Justin Baldoni shares alleged photos of his family in the basement during It Ends With Us premiere with Dasani and Coca-Cola bottles

"It Ends With Us" New York Premiere - Source: Getty
"It Ends With Us" New York Premiere - Source: Getty

Justin Baldoni has released alleged photos of his family in the basement during the premiere of It Ends With Us as a part of his lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. The actor filed a $400 million lawsuit against the celebrity couple in the Southern District of New York on January 16.

In his lawsuit, Justin Baldoni alleged that Blake Lively sidelined him at the It Ends With Us premiere held in New York on August 6, 2024. The actor claimed he and his family were "being held" in the basement during the event. Baldoni is seen celebrating with his family in a windowless space in the images shared as part of the court documents.

The alleged photos feature Baldoni and his guests with Dasani water bottles, Coca-Cola bottles, and tubs of popcorn. They appear to be cheering and posing for the camera.

"They were confined to a makeshift holding area surrounded by concession stand stock, with only fold-out tables and chairs arranged in a square. Surrounded by close friends, family, soda bottles, and a lot of love, the irony of being held in a basement on what was arguably one of the most important nights of Baldoni’s career thus far was not lost on anyone," the lawsuit said.

Baldoni's lawsuit claims that Blake Lively used "threats and extortion” to “relegate” her colleagues to “sit out their own premiere” in the basement. It further alleges that Baldoni's guests were "ushered" inside and held in the basement to prevent an "interaction with Lively or her guests" once the actress arrived at the premiere.

Further, the lawsuit also accuses Lively of excluding Baldoni from the "official celebrity after-party" organized and paid for by Sony and Wayfarer Studios. It mentions that Justin Baldoni had to "quickly organize and fund a separate after-party for himself and the Wayfarer team."

This compelled the company "to cover the costs for two events—one for Lively and everyone else, and one for Baldoni and Wayfarer’s own friends, family, crew, and team", per the lawsuit.


Justin Baldoni accuses Blake Lively of re-writing the script of It Ends With Us in his lawsuit

"It Ends With Us" UK Gala Screening - VIP Arrivals - Source: Getty
"It Ends With Us" UK Gala Screening - VIP Arrivals - Source: Getty

In his $400 million lawsuit, Justin Baldoni accused Blake Lively of allegedly trying to re-write the script of It Ends With Us. The court documents include multiple emails, screenshots, and other relevant conversations to support the actor's claims. In one such alleged email, Baldoni writes to his production company about Blake Lively's attempts to re-write the script. He wrote:

"I've spent the better part of the last few days trying to figure this out. Everyone knows how I feel about all this and how angry I am that Blake has taken over our film and somehow re-wrote a movie we spent years developing, writing, and funding. So yes... I am furious. And sad. But I will continue to get back up with a goal of getting us to the finish line."

He continued:

"I have come to terms with the fact that the only way out is through. I am waiving the white flag and submitting. I am going to give her 98% of what she wants. I'm sure none of us have the energy to fight anymore. The team who has been working their a** off needs a shooting script on Jan 2nd."

Another alleged screenshot included in the legal document was of a conversation between James Heath, the president of Justin Baldoni's company, Wayfarer Studios, and an unnamed producer. In the conversation, both of them appeared to be worried about Blake Lively trying to "direct" the film.

An anonymous producer wrote to Heath:

"He [Baldoni] cannot let her have opinions on everything. Or she's going to be co-directing the film."

Justin Baldoni's lawsuit further alleges that Lively did not read Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel of the same name as the film after being cast as the protagonist, Lily Bloom. According to Baldoni, Lively's decisions “worried colleagues” who were of the opinion that “her wrongheaded creative decisions reflected her fundamental lack of understanding of the book."

Further, Justin Baldoni accused Blake Lively of asserting control over the film and its creative decisions, and "inserting herself into the production process in intrusive ways." Moreover, the lawsuit accuses Lively of bringing in her husband Ryan Reynolds, and best friend Taylor Swift into the picture to back her vision of the film.

In one of the alleged text messages included in the court document, Blake Lively compared herself to Emilia Clarke's popular Game of Thrones character, Khaleesi a.k.a Daenerys Targaryen. She allegedly called herself the Khaleesi and referred to Reynolds and Swift as her "dragons." The lawsuit said:

"Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively’s 'dragons,' two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him."

Justin Baldoni's latest lawsuit comes after a previous lawsuit filed against The New York Times over a December 21 article based on Blake Lively's allegations against the actor. The actress began the legal battle after she filed a complaint against Baldoni, his company, and his publicists on December 20.

She accused Justin Baldoni of alleged s*xual harassment, inappropriate workplace conduct and allegedly tarnishing her reputation with a PR campaign. Meanwhile, Lively's attorneys have denied all claims made by Justin Baldoni and his team in their latest lawsuit.


This is a developing story and further updates are awaited.

Edited by Divya Singh
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