Justin Baldoni admits he ‘had an intense year’ in emotional interview to air amid Blake Lively legal battle
Justin Baldoni said he had an “intense year” as he wiped away tears in a preview for his first public interview amid his ongoing legal battle with his “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively.
The “Jane the Virgin” vet will appear on Monday’s episode of the “Gent’s Talk” podcast, though it remains to be seen if his emotional response seen in a teaser clip shared on TikTok is connected to his high-profile feud that erupted in December.
“I had an intense year,” Baldoni tells host Samir Mourani during the interview, which was reportedly filmed a month before Lively publicly accused him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a retaliatory public smear campaign against her.
“This morning I sent a text message. I had anxiety,” the “It Ends With Us” director and star says as the men’s self-help entertainer asks, “Why is that?”
“I haven’t talked about this yet, but,” Baldoni, 41, tearfully responds as the clip goes to black.
The “Gossip Girl” star filed a $250 million lawsuit against Baldoni, claiming he sexually harassed her while filming and launched a smear campaign when she spoke out about her alleged mistreatment.
Baldoni has denied the allegations through his lawyer, Bryan Freedman. He and his publicists countersued the “A Simple Favor” starlet and her husband Ryan Reynolds on New Year’s Day for $400 million, alleging defamation, extortion and more.
Lively’s lawyers denied Baldoni’s claims.
The “Five Feet Apart” director has since released raw footage from “It Ends With Us” to refute Lively’s sexual harassment claims.
He’s also made public a voice memo, a litany of never-before-seen text messages and a website outlining the timeline of events while filming the blockbuster adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, claiming Lively, 37, took measures to gain control over the movie.
The actor is also suing the New York Times for $250 million for libel and false light invasion of privacy, after the newspaper released an article detailing Lively’s claims of alleged sexual harassment and of how Baldoni’s team allegedly tried to “tarnish” her image.
Lively and Baldoni’s trial has been scheduled for March 2026.
The podcast episode will drop Monday at 2 p.m.
