Justin Baldoni Breaks Silence on Blake Lively Legal Battle

Blake Lively Requests $8 Million in Legal Fees From Justin Baldoni After It Ends With Us Settlement

Justin Baldoni is ready to put an end to the It Ends With Us saga.

Two months after the actor-director reached a settlement deal with costar Blake Lively—who filed a lawsuit against him alleging a hostile work environment on the set of the 2024 movie—Baldoni broke his silence on the legal battle in a video alongside wife Emily Baldoni.

"We have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years," he said on Instagram July 8. "And it's not because we haven't had anything to say, because Lord knows we have, but it just felt like every time we went to make a video like this, we wanted to speak, something was telling us not to. It just didn't feel like the right time."

Now that they're ready to speak out, Emily shared, "We can genuinely say that we are sitting here today feeling immense gratitude for so many things, and so many people, and so many things that have happened to us."

"That gratitude, it doesn't negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years," she continued. "We've had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things, like how could something like this even happen, let alone disguised as a fight for women?"

Emily—who shares kids Maiya, 11, and Maxwell, 8, with the My Last Days actor—explained that "there's been a lot of trauma for us to move through as a family."

As Justin put it, "There have been so many painful things that have been spoken to existence... We didn't want to add to the noise, so we just wanted to let the justice system run its course."

But the couple emphasized that the ordeal has made them focus on their kids and their Bahá'í faith, with Justin noting, "We're closer and more devoted and steadfast in our faith than we've ever been."

"We are healing," he added. "And if you've ever been through something traumatic, you know that healing isn't linear, it looks different every day, and we have had to rethink for ourselves what is real and what matters."

The pair—who married in 2013—went on to thank their fans and supporters who "were our voice" during the legal battle.

"So many of you had discernment, and you used your intuition, and you trusted that, and you have given your time to fight for us," Justin said. "Thank you does not feel like enough, but we're here in large part because of so many of you and all of our friends and family, and one thing that we've learned is that when God presses the reset button and everything else is stripped away, that that's when love shows up."

In her lawsuit, Blake had said that Justin sexually harassed her while directing and costarring with her on the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel—alleging that he made comments about her postpartum appearance, discussed pornography and kissed her without her consent during shooting—though he denied her claims. The Jane the Virgin alum also denied her allegation that his Wayfarer Studios company retaliated against her by then launching a smear campaign to harm her reputation and discredit her.

Still, their lawyers said in a May 4 statement that both sides "acknowledge the process presented challenges" and "recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard."

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"The end product—the movie It Ends With Us—is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life," their attorneys Bryan Freedman, Ellyn Garofalo, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said in the statement to NBC News. "Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors—and all survivors—is a goal that we stand behind."

The statement added, "We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment."

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Prior to the settlement, a judge had tossed out 10 of Blake's 13 claims, including allegations of sexual harassment. At the time, her team had planned to take the remaining claims—allegations of breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation—to trial in May.

Throughout the 16-month legal battle, both actors accused the other of overstepping their roles on set of the film, which centered on a woman experiencing domestic violence in her relationship.

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As part of the case, Blake and Justin's private text messages and emails were unsealed, revealing how they discussed the alleged on-set issues with their Hollywood friends, including Blake's pals Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid and Ben Affleck.

“I also ended up having to direct the movie via the chaotic clown ‘director’/actor/producer/financier/studio head at the center,” Blake wrote to Ben in a May 2024 email that was part of a court filing obtained by E! News. “Yes that's all the same person.”

"If I would've just formally directed it, it would've been much easier, but having to troubleshoot through his taste, ego and preexisting decisions made it so difficult and that's not even touching on any of the wild HR issues and beyond," she said, later adding, “This movie nearly killed me."

Justin alleged that the tension with Blake ultimately alienated him from the It Ends With Us cast and resulted in him being banished to the basement of the movie's New York premiere in August 2024. He shared photos of what he described as his family "being held" in another room—posing with pallets containing unopened packs of Dasani water bottles and Coke bottles—as part of a January 2025 countersuit that he filed against the Gossip Girl alum seeking $400 million.

His countersuit was ultimately dismissed in June 2025 after a judge found that Justin failed to prove his allegations of defamation and civil extortion against Blake.

Keep reading full a full timeline on the legal saga.