Known for their picture-perfect red-carpet appearances, as well as their ability to poke fun at each other on social media, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have long been one of Hollywood’s golden couples. But it seems that the tide may be turning against them, as Blake’s legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni rumbles on.
After months of rumours of a falling out between the stars, Blake filed a lawsuit against Justin in December, in which she accused him of sexual harassment and attempting to damage her reputation. Justin responded by suing both Blake and Ryan for defamation, and a trial date has now been set for March 2026. In Blake’s lawsuit, she alleges Justin, 41, caused her ‘severe emotional distress’ and accuses him of building ‘a carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others, from speaking out’. Meanwhile, Justin’s lawsuit alleges that both Blake, 37, and Ryan, 48 – who tied the knot in 2012, and share four children together – were attempting to ‘destroy his reputation and career’. He’s seeking a whopping $400m in damages.
The lawsuit reads, ‘This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio.’ It claims Blake referred to herself as Khaleesi from Game Of Thrones, and name-dropped Ryan and her best friend Taylor Swift, referring to them as her ‘dragons’ after Justin seemed less than enthusiastic about a scene Blake re-wrote for the movie. And, last week, a leaked voicemail from Justin to Blake heard him trying to appease her, saying of Ryan and Taylor, ‘We should all have friends like that, aside from the fact they're two of the most creative people on the planet… The three of you guys together is unbelievable.’
Ryan is standing by his wife, and all parties deny accusations made against them. But now, a source tells heat that the Deadpool actor is concerned the fallout of the high-profile feud may tarnish his nice guy image. The insider says, ‘Ryan is getting worried about this fall out between him, Blake and Justin. When this drama first started during filming, it was a series of small things that Blake didn't like happening on set. She wanted a bit more influence on things, she wasn't happy with her script, and she spoke to Justin about all of that. Justin took her notes and let her make minor changes. Then she wanted more and decided to re-write entire parts of the film with Ryan. Then they both wanted executive producer titles, and to edit the movie in full. Justin finally said no and told Blake she can see what the film looks like when he was done editing it – that's when it hit the fan.’
They add, ‘Of course, Ryan wanted to support Blake, why wouldn't he? She's his wife and the mother of his children. But Ryan has worked hard to cultivate a public persona of being the ultimate nice guy – and now he’s feeling worried.’
The source also claims that amid the feud, Ryan is fearful his former marriage to Scarlett Johannson could be brought back to the public’s attention. Ryan and Scarlett tied the knot in 2008, but split in 2010, and finalised their divorce in 2011. Although they didn’t give a clear reason for their divorce, Scarlett hinted they were too competitive with one another, saying that ‘the logistics of being with another actor are challenging’. We’re told, ‘Ryan is anxious that fans may bring up his split with Scarlett because he was accused of being jealous of her fame and was, apparently, quite insecure. Ryan would hate for that part of his life to be brought back up again when he’s worked so hard to be Hollywood’s good guy.’
