Top line
Actor Ryan Reynolds was embroiled in his wife Blake Lively’s legal feud with her “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni, as Baldoni’s lawyer threatened to sue Reynolds and Lively and accused of making fun of Baldoni in a film in which Reynolds starred. last year.
Justin Baldoni made several accusations against Ryan Reynolds in his lawsuit against the New York … (+)
Key facts
Lawyers representing Baldoni sent a letter last week to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, which Baldoni’s public relations representative, Melissa Nathan, shared with Forbes, asking them to keep “all documents” relating to a scene from “Deadpool & Wolverine” (2024) in which Baldoni claims that Reynolds made fun of him.
The letter also suggested that Baldoni was considering legal action against Reynolds and Lively (Reynolds has not responded to the claims).
In the scene referencing Baldoni’s letter, Reynolds portrayed a variant of Deadpool named “Nicepool” and reportedly made jokes about intimacy coordinators and a woman who “comes back” into shape after giving birth.
The jokes appear to mirror allegations Lively made about Baldoni during a lawsuit a few weeks ago: Lively alleged that “It Ends With Us” production initially ignored union guidelines regarding the use of co-ordinators. ‘privacy and claimed that Baldoni told her personal trainer that he wanted her to lose weight within “two”. weeks,” less than four months after giving birth (Baldoni pushed back on the allegations in his own lawsuit against the New York Times over its coverage of the feud).
Baldoni has previously made allegations against Reynolds in court filings, including in his lawsuit against the Times, in which Baldoni calls Reynolds and his wife “untouchable” Hollywood elites and alleges that Reynolds “aggressively berated” Baldoni for allegedly “shames” Lively.
Forbes has reached out to the attorneys representing Baldoni, as well as representatives for Reynolds, for comment.
How did Reynolds respond to these claims?
Reynolds did not directly respond to Baldoni’s allegations. In Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni, she claims that Reynolds was also the victim of a smear campaign and was affected “mentally, physically and professionally by the pain of his wife and children.” Lively’s lawyers defended her lawsuit against Baldoni in media statements, reiterating that the lawsuit contains “serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, supported by concrete facts,” and that the legal battle is not a situation “’he said/she said’”. .”
What does Baldoni’s letter to Iger and Feige say?
The letter to Marvel and Disney executives, written by Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman, asks Marvel to preserve documents and communications relating to Baldoni, Reynolds and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” It specifically requests documents “relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate or intimidate Baldoni through the character of ‘Nicepool.’ The letter also requests “documents and communications relating to the asserted complaints of sexual or other harassment.” against Ryan Reynolds by anyone” (Reynolds has not been publicly accused of sexual harassment and the letter provides no evidence of any harassment).
Will Baldoni sue Reynolds and Lively?
Freedman states in the letter that he anticipates the “commencement of litigation against Reynolds and Lively,” although no timeline or specific claim was noted. The attorney has repeatedly launched legal action against Lively, telling Megyn Kelly in an interview last week that he would sue Lively “to oblivion,” but declined to provide specific allegations. Freedman said, however, that the lawsuit will allege that Lively “talked her way through the film’s reshoot process and used her public relations to try to destroy” Baldoni.
What did Baldoni say about Reynolds in his trial?
Baldoni’s lawsuit against the Times makes several allegations against Reynolds, to which Reynolds has not responded. The lawsuit claims that Reynolds “aggressively berated Baldoni” during a meeting at Reynolds and Lively’s New York penthouse during which Reynolds accused Baldoni of “shaming” Lively. Baldoni’s lawsuit says he actually asked Lively’s weight from his personal trainer because he had back problems and had to lift her during a scene, claiming the trainer informed Lively to her request, who then told her husband, making him angry. Baldoni’s lawsuit also claims that Reynolds approached Baldoni’s agent during the premiere of “Deadpool & Wolverine” and demanded that the agency drop Baldoni.
Did Reynolds rewrite any scenes from “It Ends With Us?” »
Lively told E! News in August, Reynolds wrote the film’s rooftop scene, saying she and her husband frequently collaborate on each other’s projects. In his lawsuit against the Times, Baldoni claims that he did not know that Reynolds had contributed to the script until Lively, in this interview, revealed his contribution, alleging that Reynolds had made “unauthorized changes to the script in secret “.
What’s the latest in the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni legal battle?
Lively filed a lawsuit on Dec. 31 against Baldoni, her publicist and her production company Wayfarer Studios for sexual harassment, retaliation for reporting harassment and for allegedly orchestrating a smear campaign against her. The same day, Baldoni sued The New York Times over an article it published about the alleged smear campaign, claiming it defamed him by accepting a “self-serving narrative” that Lively was a victim of his attacks. Lawyers representing both parties made several comments to the media in the weeks that followed, with Freedman repeatedly stating that he and Baldoni planned to sue Lively and Reynolds. Freedman appeared on Kelly’s show last week, refuting Lively’s sexual harassment allegations and accusing her of not understanding and reading the film’s source novel. Last week, Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist who previously sued him for defamation and breach of contract, reportedly subpoenaed tech companies including WhatsApp and Signal to find out who was behind the social media posts. social media criticizing both actors.
Further reading
Full Justin Baldoni Vs. Blake Lively Feud Explained: Former Publicist Allegedly Subpoenas Tech Companies (Forbes)
Here are Baldoni’s main allegations against Lively. Latest: He claims she never read “It Ends With Us” (Forbes)
Here’s What Blake Lively Alleges Against ‘It Ends With Us’ Actor-Director Justin Baldoni (Forbes)
