What is a gag order? Blake Lively takes action over Justin Baldoni’s footage drop

Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds have demanded a gag order after Justin Baldoni’s lawyer released an unedited clip from the set of the It Ends With Us movie.

For the uninitiated, It Ends With Us is a romantic tragedy movie based on Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name. Baldoni starred in and directed the film while Lively portrayed lead character Lily Bloom. 

Ever since its August 2024 premiere, the film has been mired in controversy, starting with rumors of tension between Baldoni and the cast. Criticism aimed at Lively accused her of using the movie to promote her own brands and of bullying behavior in past interviews. 

The rumors turned into a legal battle in December, when Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni, followed by a New York Times article detailing the filmmaker’s alleged smear campaign against the star. However, Baldoni has fought back.

What is a gag order?

A gag order is a legal directive issued by a court that restricts individuals involved in a case from publicly discussing certain details. Its purpose is to ensure a fair trial, protect privacy, or prevent the spread of sensitive or potentially damaging information.

In the context of the It Ends With Us drama, Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds have demanded a gag order against Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman after he shared unedited footage from the set of the movie. 

The footage shows Lively and Baldoni filming a slow dance montage, with Freedman arguing it “clearly refutes Ms Lively’s characterization of his behavior.”

In the letter, filed on January 21, 2025, Lively and Reynolds’ legal team argue that Baldoni’s counsel has “continued their harassing and retaliatory media campaign, with almost daily media statements or other releases to the press. 

“Earlier today, the Wayfarer Parties leaked a video to the media that they have asserted is designed to refute the allegations made in the Lively case, even though those allegations are now before this court in not one but two federal complaints.”

It goes on to argue that Freedman’s “conduct threatens to, and will, materially prejudice both the Lively Case and the Wayfarer Case by tainting the jury pool, because his statements are deliberately aimed at undermining the ‘character, credibility, [and] reputation’ of numerous relevant parties.”

The aim from Lively’s side is to prevent Freedman from releasing further information about the case that could impact a jury’s perception of those involved, but it’s yet to be seen if the judge will implement the request. 

It Ends With Us unedited video explained

The gag order request comes shortly after Freedman dropped the raw footage of Lively and Baldoni shooting the May 2023 dance scene. The reason it’s significant is that this is the scene in which Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment. 

Alongside the footage, Freedman said in a statement, “Ms. Lively’s complaint alleges that during a scene Mr. Baldoni and Ms. Lively were filming for a slow dance montage, Mr. Baldoni was behaving inappropriately. 

“The following videos captured on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively’s characterization of his behavior. The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another. 

“Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism. These are all three takes filmed of the sequence.”

In response, Lively’s legal team told ET, “Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may hope that this latest stunt will get ahead of the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning. 

“Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her Complaint. 

“The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character. 

“Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss.

“The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort. 

“They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent.

“This matter is in active litigation in federal court. Releasing this video to the media, rather than presenting it as evidence in court, is another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public. It is also a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign. 

“While they are focused on misleading media narratives, we are focused on the legal process. We are continuing our efforts to require Mr. Baldoni and his associates to answer in court, under oath, rather than through manufactured media stunts.”

The footage has received thousands of comments, with one writing, “THANK YOU SOUND GUY FOR KEEP THE SOUND ON! Otherwise, there wouldn’t be evidence of this. I think he low key knew Justin will need this in the future.”

“Very telling when he said ‘cut, we have plenty,’ and just walked away. He didn’t linger with her or watch her walk away,” added another. “He showed no interest after the scene, which shows he was ACTING during the dance scene.”

A third added, “The oddest moment for me was the kind of weird scolding she gave him for saying ‘you guys are cute’ about her and Ryan. 

“She immediately pulls back and says ‘it’s more than that,’ like she was offended or something. God, he must’ve felt like he was walking on eggshells around her all the time!”

Others have focused on her comments about his nose, with one saying, “He had to cut when she implied he should get a nose job.” 

Another wrote, “They got Blake lively in 4K telling Justin Baldoni he needs a nose job but she cited body shaming in her complaint because he asked how much she weighed for a scene he had to lift her in.”

There are also numerous comments urging people to read Baldoni’s full complaint to understand the context.

The latest in the It Ends With Us legal battle 

The legal battle began on December 20, 2024, when Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni accusing him of crossing boundaries during intimate scenes for the movie. 

Sony

The next day, the New York Times’ article was published, with representatives for talent agency William Morris Endeavor telling the outlet they had dropped Baldoni following the allegations. 

On December 31, 2024, Baldoni and his publicists sued the NYT, seeking $250 million in damages and accusing the outlet of defamation. 

That same day, Lively formally sued Baldoni, his studio Wayfarer, and his PR representatives over “further retaliation and attacks” after the NYT feature. 

Then, on January 16, 2025, Baldoni filed a lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing the couple of hijacking the It Ends With Us production and launching a smear campaign against him. 

It’s currently unclear if and when the case will go to court. The latest in the case is Lively and Reynolds’ gag order request, which the judge is yet to make a decision on.