Justin Baldoni is calling out Ryan Reynolds.
After Blake Lively accused Baldoni—her director and costar on It Ends With Us—of sexual harassment on set, he filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for reporting on the "false" allegations. (The NYT defended their story as "meticulously and responsibly reported.")
In his Dec. 31 legal filing, Baldoni also leveled accusations at Lively's husband, Reynolds, for being "aggressive" while defending the Gossip Girl actress.
"Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, had aggressively berated Baldoni during a meeting at their penthouse in New York, accusing him of 'fat shaming' Lively," reads his lawsuit obtained by E! News. "Baldoni, in an effort to avoid further confrontation with Lively and Reynolds and rebuild rapport with his co-star, continued to bend to her will."
According to Baldoni, the couple's "inappropriate and humiliating berating" of him was "delivered, perhaps intentionally, as other celebrity friends were coming in and out of their penthouse."
For his part, Baldoni explained why he had asked about Lively's weight, saying it was "prompted by Baldoni’s reasonable inquiry into crucial information needed to ensure safety and avoid injury in a scene."
While training for a "physically demanding scene" in which his neurosurgeon character Ryle would lift Lively's florist character Lily, Baldoni allegedly asked his trainer—who he said Lively introduced to him—how much the actress weighed.
"Baldoni, who suffers from back issues and has multiple bulging discs, made the inquiry to ensure he could safely perform the lift without injury," the lawsuit reads. "Unfortunately, the trainer relayed this information to Lively, who then informed Reynolds."
"The confrontation that followed was so aggressive that Baldoni felt compelled to offer repeated apologies, despite his question being entirely reasonable and made in good faith," it continues. "Following this incident, Lively refused to perform the lift scene, even though it had already been rehearsed with a stunt double."
However, Lively saw the alleged interaction as Baldoni criticizing her weight after she gave birth to her and Reynolds' fourth child, son Olin, in early 2023, according to a lawsuit she filed against Baldoni in New York Dec. 31.
"Mr. Baldoni also routinely degraded Ms. Lively by finding back channel ways of criticizing her body and weight," read her lawsuit, obtained by E! News Dec. 31. "A few weeks before filming began and less than four months after Ms. Lively had given birth to her fourth child, Ms. Lively was humiliated to learn that Mr. Baldoni secretly called her fitness trainer, without her knowledge or permission, and implied that he wanted her to lose weight in two weeks."
According to Lively's filing, "Mr. Baldoni told the trainer that he had asked because he was concerned about having to pick Ms. Lively up in a scene for the movie, but there was no such scene."
She also accused the Jane the Virgin actor of going "out of his way to message criticisms of her age and weight, neither of which she could change during filming."
Baldoni's attorney previously addressed Lively's allegations after she filed a legal complaint on Dec. 21, saying it was an attempt to "fix her negative reputation," adding the claims were "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt."
As for Baldoni's lawsuit with The New York Times, the paper said it plans to "vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,” read the NYT's statement. “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article.”
Read on for how celebrities reacted to Lively's allegations in December.
Colleen Hoover
After Blake Lively filed a legal complaint against It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment on the film's set and for later taking part in a smear campaign against her—claims that he has since denied via his lawyer—Colleen Hoover, who wrote the book that the movie is based on, shared a message to the actress.
"@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met," Colleen wrote on her Instagram Stories Dec. 21. "Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."
Robyn Lively
Blake's sister, fellow actress Robyn Lively, also weighed in.
"I urge everyone to read The NY Times article in its entirety," Robyn wrote on Instagram Dec. 23, referencing the NYT piece that details Blake's complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department. "It calls out those behind the ruthless and nefarious smear campaign that aimed to take down my sister."
The Teen Witch star went on to note that it also "highlights" what Blake allegedly experienced on the set of It Ends With Us.
Paul Feig
Blake's A Simple Favor director also came to her defense, writing on X Dec. 22, "I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with. She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it’s awful she was put through this."
Amy Schumer
The comedian showed her support for the Gossip Girl alum, writing on her Instagram Story Dec. 22, "I believe Blake."
Gwyneth Paltrow
Shortly after Blake's complaint was made public, the Goop founder shared a photo of The Town star's hair company, Blake Brown, on her Instagram Story, writing, "Just added to my Christmas wish list."
Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn & America Ferrera
Blake's BFFs and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars penned a joint message, posted to Instagram Dec. 22, stating they "stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation."
Bart Johnson
Bart Johnson shared an impassioned defense of his sister-in-law in the comments section of a New York Times Instagram post detailing the filing and its own investigation into the behind-the-scenes turmoil.
“Her complained were filed during the filming,” the High School Musical alum, who is married to Blake's sister Robyn, wrote. “On record. Long before the public conflict. The cast unfollowed him for a reason. Read this article before spitting ignorance. His PR team was stellar. Gross and disgusting but highly effective. Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary. No one is with out faults. But the public got played."
He later added on X of Baldoni, "He’s a fraud. He puts on the 'costume' of a hero, man bun and all. Used all of the trendy catchphrases & buzz words for his podcasts. None of it’s genuine. It’s all theater. And everyone fell for it. For years. Rewatch his videos with a more critical eye and watch him compliment and praise himself with faux humility and self deprecation. What a performance."
Shawn Levy
Ryan Reynolds' frequent collaborator Shawn Levy shared the New York Times investigation into the smear campaign on his Instagram Stories, writing, "Proud to call @blakelively a friend."
Amber Heard
Days after Lively's filing was made public, Amber Heard reflected on her own experience facing relentless vitriol online amid ex Johnny Depp's defamation trial against her.
“Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on,’” the Aquaman star expressed in a statement to NBC News Dec. 23. “I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.”
Brandon Sklenar
Brandon Sklenar, who played Blake's love interest Atlas Corrigan in It Ends With Us, had a simple, pointed message of support.
Sharing a screenshot of the Gossip Girl alum's full complaint against Baldoni on his Instagram Stories Dec. 23, he wrote over a link to the text, "For the love of God read this." He followed up by tagging her with a heart emoji.
Jenny Slate
Jenny Slate, who played Baldoni's sister and Blake's BFF in the film, shared her thoughts on the "disturbing" allegations.
“As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” Slate said in a Dec. 23 statement to Today. “Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.”
“What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening," the Parks and Recreation alum continued. "I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”
Michele Morrone
The actor, who stars alongside Lively in the upcoming sequel to A Simple Favor, sent his love to her on Instagram Story Dec. 23, adding that he felt her "pain" as they filmed together earlier this year.