The notoriety of being a celebrity is a dream for many, but it also makes one’s personal issues a very public matter. Case in point: the legal battle surrounding It Ends With Us, which involves Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds as well as director/actor Justin Baldoni. The Gossip Girl star just did her first big late-night interview since the drama began, and spoke about the extreme highs and lows of the last year.
Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Wayfarer Studios kick-started a long legal battle between her and Justin Baldoni. The stakes are high, with Baldoni’s defamation suit having a $400 million price tag. While promoting her project on the 2025 movie schedule, Another Simple Favor (which is available with an Amazon Prime subscription), she appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers. That’s where she spoke about her personal life, offering:
What I can say without going too into it is that this year has been full of the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life. And I see so many women around afraid to speak, especially right now. Afraid to share their experiences. And fear is by design. It’s what keeps us silent.
While not naming Baldoni or the lawsuit itself, those who have been following the ongoing legal saga are likely able to connect the dots. The legal battle is still happening, and the financial stakes are high for both Lively and Baldoni.
Later in that same conversation with Seth Meyers, the 37-year-old actress went on to speak about why she’s having such a public legal battle. She acknowledged her privilege, saying:
But I also acknowledge that many people don’t have the opportunity to speak. So I do feel fortunate that I’ve been able to. And it’s the women who had had the ability to use their voice that’s kept me strong and helped me in my belief and my fight for the world to be safer for women and girls. It’s a pretty simple thing.
Through the lawsuits, Lively made a number of allegations against Justin Baldoni about their time working on It Ends With Us (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription). That includes claims about his behavior during romantic scenes, walking in on her breastfeeding, as well as conversations about her body. For his part, the actor/director has denied any wrongdoing and filed his own countersuit shortly after Lively’s came about.
Every week, new updates about this legal situation come to light, showing how much both actors’ lawyers are working. Recently, Marvel has fought Baldoni’s request for documents about Deadpool & Wolverine, as the filmmaker believes Reynolds and Lively were mocking him with the character Nicepool.
Only time will tell how things shake out with these cases and how it might affect their careers.