Justin Baldoni and his wife Emily have broken their silence on the legal battle with Blake Lively, describing the experience as an 'injustice' and 'trauma' that threatened to derail his career. In a self-shot video posted to Instagram, the couple spoke publicly for the first time since settling their dueling lawsuits in May.
First Public Statement After Two Years
'We have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years, and it's not because we haven't had anything to say, because lord knows we have,' Baldoni began. 'But it just felt like every time we went to make a video like this, we wanted to speak, something was telling us not to. It just didn't feel like the right time, and we were talking about it and feeling into it and praying about it.'
Emily Baldoni, who married the actor in 2013, said they had 'so much to say' after the settlement. 'What does feel important is that we can genuinely say that we are sitting here today feeling immense gratitude for so many things and so many people.' Justin added, 'Gratitude has saved us.'
Allegations and Countersuit
Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the 2024 film It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel. Baldoni countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million, alleging they tried to smear him with false allegations. The countersuit was tossed late last year, but Lively's legal team planned to argue that Baldoni sabotaged her Hollywood standing.
According to Fox News, Lively estimated Baldoni's descriptions of her as a 'bully' cost her nearly $300 million in lost income, including roles in studio films, TV shows, and her beauty brand Blake Brown and canned cocktail line, with losses ranging from $34.3 million to $87.8 million for acting and $39.6 million to $143.5 million for her businesses.
Settlement and Healing
In early May, the two parties agreed to end their legal feud. In a joint statement, attorneys said: 'The end product, the movie It Ends With Us, is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors, and all survivors, is a goal that we stand behind.'
Emily Baldoni noted that despite gratitude for support, it doesn't 'negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years.' She added, 'We've had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things, like how could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women.'
Moving Forward
Justin Baldoni acknowledged the 'painful things that have been spoken into existence' and said they wanted to 'let the justice system run its course.' Emily stated that 'the truth and the facts have spoken for themselves' after the settlement. Baldoni thanked fans for their 'discernment,' saying, 'You have given your time to fight for us, and thank you does not feel like enough.'
