told THR. “Blake and Ryan gambled on their clout; it might backfire.”
Fans see a morality play—Baldoni as underdog, Lively and Reynolds as elitist bullies. “He’s got proof; they’ve got vibes,” one X post read. Critics call it noise: “All three are grandstanding—let the courts decide.” Yet Baldoni’s exposé has shifted the narrative—his site’s traffic spiked 500% post-launch, per analytics. Lively’s team hints at counters, but her silence since February fuels doubt. Reynolds’ Wrexham AFC cheers can’t drown out the legal din.
Did Baldoni “expose” their folly? His unedited texts—like Lively skipping an intimacy coordinator meeting—bolster his case, while her unnamed witnesses weaken hers. Reynolds’ bravado may haunt him if Nicepool ties stick. This isn’t destruction—it’s a chess move, and Baldoni’s got the board. As discovery looms, the nation’s glued to a feud where “foolish mistakes” might crown the real loser—star power be damned.
