Justin Baldoni has escalated his legal battle against his It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
In a series of text messages released by the director on Saturday, February 1 via his new website, thelawsuitinfo.com, Reynolds, 48, allegedly referred to Baldoni, 41, as a “stand up person.”
The texts were part of a 224-page complaint shared on the website, which hosts two PDF files titled “Amended Complaint” and “Timeline of Relevant Events” available to download.
In one text, Reynolds allegedly told Baldoni he’d been in a “writing cave” and that his daughters were sick. In response to a message from the director, Reynolds wrote, “What a loving and generous message. Thank you. We’re both looking forward to getting to know you and your family better. We’re also big fans over here. Since before we met and more-so after.”
“You’ve been a wonderful collaborator with B and that means a great deal — to both of us,” Reynolds allegedly continued. “Being a stand up person is everything. And you’ve been just that since day one. Thank you.”
Reynolds allegedly went on to praise his wife, Lively, 37.
“You’ve hit the jackpot with B. She literally passes on every film and every filmmaker all the time. But one thing I know — and I speak from a deep wellspring of experience here, having her in your court behind the scenes, as a creative, is invaluable,” he allegedly wrote.
Reynolds allegedly added that “some of the greatest creative decisions ‘I’ve’ made are in fact Blake.”
“I’m excited for you to work together,” he also wrote. “I’m excited for Blake to crack open her creative piggy bank with someone as dynamic as you. This is gonna be INCREDIBLE.”
The actor also asked if Baldoni could adjust the film’s shooting dates by two weeks so that he “could have my family reunited as soon as possible.” He added, “We’re hardwired for keeping our family together, it’s how to win us, and it’s also how to kill us when we can’t.”
“All this to say, I’d have your … producer’s face tattooed to my perineum if he/she/they can figure out how to start two weeks earlier,” Reynolds also wrote. “Completely understand how big of an ask that is. But the perineum is one of the most nervy parts of the human body to expose to trauma. So…”
Us Weekly reached out to reps for Lively, Reynolds and Baldoni for comment.
Baldoni’s team announced that a website was forthcoming last month. “Justin and team have the right to defend themselves with the truth,” Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said in a statement to Us on January 21. “And this is what we will be continuing to show with the upcoming website containing all correspondence as well as relevant videos that directly quash her claims.”
Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in December 2024, accusing the director of creating a hostile work environment on the set of It Ends With Us and of sexual harassment. Baldoni has denied the allegations.
Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios filed their own lawsuit against Lively, her publicist Leslie Sloan, and Reynolds. He accused the group of civil extortion, defamation, invasion of privacy, and more. He is seeking $400 million in damages. Lively has denied the allegations and is seeking to have the lawsuit against her dismissed.
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