Blake Lively texts calling Justin Baldoni a clown unsealed as Taylor Swift messages emerge

Newly unsealed court filings have revealed private text messages in which actor Blake Lively referred to her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni using derogatory language, according to documents made public ahead of an upcoming court hearing.

The messages are part of Lively’s ongoing legal case against Baldoni, whom she sued in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and a coordinated smear campaign. Baldoni has denied the accusations and is defending the lawsuit, which also names his production company, Wayfarer Studios. The case is scheduled to go to trial in May.

According to the unsealed documents, which were first reported by the BBC, Lively described Baldoni in private messages from 2023 as a “doofus director” and a “clown.” Additional texts reportedly show her referring to him as a “rabid pig,” while expressing frustration over his conduct during the filming and promotion of It Ends With Us, which was released in August 2024.

The court records also include messages exchanged between Lively and singer Taylor Swift, a close friend. In one exchange, Swift allegedly suggested Baldoni was aware legal action was coming, remarking that he had taken out his “tiny violin.” These messages were included among materials unsealed by the court earlier this week.

In a filing submitted by Lively’s legal team, her attorneys did not dispute the language used in the messages but argued that the excerpts lacked context. The filing directed the court to a fuller exchange, which included messages sent by Lively to Baldoni suggesting that professional relationships involving Swift and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, would ultimately benefit all parties involved.

Sigrid McCawley, a member of Lively’s legal team, said in a statement to the BBC that the unsealed documents demonstrate that Lively’s concerns were documented in real time as early as spring 2023. McCawley further stated that Wayfarer Studios understood the concerns to be related to sexual harassment but failed to investigate them, instead allegedly retaliating against those who spoke out.

Baldoni’s legal team declined to comment directly to the BBC. However, his attorney Bryan Feldman told CNN that the released messages do not support Lively’s claims as a matter of law and said the evidence would ultimately clear Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios.

The documents also include messages in which Lively described feeling distressed by her experiences on set. In one exchange, she reportedly told Baldoni’s former podcast co-host Liz Plank that she returned home in tears following a troubling visit to the set. Plank later recalled her own time on the production as deeply negative, though it remains unclear who specific references in her response were directed toward.

Additional texts revealed that Lively shared similar concerns with co-star Jenny Slate, stating she was anxious about returning to filming. Court filings indicate that Slate later alleged misconduct during production and made complaints against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath.

Messages attributed to Baldoni also appear in the filings. In a February 2024 text to Heath, Baldoni reportedly expressed concern that Lively could leverage her allegations against him by withholding promotional support for the film or publicly accusing him of misconduct.

Baldoni previously filed a $400 million counterclaim against Lively, which was dismissed by a judge in June. The newly unsealed messages were released ahead of a scheduled summary judgment hearing on 22 January.

As proceedings continue, both sides maintain sharply opposing accounts of events surrounding the production of It Ends With Us, with the dispute now playing out publicly through court filings and legal statements.