Sade Diggs

Graphic image created by Sade Diggs

As someone who loves to deep dive into the world of documentaries, behind the scene exposure cases, and misconduct series, the lawsuit between Lively and Baldoni certainly piqued my interest. So in case you haven’t been following, recently Blake Lively has accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her during the production of “It Ends With Us.”

The film itself had already been in hot water, myself and others who have read the book seeing how toned- deaf the movie was. In response to the allegations, Baldoni has filed defamation lawsuits, asserting that Lively and her team have manipulated evidence to tarnish his reputation and gain control over the film.

Interestingly, both sides have presented conflicting narratives in the public eye, with the allegations ranging from inappropriate on-set behaviors, to retaliatory public relations strategies. So, after falling through the rabbit hole of past actions and suspicious behaviors, I decided to thoroughly investigate this conflict.

Like many others indulged in this lawsuit, I’ve been leaning towards a side. Notably though, for the trial to be as fair as possible, it’s very important to recognize that as of now, these are allegations and the legal process is still an ongoing occurrence. Baldoni in the light of these allegations has denied all of them and has taken legal action to defend his reputation, including throwing a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist.

As emphasized in the media, the trial is set to begin in March 2026, and until then, it’s been made apparent that people are still to hold an open mindset and tone down the judgement, allowing the legal system to carefully examine evidence thoroughly.

The former co-stars’ legal battle has the majority invested in the case, raising questions about celebrity influence and responsibility. For someone who’s watched past films with Baldoni, I have known that the actor has prided himself in working on redefining masculinity, and has built a reputation around advocacy and emotional storytelling.

Lively, a Hollywood star and entrepreneur, has used her platform to champion social causes and business ventures. But the public perception on Lively’s actions while promoting the film It Ends With Us came with tons of backlash for her rather uncaring- and insensitive advertisement for the film. For someone who’s read the book “It Ends with Us” I find myself agreeing with that statement.

Baldoni’s track record of authenticity and advocacy has suggested that he may be on the right side of this dispute, even considering he’s had rather pleasant commentary from both fans and past co-stars he’s worked with. Baldoni lives up to his reputation and takes the more serious and caring side of promoting the film.

And as I saw from him promoting the film and his interviews on it, he increasingly made sure that his fanbase, and many others know the seriousness and importance of recognizing domestic violence, and the idea of not being afraid to speak up. Baldoni, being known for his work in promoting emotional openness, has consistently used his platform to inspire positive change, speaking out against domestic violence and showing his utmost support towards speaking out.

While Lively has also championed important causes, her business ventures and public personas sometimes lean more into marketing than deep activism.

Lively has also faced controversy for resurfaced interviews in which she treats not only the interviewers unprofessional, but also her own co-stars. The 2016 interview titled “The Interview that almost made me quit my job” with Lively and renowned journalist Kjersti Flaa, cruel and troublesome resurfaced, making me and others tear up for how she was treated by Lively and her co-star at the time.

This raised questions about the authenticity of her claims against Baldoni from the public, some calling her out for her pattern of lying and scheming.

If this lawsuit was to challenge integrity, I believe Baldoni’s history of transparency and purpose-driven work would make him the more trustworthy figure. Until more details of the conflict emerge, Baldoni deserves the benefit of the doubt.