Justin Baldoni claims Blake Lively set a trap as texts surface

Unsealed texts show Justin Baldoni accusing Blake Lively of setting a trap as ‘It Ends With Us’ legal battle deepens

Private messages sent by Justin Baldoni during the filming of It Ends With Us have been unsealed, offering a sharper look at the conflict that later spilled into court. In a December 30 2023 text to his then agent Danny Greenberg, Baldoni claimed Blake Lively was setting him up for a trap amid disagreements over how intimate scenes would be handled. The message was written during a tense period on the production, as concerns about safety, consent, and creative control were being negotiated between the stars and the studio.

In the text, Baldoni described what he called a really bad week and alleged that Lively refused to use a body double for sex scenes while also rejecting his storyboards. He wrote that the situation had escalated to the point where Sony executives and producer Todd Black became involved. Baldoni suggested that Lively wanted him to use a body double in her place, a demand he framed as unfair and professionally damaging. That is just setting me up for a trap, he wrote, expressing frustration at what he saw as shifting expectations.

Baldoni also claimed that Lively pushed for both actors to remain fully clothed during a romantic scene he believed was central to the story. Referring to the source material, he argued that the approach did not reflect the tone of the book. He told his agent that he was conceding most of what Lively wanted in order to keep the peace, while privately venting about the strain of working through the holiday period under mounting pressure.

Five days after the message was sent, Baldoni and Lively attended an all hands meeting with Ryan Reynolds and studio representatives. The meeting focused on a list of seventeen protections Lively had requested before filming could continue following industry strikes. Those measures, agreed to in writing weeks earlier, were designed to address her concerns about conduct on set and personal safety.

A source close to Lively responded to the unsealed texts by stating that they were sent only after she had detailed what she viewed as a hostile work environment. According to that source, the messages reveal Baldoni private anger toward safeguards he had publicly described as reasonable and essential. The source added that the timing of the texts shows resentment toward the very protections that had already been agreed.

The wider legal fight between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni erupted publicly in late 2024. Lively filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, seeking substantial damages. Baldoni denied the claims and filed a countersuit that was later dismissed. Court filings have since referenced earlier incidents on set, including an alleged confrontation involving Ryan Reynolds that drew attention from other high profile figures present at the time.

With hearings scheduled to continue and a trial date set later this year, the unsealing of these texts has intensified public scrutiny.