Justin Baldoni marked his 42nd birthday surrounded by family support as his bitter legal war with Blake Lively continues to unfold in court.
The It Ends With Us director and actor was publicly backed by his father, Sam Baldoni, who shared a deeply personal tribute reflecting on his son’s birth, character and resilience during what he described as a tumultuous year.
‘Happy Birthday Justin Louis Baldoni!’ Sam wrote. ‘Being a new dad I had no idea what to expect when Justin was born. His birth (our first) was not easy. Sharon spent 34+ hours in labor and we ended up cesarean.’
Sam recalled holding his newborn son first and placing him against his mother’s cheek, calling it ‘a spiritual, very exhilarating close to God kind of experience.’
‘This little guy filled our home with such joy all those years ago and to this day his presence lights up not only our lives but all those around him,’ he continued.
He went on to praise Baldoni’s devotion to his family and his wife, Emily Baldoni, writing: ‘I envy his continual dedication to his family and his love and admiration for his truly perfect partner Emily my dearly loved Daughter-in-love.’
Justin Baldoni marked his 42nd birthdaysurrounded by family support as his bitter legal war with Blake Lively continues to unfold in court
The post ended with a pointed reference to Baldoni’s ongoing legal turmoil.
‘Son, in a year full of turmoil and injustice you have remained steadfast in your faith knowing that truth and justice will prevail! Happy Birthday Son, I love you with all my heart and soul.’
The tribute comes as Baldoni remains embroiled in an intense legal battle with Lively, who in December 2024 named him in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
In her filing, Lively alleged that Baldoni sexually harassed her in multiple ways, including body shaming, and orchestrated a smear campaign designed to damage her reputation.
She also named several of Baldoni’s collaborators in the suit, including his company Wayfarer Studios, its CEO and financial backer, as well as PR personnel.
Baldoni has denied the allegations.
He initially sought $250 million in damages from The New York Times over a report detailing Lively’s claims.
That suit named Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane. The case was thrown out of court this past June. All parties have denied all allegations against them.
The It Ends With Us director and actor was publicly backed by his father, who shared a deeply personal tribute reflecting on his son’s resilience during what he described as a tumultuous year; Justin Baldoni seen in 2015 with his parents Sam and Sharon
‘Happy Birthday Justin Louis Baldoni!’ Sam wrote. ‘Being a new dad I had no idea what to expect when Justin was born. His birth (our first) was not easy. Sharon spent 34+ hours in labor and we ended up cesarean’
Sam recalled holding his newborn son first and placing him against his mother’s cheek, calling it ‘a spiritual, very exhilarating close to God kind of experience’
Earlier this week, explosive text messages between Lively and Taylor Swift were revealed as part of the ongoing litigation surrounding It Ends With Us.
According to court papers, the pair exchanged unflattering remarks about Baldoni, who both directed and co-starred in the film.
Lively allegedly referred to Baldoni as the ‘doofus director of my movie,’ while Swift replied: ‘I’ll do anything for you!’
After a meeting about changing the script, Lively texted Swift calling her the ‘absolute greatest friend ever.’
In other exchanges, Swift advised Lively about using one of her songs in the film and suggested Baldoni was not ‘strategic.’
The tribute comes as Baldoni remains embroiled in an intense legal battle with Lively, who in December 2024 named him in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment (which he has denied)
Just before a bombshell New York Times article detailing Lively’s claims was published in December 2024, Swift texted: ‘I think this b**** [Baldoni] knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin.’
The court filings also allege that Lively disparaged Baldoni to other A-list friends, including Matt Damon and his wife Lucy, and Ben Affleck – whom she allegedly described Baldoni to as a ‘chaotic clown.’
Baldoni’s lawyers wrote that on April 12, 2023, Lively asked Swift to help her endorse a revised script, referring to Baldoni as ‘this doofus director of my movie’ and ‘a clown’ who ‘thinks he’s a writer now.’
One message from Lively read: ‘You don’t have to read of course.’
Lively’s legal team disputed that she asked Swift to endorse the script without reading it, saying she only ‘hoped she would.’
In her filing, Lively alleged that Baldoni sexually harassed her in multiple ways, including body shaming, and orchestrated a smear campaign designed to damage her reputation; seen in 2024
Earlier this week, explosive text messages between Lively and Taylor Swift were revealed as part of the ongoing litigation surrounding It Ends With Us; seen in December 2023
Following a meeting at Lively’s apartment, Swift allegedly endorsed the revised draft. Lively later wrote: ‘You were so epically heroic today… This clown… falling for all of it.’
Lively’s side disputed claims that Swift agreed to do her ‘bidding.’
According to Baldoni’s lawyers, Lively also told friends – including Damon, Lucy Damon and Affleck – that she ‘rewrote the script’ and ‘directed every actor.’
In a text to Affleck, Lively allegedly wrote: ‘I ended up rewriting and restructuring the entire script, I also ended up having to direct the movie via the chaotic clown ‘director’/actor/producer/financier/studio head at the center.’
Her lawyers did not dispute the message’s contents but said it should be taken in context.
The filings further claim Lively urged famous friends – including Bradley Cooper, Swift, Damon and Affleck – as well as author Colleen Hoover to support her version of the film over Baldoni’s.
Although Baldoni had purchased the rights to Hoover’s novel, Sony ultimately released Lively’s version of the movie amid the fallout surrounding allegations about Baldoni’s on-set conduct.
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