Justin Baldoni Called Blake Lively 'Calculated' and 'Manic' In Secret Emails With Publicist: 'It's Just Mean and Hurtful and She Knows Exactly What She's Doing'
Baldoni has countersued Lively and The New York Times for $250 million.
Jan. 9 2025, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Justin Baldoni ripped into Blake Lively's "calculated" and "manic" tactics in an explosive email to his publicist.
RadarOnline.com can reveal details of Baldoni's lawsuit against his It Ends With Us co-star, claiming Lively attempted to "re-write" history with her own edit and used "bullying tactics" when promoting their 2024 film.
The 'It Ends With Us' stars have been in a major legal battle after Lively claimed Baldoni sexually harassed her on set.
Baldoni, 40, and Lively, 37, have been caught up in a bitter legal battle – and leaked emails show just how fed up the actor was with the Gossip Girl star's alleged behavior.
The email was submitted in connection with Baldoni's lawsuit against The New York Times, where the director alleged the outlet and Lively conspired to publish a biased story based on a complaint she filed against him.
Baldoni claimed Lively took control of their film after publication wrapped and excluded him from marketing.
In her complaint, Lively claimed Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath sexually harassed her on the set of the 2024 romantic drama.
Despite the actress claiming the two made her uncomfortable on set, Baldoni and Heath have denied the allegations.
Lively accused Baldoni of using crisis publicists to smear her, while he claimed she leaked the complaint to The New York Times and the outlet skewed the evidence in her favor.
The NYT denied the allegations, insisting their story was thoroughly reported with accurate quotes from thousands of original documents.
In his lawsuit, Baldoni alleged Lively took control of his film after production had finished and demanded her own edit. The studio allowed both her and Baldoni to submit their own versions and test them each with an audience.
The Jane the Virgin star claimed Lively then backed out of an agreement to release the higher-testing film after hers performed worse, and that the studio gave in to her pressure.
The suit read: "She insisted that her cut be the version released to the public, even going so far as to claim that the author of the book would also refuse to promote the Film if Lively’s version was not chosen. Under immense pressure, Sony and Wayfarer once again conceded."
Addressing Lively's "bullying tactics", it continued: "Consistent with her pattern of vindictiveness, as the premiere of the Film approached, Lively instructed Sony that she and the cast would not participate in any marketing or promotion of the Film alongside Baldon."
The actress also ensured Baldoni was removed from all promotional materials, including posters, and stripped him of his "A Film By" credit.
Baldoni's lawyer argued Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds unfollowed him on social media, as did the book's author and other cast members, creating the false impression that Baldoni had done something wrong.
In an email to his publicist, Jennifer Abel, which was submitted in court, Baldoni stated: "Just find ways to keep me busy when she gets everyone together. Obviously if the whole cast is making content together that’s her trying to clue people onto their being an issue. Everything she does is calculated yet also manic."
He added: "Attempting to rewrite history and like I’m not the one who developed this and spent five years, trying to make it. And like there's an issue with me, it's just mean and hurtful and she knows exactly what she's doing."
Baldoni claimed Lively 'knew exactly what she was doing' when excluding her co-star from promoting the film.
The lawyer claimed Lively also worked to fabricate a narrative to explain her takeover of the film and Baldoni's exclusion.
Baldoni, who had always promoted the film and praised Lively, never intended to go public with the information but was forced to as she refused to let it go.
His lawyer continued: "Lively systematically excluded Baldoni from all marketing and promotional efforts with her and the cast for the film.
"He was not invited to any cast promotional events, cast screenings, premieres, photo shoots, or other cast campaigns. Baldoni was marginalized from the marketing process and left in the dark about the purported ‘Marketing Plan’ allegedly created by Lively and Sony."
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Baldoni claimed Lively demanded he be banned from the premiere, threatening a cast boycott. Though eventually allowed to attend, he was treated separately, forced to watch in a different theater, and excluded from the after-party.
His red carpet time was also abruptly cut short when Lively arrived.
Freedman claimed Reynolds threw shade at Baldoni's 'nice guy persona' with the character Nicepool in the film.
Baldoni has not yet responded to his co-star's federal lawsuit.
Lively's lawyer said Baldoni's lawsuit didn't alter the claims in her previous complaints and was based on the "obviously false premise" that her administrative complaint was a fabrication.
