The feud between It Ends with Us co-stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has escalated further, with Baldoni making serious allegations against Lively in his ongoing $400 million lawsuit.
The actor has accused Lively of conspiring with The New York Times to tarnish his reputation by influencing the publication of a damaging article.
In his updated lawsuit, Baldoni claims that Lively played a key role in the creation and dissemination of an article that, according to him, contains false and defamatory information. He argues that the early access granted to The New York Times allowed the outlet to produce an extensive 4,000-word exposé, complete with photos, graphics, and excerpts from Lively’s formal complaint.
The piece, titled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” was published as a major exclusive the following day. The article details allegations against Baldoni, focusing on claims that Lively suffered a targeted PR attack after speaking out against his alleged misconduct on set.
However, DailyMail has since uncovered hidden metadata in the online version of the article, suggesting that the report had been in development for far longer than initially perceived. This contradicts the notion that it was a rapid response to Lively’s complaint.
One particularly revealing piece of metadata includes a photo of the It Ends with Us co-stars, embedded with the date “2024-12-16,” months before the article was officially published. This discovery has fueled speculation that Lively and The New York Times had been working behind the scenes to coordinate the article’s release in conjunction with her legal action, intensifying the case against Baldoni.
The revelation has further deepened the ongoing legal battle between Baldoni and Lively, turning the dispute into a full-fledged war of allegations. With both sides accusing each other of orchestrating media manipulation, the case has drawn significant public and industry attention, with no resolution in sight.
As legal proceedings continue, the controversy surrounding the lawsuit is expected to intensify, with new developments likely to emerge in the coming weeks.