Blake Lively and her It Ends With Us co-star Brandon Sklenar appear to torch director Justin Baldoni in newly unsealed text messages submitted as evidence in court.
The exchange has surfaced in connection with Lively’s 2024 lawsuit, in which she accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct and intentional infliction of emotional distress on set – allegations he has denied.
In the messages, Lively and Sklenar, who played lovers in the film, initially chat about television work before the conversation shifts to their experiences during production.
Lively alleges Baldoni entered an editing bay to view her cut of the film ‘without authorization’, after she had already completed her own edit.
In the exchange obtained by the Daily Mail, Lively writes, ‘He’s bats***,’ while Sklenar comments that Baldoni is ‘definitely scrambling’ and ‘totally f***ing himself for any future work’.
Lively then responds, ‘Oh you don’t know the first of it’, before unleashing further claims against Baldoni.
Blake Lively and her It Ends With Us co-star Brandon Sklenar appear to torch Justin Baldoni in newly unsealed text messages submitted as evidence in court
Lively alleges Baldoni entered the editing bay to view her cut of the film ‘without authorization’, after she had already completed her own edit
According to the unsealed exchange, she texted: ‘Yeah the crazy thing is I would’ve continued to let him take credit for everything . He would’ve been handed a career. He would’ve been f***ing on his next job, but he at least would have been a big sucesss [sic].
‘And he’ll still hit. But the word is out. And I’ve been protecting it from getting out bc all I want to do is focus on the work and not be pulled into the f***ing mess they make.
‘But they wreck [sic] havoc everywhere they go. And everyone sees it. Then they come to me.’
Lively then recalls a moment on set when Baldoni allegedly leaned in and told Sklenar he had something to say but stopped himself, warning he would ‘probably get canceled’ and remarking that ‘you can’t say anything on this set anymore’.
Sklenar replies that he vaguely remembers the exchange, though he says he does not recall whether Baldoni ever explained what he meant.
Lively then claims Baldoni frequently attempted to pull others into what she characterizes as his ‘messiness’, framing the comment as her personal impression of his conduct.
Later in the conversation, Sklenar says he is baffled by what he views as Baldoni’s lack of foresight, particularly in light of his public persona shaped by TED-style talks, podcasts and books.
Lively responds that the contrast ‘makes perfect sense’ to her, alleging Baldoni was ‘running from something gnarly’ while presenting a more polished image publicly.
In the exchange, Lively writes, ‘He’s bats***,’ while Sklenar comments that Baldoni is ‘definitely scrambling’ and ‘totally f***ing himself for any future work’
Lively then responds, ‘Oh you don’t know the first of it’, before unleashing further claims against Baldoni
According to the unsealed exchange, she texted: ‘Yeah the crazy thing is I would’ve continued to let him take credit for everything . He would’ve been handed a career. He would’ve been f***** on his next job, but he at least would have been a big sucesss [sic]’
Sklenar appears to agree, replying, ‘It does make perfect sense.’
The Daily Mail has not received a response to its request for comment from reps for Baldoni, Lively and Sklenar.
The newly unsealed messages from Lively and Sklenar follow the release of other texts attributed to co-star Jenny Slate, which suggest she also had a negative experience working on It Ends With Us.
In messages sent to a confidante, Slate described the shoot as ‘really gross and disturbing’.
According to court records reviewed by the Daily Mail, the 43-year-old actress was questioned about those texts during a deposition on September 26 in New York, as part of the ongoing legal dispute between Lively, 38, and Baldoni, 41.
During the deposition, attorneys reviewed messages Slate — who played Allysa in the film — sent to her former agent in which she criticised both Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath, raising concerns about their professionalism.
In one message, Slate wrote: ‘It’s like fascinating and also so s*****. Justin and Jamey are truly unfit.’
She also referenced Lively repeatedly, expressing concern for her friend and colleague while filming under Baldoni’s direction.
‘I’m not scared or anything, just repulsed and deeply irritated, and I know Blake is experiencing that on a much more serious level,’ Slate wrote.
Lively then claims Baldoni frequently attempted to pull others into what she characterizes as his ‘messiness’, framing the comment as her personal impression of his conduct
Later in the conversation, Sklenar says he is baffled by what he views as Baldoni’s lack of foresight, particularly in light of his public persona shaped by TED-style talks, podcasts and books
Slate further questioned Baldoni’s public image, saying she was surprised he had previously delivered a TED Talk and alleging his behaviour on set conflicted with that persona.
‘He is worse than most of the bros I’ve encountered,’ she wrote, adding that she viewed him as ‘a false ally’ and rejected what she described as his ‘male feminist’ image.
The actress also said she was uncomfortable participating in promotional activities alongside Baldoni or Heath, calling Heath ‘truly unprofessional’.
In additional messages, Slate predicted escalating problems during production, writing that she feared things were ‘about to get really bad’ and alleging Lively had already endured ‘a lot of crap’ on set.
‘Justin and Jamey freak me out,’ she added, claiming they told ‘really weird lies’ and that Baldoni was ‘astoundingly wrongheaded’.
The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni has been ongoing for more than a year.
Lively filed her lawsuit in December 2024, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct and intentional infliction of emotional distress, including claims of body shaming and attempts to damage her reputation.
Her suit also named several of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backers, and PR personnel.
Baldoni previously sought $250 million in damages from The New York Times over a report he said was defamatory, later adding it to a $400 million suit filed in January 2025.
His lawsuit named Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, though the case was dismissed in June.
All parties have denied the allegations against them.
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