Lawsuits

Justin Baldoni Sues New York Times Over Blake Lively Claims

Published JAN 1 2025

Story

Above: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on the 'It Ends with Us' set on Jan. 12, 2024, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Image credit: Jose Perez/Contributor/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images

The Facts

On Tuesday, Justin Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs, including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, filed a $250M lawsuit against the New York Times, alleging libel and false-light invasion of privacy.
New York Post
This comes 11 days after Blake Lively filed a 10-claim complaint with the California Civil Rights Department accusing Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of sexually harassing her and plotting "to destroy her reputation."
Deadline
Deadline
The New York Times published an article titled "We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine" on Dec. 21 detailing Lively's allegations against Baldoni.
Independent
The New York Times
Following the article's publication, Baldoni was dropped by his management agency WME, and his podcast co-host Liz Plank resigned in an open letter to listeners.
USA Today
Cosmopolitan
Baldoni's lawsuit claims the Times "cherry-picked" and altered communications, stripping them of necessary context and deliberately splicing them to mislead readers about the situation.
TheWrap
Blake Lively also filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni and his publicity team on Tuesday, alleging "repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior" during the filming of "It Ends With Us."
CBC
BBC News

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The allegations against Baldoni are false and intentionally salacious, designed to publicly harm his reputation. Text messages show Lively actually invited Baldoni to her trailer while pumping, contradicting her claims of uninvited entry. The entire narrative is based on manipulated evidence and unverified claims.

Variety

USA Today

Narrative B

Baldoni engaged in systematic harassment and retaliation, creating a hostile work environment through inappropriate sexual conduct and discussions. When confronted about his behavior, he orchestrated a coordinated smear campaign to destroy Lively's career, causing severe emotional distress and professional damage.