As the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni trial draws near, more information is emerging about the legal strategies both sides will use. According to reports, the Lively team is planning to bring up Baldoni’s past statements about pop superstar Britney Spears to highlight his alleged on-set conduct on “It Ends With Us,” the Baldoni-directed movie that sparked the ongoing legal battle.
There is an increasing attention on Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni as the “It Ends With Us” trial approaches, with reports revealing details about what may be presented in court and which witnesses are expected to testify for both sides.
An article published by the Daily Mail on April 13 alleges that the “Gossip Girl” actress plans to use Baldoni’s words against him in court. The report said the statement was from 2017, when the “Jane the Virgin” actor talked about an interaction he had with Britney Spears on the set of the show.
Baldoni played the role of Rafael Solano in all five seasons of the series, and Spears had a guest appearance in season 2, episode 5, wherein she played a version of herself.
Justin Baldoni’s 2017 Interview
In a 2017 interview with Fuse, Baldoni recalled meeting Spears when he was asked who his favorite guest star was on “Jane the Virgin.” The actor said he was excited to meet the superstar, but later learned that his character had no scenes with Spears. Baldoni also said that he was a “huge” fan of the pop star when he was in high school, and they had tweeted each other prior to Spears being on set, admitting, “In my mind, we’re friends, but we weren’t.”
Baldoni then approached the singer with a hug, saying, “Hey!” Based on Spears’ reaction, a meek “hi,” the actor said he might have scared her. “I just kinda had this awkward moment of like, ‘Did I just harass Britney Spears?’”
Blake Lively Wore The Pop Star’s Dress To The Movie Premiere
At the “It Ends With Us” premiere in August 2024, Lively wore the same Versace rainbow dress that Spears wore back in 2002. In an Instagram Story, the actress made a nod to the singer, writing, “The ultimate queen who made us all want to sparkle and write and share our stories,” per ELLE.
When the New York Times article alleging Baldoni’s sexual harassment and smear campaign was published in December 2024, online users speculated that Lively’s sartorial choice for the movie premiere wasn’t just to honor Spears, but to serve as a dig at Baldoni as well.
In unsealed text messages between Lively and her “It Ends With Us” co-star Jenny Slate talking about Baldoni, the former wrote, “And then later when you said you used to stare at Britney Spears midsection for hours… he jumped in and said ‘same’ and giggled but then eye rolled when we just looked at him.”
Blake Lively’s Sexual Harassment Claims Were Dismissed
It isn’t clear how Lively’s counsel will use Baldoni’s 2017 interview at the trial, since most of the actress’s claims, including sexual harassment, were tossed by the presiding judge.
On April 2, as reported by The Blast, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties, leaving a marginally narrower case against the director. The claims that remain are breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation. With that, Baldoni is no longer a personal defendant in the case, but he is a co-founder of Wayfarer Studios, which is one of the corporate defendants, along with It Ends With Us Movie LLC, and TAG PR LLC.
Per a court filing, as reported by PEOPLE, Baldoni will testify in the upcoming trial, with his counsel noting that his “testimony remains relevant to refute Plaintiff’s false allegations of a smear campaign.”
Will Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni Settle?
With a little more than a month before the trial begins, there is still a chance for a settlement. Per The Blast, an attorney, who is not involved in the case, shared that a settlement is still possible right before the trial and even during the course of the trial.
There are still many discussions to be had during pre-trial preparations, but as of now, it seems both Lively and Baldoni are intent on seeing the case through. In the last settlement talks on April 6, attorneys for both parties rejected the latest settlement effort.
The It Ends With Us trial is scheduled to begin on May 18 in New York.