Blake Lively Allegedly Tried to Ban Justin Baldoni From Movie Premiere

Justin Baldoni is accusing Blake Lively of a concerted effort to remove him from the filmmaking process for their 2024 drama It Ends With Us.

In addition to alleging that Lively tried to pry creative direction from him, Baldoni, who also directed the film, claims that Lively, 37, tried to ban him from the film’s premiere.

Baldoni’s accusation came in a lawsuit he filed on Tuesday, December 31, against The New York Times. He is seeking $250 million in damages for four complaints, including libel and false light invasion of privacy.

The lawsuit, obtained by Us Weekly, alleges that Lively “systematically sidelined [him] from the marketing of his own Film.”

“Further undermining Baldoni’s role, Lively initially refused to permit his attendance at the Film’s premiere,” the lawsuit states. “Only after significant pressure did she reluctantly agree to allow Baldoni and the Wayfarer team to attend, but under humiliating conditions. The Wayfarer team and their families, including Baldoni and [producer Jamey] Heath, were segregated from the main cast, barred from the exclusive after-party, and forced to organize their own event at additional cost.”

The suit further describes Lively’s alleged effort to ostracize Baldoni and his family at the film’s premiere.

“Baldoni’s participation on the red carpet was cut short, and his family and friends were confined to a makeshift holding area in the basement before being escorted into a separate theater after Lively’s departure,” the suit continues. “Not only had Lively stolen the Film, but she also robbed Baldoni and his team of any genuine opportunity to celebrate their hard work.”

Baldoni, 40, further accuses Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of using bullying tactics to “exile” him from his own film. In addition to her alleged effort to ban Baldoni from the premiere, the suit says that Reynolds, 48, tried to wield his influence to convince Baldoni’s agent to drop him as a client.

“Baldoni and [Wayfarer Studios] grew increasingly fearful of what Lively and Reynolds were capable of, as their actions seemed aimed at destroying Baldoni’s career and personal life,” the suit says.

Lively’s attorney reacted to Baldoni’s lawsuit, saying in a statement to Us Weekly that it does not change the accusations she made against him.

“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today,” the statement read. “This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice ‘not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,’ and that ‘litigation was never her ultimate goal.’ As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”