"Lawsuits upon lawsuits upon lawsuits": Internet reacts as Justin Baldoni sues Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for defamation and extortion
Justin Baldoni, known as the star and director of It Ends With Us, has filed a $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit against Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane. The lawsuit, submitted to New York federal court on January 16, comes just weeks after Lively sued Baldoni, alleging s*xual harassment and a smear campaign, as reported by People.
Justin Baldoni's claims have sparked widespread online reactions, with fans and commentators weighing in on the escalating drama.
The lawsuit, which spans 179 pages, accuses Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane of orchestrating a smear campaign designed to destroy Baldoni’s personal and professional reputation. Baldoni alleges that Lively, with the help of her publicist, pushed "malicious stories portraying Baldoni as a s*xual predator" and fabricated allegations of harassment.
Justin Baldoni also claims that Reynolds approached his former talent agency, WME, accusing him of misconduct. Additionally, the lawsuit criticizes Lively for sidelining Baldoni during the film’s promotion and for allegedly conspiring with The New York Times to publish a defamatory article.
The explosive legal battle between Baldoni and Lively has ignited significant online discussion. Many took to social media to share their reactions, with some expressing fatigue over the ongoing controversy.
"Lawsuits upon lawsuits upon lawsuits," one Reddit user commented.
"At this stage, I’d pay 400 million to never see or hear either of these names again," another remarked.
"So it looks like it does not in fact end with us ever," one person wrote.
Many were quick to reference the film’s title It Ends With Us while making their remarks.
"From It Ends With Us to WHEN DOES IT END?" another person wrote.
The lawsuit’s $400 million figure also drew criticism.
"Why 400 million? Why not 4 billion, if you’re just going to throw around numbers that mean absolutely nothing?" one Reddit user commented.
"What a doozy… all for a Colleen Hoover book-to-movie adaptation lol," another added.
"Man, Justin Baldoni has completely succeeded in getting me to reeeeeally dislike him," someone stated.
Context of the lawsuits between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively
The legal clash between Baldoni and Lively began with Lively’s December 2024 lawsuit where she accused Baldoni of s*xual harassment and partaking in a smear campaign against her during the production and promotion of It Ends With Us.
Justin Baldoni's new lawsuit argues that the negative press Lively faced stemmed from her focus on promoting personal brands over raising awareness about domestic violence, a theme central to the movie.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, released a strongly worded statement defending his client after filing the latest lawsuit.
"This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team’s duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media."
In addition to suing Lively, Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times on December 31, 2025. The lawsuit alleges the newspaper published a misleading article using "cherry-picked and altered communications." The New York Times defended its reporting as "meticulously and responsibly reported," while Lively expressed hope that her legal action would expose "sinister retaliatory tactics."
Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Sloane have yet to comment on the latest lawsuit.
