There’s been quite a bit of drama between celebrities Justin Baldoni, Ryan Reynolds, and Blake Lively lately. Now it’s reached a new level with Baldoni filing to sue both Reynolds and Lively. Now he’s seeking $400 million from the celebrity couple as a result.
As shared by Variety, Baldoni claims that Lively and Reynolds are attacking him with false allegations of sexual harassment. This was mentioned in Baldoni’s 179-page complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. Accusations include “civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy,” as summarized by the outlet.
The lawsuit filed by Baldoni includes the following statement:
“At bottom, this is not a case about celebrities sniping at each other in the press,” Baldoni’s lawsuit states. “This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio… When Plaintiffs have their day in court, the jury will recognize that even the most powerful celebrity cannot bend the truth to her will.”
Baldoni’s suit comes not long after Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel on December 31, 2024. As further noted by Variety:
“Lively accused Baldoni and others of orchestrating a clandestine media smear campaign against her, in retaliation for her complaints about sexual harassment on the set of the film. Her complaint quoted extensively from Baldoni’s publicists’ text messages, in which they were seen to be claiming to be able to ‘bury’ her.”
The situation has become increasingly complicated by the lawsuits served by both sides, and we’ll have to see how this story develops. For example, Baldoni also recently sued The New York Times, alleging that they were working together with Lively’s team in an effort to defame him. He claims that they took his text messages to her out of context, with his lawyer Bryan Freedman promising other lawsuits would follow, and so far that’s what’s happening.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the situation with Justin Baldoni, Ryan Reynolds, and Blake Lively as we have them.