Justin Baldoni Reveals Brutal Impact of $400Million Blake Lively 'Harassment' Court Fight — Admitting He's Suffered an 'Intense Year' and 'Anxiety'
Justin Baldoni talks about his experience working with Blake Lively.
Feb. 9 2025, Published 11:15 a.m. ET
Justin Baldoni emotionally opened up about how stressful his year was before going up against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively in court.
The 40-year-old star visibly broke down in the clip, sharing a glimpse into the trying time in his life, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Justin Baldoni claimed he has 'anxiety'.
In a November interview on the Gent's Talk podcast, Baldoni said: "I had an intense year. This morning, I sent a text message.
He admitted he had "anxiety", before the actor/director told host Samir Mourani: "I haven't talked about this yet."
The clip ends with Baldoni putting his face in his hands before the screen goes black.
Gent's Talk is set to release the full episode on February 10, providing a deeper insight into the actor's challenges.
The podcast segment was filmed months before Lively's legal action against Baldoni.
In her formal complaint to the California Civil Rights Department, Lively, 37, accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrated defamation.
This complaint was later escalated into a lawsuit, elevating the tension between the former co-stars.
In her lawsuit against Baldoni, Lively claimed her co-star put her in touch with a wellness coach, who turned out to be a weight-loss specialist, citing this as another example of subtly fat-shaming her.
The actor, who plays Ryle in It Ends with Us, did indeed put Lovely in touch with his health coach – but messages show this was to help her boost her gut health after taking multiple courses of antibiotics.
Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
Baldoni vehemently denied the accusations leveled against him.
In a countermove, he launched a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times for reporting on Lively's claims.
Furthermore, Baldoni escalated the legal battle by filing a substantial $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist.
Justin Baldoni filed a substantial $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
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Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman, who is also representing Baldoni's production company, Wayfarer Studios, It Ends With Us producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, claimed the film director has been "devastated financially and emotionally" due to the legal proceedings.
In a pre-trial conference, Freedman said: "Not to sound like a 4-year-old fighting a 4-year-old with 'they started it', but in these kinds of cases, once someone says something, it becomes fact.
"There's no way to fight against it."
A judge has allegedly issued a "warning" to both legal teams "to refrain from making statements to the press that could influence a jury."
The judge in the case has also threatened to move the trial up in date if both parties don't stop bickering instead of waiting until March of next year to settle it.
