Justin Baldoni unveils surprising Ryan Reynolds text in website against Blake Lively
Netflix/SonyJustin Baldoni has made good on his promise with the arrival of a new website against Blake Lively. Alongside an amended lawsuit, his legal team dropped a timeline of events relevant to the It Ends WIth Us drama – including a surprising text from Ryan Reynolds.
The controversy surrounding the It Ends With Us movie, based on Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name, heated up when it dropped last summer. There were rumors of a feud between star and director Baldoni and fellow lead Lively.
In December 2024, after months of criticism aimed at Lively and her promotion of the new movie, she filed a complaint against Baldoni. This coincided with a New York Times article accusing the filmmaker of launching an orchestrated PR campaign against Lively.
However, Baldoni has since filed two lawsuits, suing Lively and Reynolds for $400m and the NYT for $250m. While the couple requested a gag order, Baldoni’s lawyer promised to publish a website “containing all correspondence as well as relevant videos that quash her claims.”
Justin Baldoni and Ryan Reynolds texts revealed in new website
A lengthy text exchange allegedly between Baldoni and Reynolds, early on in the writing phase of It Ends With Us, is included in the 168-page timeline of events, and its contents go against the allegation that there was always bad blood between the pair.
thelawsuitinfo.comTaking place on February 28, 2023, the document states, “Baldoni and Reynolds exchange text messages expressing mutual respect.”
After introducing himself, Baldoni said, “I guess this is just an awkward text to say I’d like to be friends. Blake also sent the sweetest message to my wife unprompted saying something similar, which just made me respect her and your union even more.
“I’ve been a supporter and admirer from afar of both yours for years. You are in a class of your own, and so I appreciate the way you move through the world as a man but also you both as a couple.”
He described the way Reynolds shows up as a father and husband as “beautiful,” and praised his support of Lively starring in It Ends With Us.
Baldoni then stated, “I’m going to do everything I can to at least a few days earlier than before – the schedule is still being worked on – as I know how important it is for you all to be together and I honor that. I can’t promise it yet but I’ll do whatever I can.”
He finished by congratulating Reynolds and Lively on their newborn son, saying he’s looking forward to them spending more time together, and suggesting they could “maybe we can get a workout or two in while I prep.”
SonyThe Deadpool & Wolverine star replied to Baldoni by initially apologizing for his delayed response, saying he’d been in a “writing cave” and his daughters were “sick.”
Reynolds thanked Baldoni for the message and said he’s looking forward to getting to know him and his family better. “You’ve been a wonderful collaborator with B and that means a great deal – to both of us.”
He went on to say Baldoni’s “hit the jackpot” with Lively. “She literally passes on every film and every filmmaker all the time,” he said.
“But one thing I know – and I speak from a deep wellspring of evidence here; having her in your court behind the scenes, as a creative, is invaluable. I’m certain [redacted] would say the same.”
Reynolds credited Lively for “some of the greatest creative decisions ‘I’ve’ made,” and the same goes for a redacted person, which many believe is Lively’s best friend, Taylor Swift, although this hasn’t been confirmed.
“The acting is a small piece of a pretty astounding patchwork quilt of creativity… I’m excited for her to crack open her creative piggy bank with someone as dynamic as you,” he continued.
The actor also thanked Baldoni for trying to bring the shoot forward, stating, “We’re hardwired for keeping our family together. It’s how to win us, and also how to kill us when we can’t. We never split up…
“All this to say, I’d have your line producer’s face tattooed to my perineum if he/she/they can figure out how to start two weeks earlier. 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..”
DisneyReynolds finished by writing, “I happen to adore you, Justin.” Baldoni replied to the message, “This is the sweetest.”
In the amended complaint, Baldoni’s team allege that Lively “deliberately and systematically robbed” Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios of their movie, and that the backlash she received in August 2024 for her promotion of It Ends With Us is “self-inflicted.”
“This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio,” it continues.
“Then, when Lively and Reynolds’ efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat.
“Tolerating a year and a half of their behavior while remaining polite and professional at every turn offered Badoni and Wayfarer no protection.
“By bringing this complaint, the Wayfarer Parties commit themselves to seeking and proving the facts, based not on insinuations built from selectively edited and context-free text snippets, but by putting all the evidence before the court – and the public.”
More claims in Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni timeline of events
In April 2023, the timeline shows messages suggesting Baldoni had hired an intimacy coordinator and sought to arrange a meeting with her and Lively ahead of filming, which she declined.
SonyA few days later, she asked if she could take a pass at rewriting some of It Ends With Us’ rooftop scene – the pivotal moment Lily and Ryle meet for the first time. “If you knew me (in person) longer you’d have a sense of how flirty and yummy the ball busting would play,” she wrote.
“It’s my love language. Spicy and playfully bold, never with teeth. And him serving it back to her is just as important.”
Not long after this, Baldoni was allegedly invited to Lively’s New York penthouse apartment, where he was greeted by Reynolds as he “enthusiastically praised Lively’s rewrites of the rooftop scene”.
“A megacelebrity friend of Reynolds and Lively walks into the room and also begins praising Lively’s script,” the document states.
In text messages that followed, Baldoni messaged Lively saying that he liked her pages and hadn’t needed Reynolds and her mega-celebrity friend (believed to be Swift but not confirmed) to pressure him.
She followed this with the now-infamous message in which she referred to herself as Game of Thrones’ Khaleesi, and Reynolds and her A-list friend as her “dragons.”
“The message could not have been clearer. Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively’s ‘dragons,’ two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him,” the complaint argues.
In August 2024, after Lively received backlash for her promotion of It Ends With Us, she and Reynolds are accused of demanding that Wayfarer release an apologetic statement.
They allegedly believed Baldoni’s PR manager Melissa Nathan was responsible for the negative publicity, while Baldoni’s legal team claim it was “entirely of her own making.”
The document states that, on August 12, 2024, the Hollywood couple “demand that Wayfarer release a statement of contrition, taking accountability for the negative press toward Lively and Reynolds.
“They warn WME [Baldoni’s agent] that absent compliance, the ‘gloves will come off.’ In turn, Reynolds tells WME that he would personally draft a statement for Wayfarer to release immediately.
“[Jamey] Heath [Wayfarer’s CEO] and [Jennifer] Abel [Baldoni’s publicist at Jonesworks] are astounded that Reynolds and Lively blame Baldoni and Wayfarer for their self-inflicted PR nightmare.”
The drafted statement is also shared in the timeline, which claims it was prepared by Lively and Reynolds on behalf of Baldoni, Heath, and Wayfarer.
It reads: “It Ends With Us was a troubled production which we take full accountability for. We are very sorry to everyone we caused upset to privately and publicly.
“Blake Lively, Colleen Hoover, the entire cast and crew led with professionalism every step of the way, any negatively aimed at them is ours to own.
“We mutually agreed that the cast would be promoting the film separately and understood why. We have always said we are not perfect and even if unintentionally make mistakes, we will always own them.
thelawsuitinfo.com“We hold ourselves accountable, it’s not anyone’s job but ours and that’s part of being ‘man enough.’ We will practice what we preach. We are learning and growing from the experience and we thank everyone for their patience as we find a better way to proceed.
“We are very proud of the film and the welcome arms that it’s been received. Part of our work is to have uncomfortable conversations for public growth. The film is doing that on screen and we are doing that off screen.
“Thank you to the cast and crew and public for the opportunity to be imperfect and to be given the space to learn and grow.” It finishes with the words, “With humanity and dedication.”
Clearly, the case is far from over. Today (February 3), lawyers from both sides are due to appear in a New York court for an initial hearing, with a trial set for March 2026.
In the meantime, read about the “uncomfortable” Lively interview that went viral upon the release of It Ends With Us, and why the sequel is doomed.