"This doesn't prove or disprove anything"— Internet divided over footage released by Justin Baldoni in response to Blake Lively lawsuit
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's legal battle continues, with the former actor-director's attorney releasing unedited footage from It Ends With Us that they believed would help his lawsuit. In the footage shared on Tuesday, January 21, per US Weekly, the statement reads:
"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 supposed evidence reportedly included three takes of the sequence, with the statement noting that the two actors were "clearly behaving well." Baldoni and Lively smiled while doing the dancing scene, per US Magazine.
With the unedited footage released, netizens have become divided on whether it proves or disproves each of their claims in their lawsuit. One Reddit user didn't think the video made a difference in the case, saying:
"I don't think this refutes her claims of s*xual harassment or feeling uncomfortable. BUT it does clear up the context of why he said "it smells good." She was talking about her spray tan/body make up. The conversation seemed awkward but not wholly inappropriate to me. They're both talking about their SO's and just sort of awkwardly chatting while dancing/flirting in character for the scene. To me this doesn't prove or disprove anything really," a Reddit user said.
Some netizens who saw the video pointed out that Justin Baldoni was seemingly acting professionally in the clip, and that there wasn't anything inappropriate.
"Dude....Blake, what have you done to yourself. That looked like two professionals... and Justin seemingly more professional than her. F**king yikes," an X user wrote.
"Thanks for posting this video. If this is real, my mind is blown. Not even close to s*xual harassment. Real victims of s*xual harassment should be furious at Blake after seeing this clip. This was a movie scene of slow dancing & falling in love. What's inappropriate in the scene?," another X user wrote.
"Okay, now the new footage Justin Baldoni's lawyer released make Blake look like she exaggerated things. There could be more, but they should let bygones be bygones and move on," an X user added.
However, other netizens said that the It Ends With Us actress appeared to be "uncomfortable" in the video.
"You can tell she's uncomfortable when he starts going off script. Ew," an X user commented.
"Justin Baldoni having this video released to help his side of the story but all I'm seeing is Blake Lively obviously being uncomfortable from his comments," a user on X wrote.
Blake Lively's legal team says the unedited footage is "d*mning" evidence against Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively and her legal team are reportedly happy that Justin Baldoni released the unedited footage from when they were filing It Ends With Us, saying that it was "d*mning" evidence against him. Her legal team told TMZ on January 21 following the release of the footage, saying:
"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 d*mning."
Lively's attorney further noted that every frame in the newly released clip "corroborates, to the letter" what their client described in her complaint. They said that every moment in the clip was improvised with "no discussion or consent" made in advance.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates on Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle.
