Justin Baldoni claimed he was "exhausted" due to an "intense" year in a podcast even before Blake Lively sued him

In an interview last year, Justin Baldoni claimed that he was already going through an intense phase before Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against him in December 2024. Justin revealed the details while speaking on the Gent's Talk Podcast, which was filmed in November 2024. The video of the conversation was released on February 10, 2025, on the podcast's YouTube channel.

During his conversation with host Samir Mourani, Justin Baldoni said that he got in touch with a few people who were close to him, including Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath and president Tera Hanks, his assistant, and publicist Jennifer Abel, telling them that he was not in good condition. Baldoni further stated:

"I told them that I was exhausted, that I haven't given myself time to recover or time to heal. I had an intense year, a lot of material success and a lot of emotional stress. It was very hard on me and my family, and I wear a lot of hats and I carry a lot because I love what I do."

Justin Baldoni also claimed that he was having anxiety before he came for the interview and continued:

"I came today despite no sleep and not feeling great and all of the barriers, because of also the work that you do and the potential for the work that we can do together and what this conversation can have for the man who is sitting there who maybe is feeling the way that I am feeling today."

According to People magazine, Justin Baldoni was sued around three months after the release of their film It Ends with Us. Blake Lively claimed in the legal documents that Justin's behavior on set was reportedly very disturbing and unprofessional, and he allegedly worked with his PR team to spread false stories to damage her public image.

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Justin Baldoni realized that he needed to give some time to himself to heal from his issues

Justin Baldoni was sued in December 2024 (Image via Getty)

Speaking on the Gent's Talk Podcast, the actor and director shared that he once woke up early in the morning feeling not good due to anxiety. Justin said he realized that he must take some time to recover from the problems he had to undergo throughout the year.

Justin Baldoni also stated that he loves everyone who works for the production company and the movies they have made so far. He continued:

"I love the impact that we have and yet sometimes it's easy to, as you said earlier, fall back into our programming and be swept away in the current of self and be kind of overtaken by the wave of success and opportunity."

Justin said that it is necessary to emphasize the best use of time and accept everything that can help move on with an impact. He further claimed that he felt like an "imposter" most of the time and described his personality by calling himself a "work in progress."

"Sometimes I can get lost in the same way that everyone gets lost, but healing isn't linear, and growth isn't linear and if you don't have setbacks, and you don't have plateaus, then you don't have the opportunity to regroup and push forward", he stated.

Further in the interview, Justin Baldoni added that he aims to listen to a person who has a different opinion about him so that he gets an opportunity to learn the things that he never knew in the past. He explained the same by saying:

"I might think that I know. I might say it with authority. I might give a data point, I might speak like I'm speaking now and seem right or righteous, and yet, I am really willing to have my point of view changed."

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After Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni in December 2024, he filed a countersuit the following month. According to People magazine, he claimed that Lively never read the book It Ends with Us, which the film is based on, and frequently interfered with its production. The hearing for both cases is scheduled for March 2026, as per an order by Judge Lewis J. Liman.