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Natasha Leake
July 10, 2026 — 8:48am
Justin Baldoni has spoken publicly about his legal battle with Blake Lively for the first time, describing the experience as “traumatic”.
Baldoni, 42, and Lively, 38, reached a settlement in May after a bitter lawsuit stemming from the production of the film It Ends with Us in which they both starred.
Lively, the film’s lead actress, accused Baldoni, her director and co-star, of sexual harassment on set and of launching a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Baldoni denied the allegations and counter-sued.
In a video lasting almost five minutes released on social media on Wednesday, Baldoni reflected on the dispute for the first time since the settlement in May.
Although he did not name Lively, he said that the experience had been difficult to handle and “painful”.
“There have been so many painful things that have been spoken into existence over the last couple years,” Baldoni said.
“We are healing,” he added. “If you’ve ever been through something traumatic, you know that healing isn’t linear. It looks different every day.
“We have had to rethink for ourselves what is real, and what matters. It’s this. It’s our family, it’s our friends, it’s our community who have been there for us, it’s our faith.”
He said that the fight had brought him and his wife, Emily Baldoni, a 41-year-old Swedish actress whom he married in 2013, closer together.
The couple is “closer, more devoted and steadfast in our faith than we’ve ever been”, Baldoni said.
He added that the past few years have taught the couple what matters, listing their children, friends, community and faith before expressing gratitude to their supporters.
“There were so many of you who, when we didn’t have a voice, you were our voice,” he said.
“Thank you does not feel enough, but we’re here, in large part, because of so many of you and all of our friends and family.”
His wife added that the lawsuit had been “disguised as a fight for women”, in an apparent reference to the sexual harassment claims Lively had made against Baldoni.
She said: “We’ve had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things, like how could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women. So much to unpack.”
Lively first brought a claim against Baldoni in December 2024, starting one of the most bitter celebrity disputes in recent years. Baldoni counter-sued Lively for $US400 ($576) million, accusing her of defamation, invasion of privacy and extortion.
The case became a media storm, involving leaked messages, behind-the-scenes footage and references to Taylor Swift.
Swift, a long-time friend of Lively, did not invite her friend to the wedding this month, prompting speculation that the two had fallen out over the court case.
Judges dismissed many of the claims, leaving only a handful of cases for court, which were settled before the case came to trial in May.
Lively, who has yet to issue her own statement, is seeking $US8 ($11.5) million in legal fees from Baldoni.
The Telegraph, London
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