Justin Baldoni claims he was “ambushed” by Ryan Reynolds during a fraught conversation over Blake Lively’s grievances regarding It Ends with Us, and his alleged texts describing the moment now sit at the center of a courtroom storm. In messages submitted to the court (obtained by PEOPLE), Baldoni told Rainn Wilson he was left “emotionally paralysed” as Reynolds confronted him in the couple’s New York home.
Baldoni wrote that Reynolds scolded him “like he was a five-year-old,” insisted he wasn’t who he claimed to be, and read a list of allegations Baldoni says were “taken completely out of context.” The texts read:
It’s hard to feel so much of what they believe about me is false because they are so convinced that it’s real. My brain was struggling because what I wanted to say and do was run and blow this whole movie up because I feel this was so unjust. And yet, the only path forward was to acknowledge her and Ryan’s feelings and apologise and take the wrath of an angry husband.
Baldoni also wrote, “I prayed and prayed and prayed for the words and they didn’t come, so I felt abandoned by God in that moment.” This comes as Lively’s lawsuit, filed shortly after the film’s August 2024 release, accuses Baldoni of s*xual harassment, emotional distress and a calculated smear campaign involving amplified negative online content.
Baldoni countered with a $400 million defamation suit that collapsed after he failed to file an amended complaint before Judge Lewis Liman’s deadline. Lively’s lawsuit remains active, and on 13 November, Baldoni filed a motion asking the judge to throw out her claims entirely.
Why Rainn Wilson’s Text Messages Are Emerging in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Case
Rainn Wilson’s texts entered the case because they were part of a larger January 2024 group chat included in the court filings. In these messages obtained by PEOPLE, Wilson called Baldoni “brother” and expressed shock at the alleged confrontation involving Lively and Reynolds. Wilson responded:
Oh my God. I can’t believe it. You were set up and ambushed and personally attacked. I’m stunned. I completely relate to you being stunned, like a deer in the headlights.
Wilson also praised It Ends with Us producer Jamey Heath, who was named in Lively’s harassment complaint, writing:
Onwards brother. Make a great and important and entertaining piece of storytelling. That’s all you can do now. So sorry for what you went through.
Baldoni and Wilson’s friendship spans years. Baldoni appeared on Wilson’s Bahá’í Blogcast in 2016, the pair spoke at SXSW in 2017 on a panel called “Shake up the Industry by Entertaining With Empathy,” and they reunited in October 2024 for Wilson’s Soul Boom podcast. In the group texts, Baldoni described the alleged confrontation as “one of the hardest nights of my life,” adding:
My brain was trying to defend itself when they were needing me to apologize for all of the ways I have [f—ed] up and made her feel unsafe. Ryan was talking to me like a five-year-old and scolding me.
Meanwhile, Blake Lively is seeking over $160 million in damages. Her filing details more than $56 million in lost earnings, $71 million in lost profits tied to Betty Buzz, Betty Booze and Blake Brown Beauty, and $34 million in reputational harm based on an estimated 65 million negative impressions. She is also seeking punitive damages, attorney’s fees and compensation for “pain and suffering, physical pain, and humiliation,” estimated between $250,000 and $400,000.
Justin Baldoni Pushes to Dismiss Blake Lively’s Case Amid It Ends with Us Feud?
Justin Baldoni’s newest legal step arrived on 13 November, when he and a long list of co-defendants filed a motion for summary judgment asking Judge Lewis J. Liman to dismiss Blake Lively’s lawsuit entirely. The filing includes Wayfarer Studios, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, It Ends with Us Movie LLC, The Agency Group PR, Melissa Nathan, Jennifer Abel, Jed Wallace and Street Relations Inc. The 73-page document obtained by PEOPLE argues that
No reasonable juror could find that the handful of comments and miscommunications Lively has mustered amounts to sexual harassment,” and that “no reasonable juror could find that Lively suffered an adverse employment action in any traditional sense.”
Lively’s December 2024 lawsuit accuses Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of creating a hostile and discriminatory environment. She alleged that “negative content” about her “was amplified, boosted, perpetuated, planted, and/or otherwise manipulated by” Baldoni and his PR and digital teams.
This new filing comes after a Texas judge dismissed Lively’s claims against social media consultant Jed Wallace, whom she accused of participating in the alleged smear campaign. Wallace’s attorney Chip Babcock said his client is considering an appeal, expressing disappointment in the jurisdictional ruling.
A spokesperson for Lively responded:
With this decision, all of the retaliatory lawsuits filed against Blake Lively by Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and their crisis communications and digital teams have been dismissed. Ms. Lively will have her day in court on her claims at the March trial in New York.
Baldoni’s own defamation lawsuits, including a $400 million claim against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist, as well as a $250 million defamation suit against The New York Times, were dismissed earlier after he chose not to amend the filings. Their witness list is likely to include major public figures such as Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman.
The trial is set for March 2026!
Follow FandomWire for more updates, twists as this legal saga marches toward its 2026 trial date.
