Blake Lively blasts ‘insulting’ depiction of her in Justin Baldoni legal battle

Blake Lively slammed the “sexist trope” The Hollywood Reporter used to depict the actress in a cover story about her legal battle with Justin Baldoni.

Lively claimed she, along with other cast and crew members, experienced “invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” from Baldoni on the set of “It Ends With Us” in a lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.

The “Gossip Girl” star criticized THR’s decision to portray her as “the aggressor.” Lively was drawn holding a slingshot while Baldoni seemingly cowered in front of the actress holding the Colleen Hoover book the film is based on.

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“The Hollywood Reporter should be ashamed of itself,” a representative for Lively told Fox News Digital. “The framing in this picture is outrageously insulting as it plays into every sexist trope about women who dare file a workplace complaint, turning them into the aggressor, and suggesting they deserve the retaliation that comes their way.

“In addition, the story is extremely offensive as it incredibly seems to explain away documented examples of sexual harassment and retaliation by calling them ‘cultural misunderstandings.’”

A press release for THR’s article read: “What role did the controversial director’s Baha’i religion play on the set of ‘It Ends With Us’? Could everything that went wrong with the movie have actually been one big cultural misunderstanding?”

Representatives for The Hollywood Reporter did not return Fox News Digital’s immediate request for comment.

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“The framing in this picture is outrageously insulting as it plays into every sexist trope about women who dare file a workplace complaint, turning them into the aggressor, and suggesting they deserve the retaliation that comes their way.”

— Blake Lively representative

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Baldoni, in his own lawsuit filed in January, insisted that Lively had “falsely” accused him of sexual harassment in an attempt to repair her reputation after the fallout of the movie’s press tour after the actress took control of the film. Baldoni’s legal team claimed Lively had no evidence of a deliberate smear campaign and instead worked to repair her reputation by accusing the actor and others of sexual harassment.

“But Lively could not tolerate her publicly tainted image for even a moment, and further could not accept that it was entirely of her own making,” the lawsuit, obtained by Fox News Digital, read. “She needed a scapegoat. And rather than admit and take accountability for her own mishaps, she chose to blame Plaintiffs, in a malicious and unforgivably public manner.”

“When she and Reynolds could not force Baldoni and Wayfarer to read a statement she and her representatives prepared, extorting them to ‘take accountability’ in defense of Lively’s actions, she lay in wait for months, preparing to publicly attack Baldoni by falsely claiming that he had sexually harassed her.”

In an amended complaint, Lively claimed two additional female cast members are willing to testify during the scheduled 2026 trial. However, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, slammed the new version of the lawsuit as “unsubstantial hearsay.”

Both sides have given their version of the story to the court, but Lively may have the “upper hand” if other female cast members are willing to testify.

“As a preliminary matter, having the support of credible witnesses is extremely useful to Lively,” legal expert Heidi Reavis previously told Fox News Digital. “In cases involving subjective experience, third-party witnesses can make or break the case.”

“If third-party witnesses can support Lively’s version of events, and especially if Baldoni cannot, she will definitely have the upper hand when it comes to her credibility and the veracity of her claims.”

Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.