Anyone who has ever been involved in a court case understands the emotional toll it takes. That’s reportedly what Blake Lively has been experiencing in the lead up to filing her legal complaint against Justin Baldoni for his alleged behavior and the aftermath on the set of It Ends With Us.
The good news is that the 37-year-old actress has her husband, Ryan Reynold, there for support. He’s been described to People as “her rock” by a close pal as they navigate the headlines and next steps in her legal case. It’s been a long road for Lively, who had to endure an alleged toxic work environment, a messy promotional tour for the film, and the fallout while she worked with her lawyers.
“Blake along with her team have been working on this lawsuit for months. It’s truly been so ugly for her. And insanely stressful. She’s never dealt with anything like this before,” the insider added. Still, Reynolds has been by her side every step of the way. The Deadpool & Wolverine star even had her back during the filming when issue arose.
Reynolds attended an “all hands” meeting with Lively on Jan. 4, 2024, where she addressed the “hostile work environment” situation, per court documents obtained by SheKnows. The 48-year-old actor wanted to be there for his wife of 12 years “given that the meeting was about repeated 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual harassment and other disturbing behavior” by Baldoni and his production partner, Jamey Heath.
Lively’s complaint also alleged that Reynolds’ decision to unfollow and block Baldoni on social media may have been the catalyst for the targeted smear campaign. “We should have a plan for IF she does the same when [the] movie comes out,” Baldoni texted his publicist Jennifer Abel in May 2024. The documents noted that Lively had also unfollowed her co-star and director, but she did not block him.
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman has denied the allegations in Lively’s complaint, calling them “categorically false” to The New York Times. Lively shared her simple statement with the media outlet too: “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
That’s all fans should expect to hear from Lively for a while. “For now, she’s said what needed to be said,” claimed the People source. The rest will play out in court.
