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Blake Lively has officially filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, her costar and director in the film It Ends With Us.
Lively, 37, launched legal proceedings against Baldoni, 40, in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, December 31, Us Weekly can confirm. In addition to Baldoni, the actress is also suing publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, along with Wayfarer Studios.
The lawsuit alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages. The claims parallel those made in Lively’s complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department last week.
“Earlier today, Ms. Lively filed a federal complaint against Wayfarer Studios and others in the Southern District of New York,” Lively’s attorneys said in a statement to Us. “Ms. Lively previously sent her California Civil Rights Department Complaint in response to the retaliatory campaign Wayfarer launched against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns. Unfortunately, Ms. Lively’s decision to speak out has resulted in further retaliation and attacks.”
The statement continued: “As alleged in Ms. Lively’s federal Complaint, Wayfarer and its associates have violated federal and California state law by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns. Now, the defendants will answer for their conduct in federal court. Ms. Lively has brought this litigation in New York, where much of the relevant activities described in the Complaint took place, but we reserve the right to pursue further action in other venues and jurisdictions as appropriate under the law.”
Lively spoke out about her legal action via a Saturday, December 21 statement to Us Weekly.
“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,” she said.
The lawsuit comes the same day Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for its reporting on Blake Lively’s sexual harassment accusations.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
Baldoni was among 10 plaintiffs, also including publicists Nathan and Abel as well as It Ends With Us producers James Heath and Steve Saraowitz, in the lawsuit filed Tuesday, December 31 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The plaintiffs are suing for libel and false light invasion of privacy and allege that The New York Times “cherry-picked” communications and omitted context in order to mislead readers in its article “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
The piece, written by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire and Julie Tate alleged Lively faced months of sexual harassment from Baldoni and was published Saturday, December 21.
The lawsuit alleges Lively pursued a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign against Baldoni (rather than the other way around), using false “sexual harassment allegations to assert unilateral control over every aspect of the production.”
Following the lawsuit’s filing, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman called Lively’s accusations published by the New York Times a “vicious smear campaign.”
“In this vicious smear campaign fully orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful “untouchable” Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative,” he said via a statement to Us on Tuesday, December 31. “In doing so, they pre-determined the outcome of their story, and aided and abetted their own devastating PR smear campaign designed to revitalize Lively’s self-induced floundering public image and counter the organic groundswell of criticism amongst the online public. The irony is rich.”
He continued: “Make no mistake however, as we all unite to take down The NY Times by no longer allowing them to deceive the public, we will continue this campaign of authenticity by also suing those individuals who have abused their power to try and destroy the lives of my clients. While their side embraces partial truths, we embrace the full truth – and have all of the communications to back it. The public will decide for themselves as they did when this first began.”
Baldoni has previously categorically denied all of Lively’s allegations through Freedman, who called the accusations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” in a statement to Us. The statement also claimed that Lively filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the movie’s production.
It Ends With Us director and star Justin Baldonihas filed a lawsuit against The New York Times following its reporting on costar Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment.
Baldoni, 40, filed a $250 million lawsuit against Lively, 37, on Tuesday, December 31 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Us Weekly can confirm.
The actor is among a group of 10 plaintiffs, which also includes publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel as well as It Ends With Us producers James Heath and Steve Saraowitz, who began legal proceedings.
The plaintiffs are suing for libel and false light invasion of privacy and allege that The New York Times “cherry-picked” communications and omitted context in order to mislead readers in its article “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
The piece, written by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire and Julie Tate alleged Lively faced months of sexual harassment from Baldoni and was published Saturday, December 21.
The lawsuit alleges Lively pursued a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign against Baldoni (rather than the other way around), using false “sexual harassment allegations to assert unilateral control over every aspect of the production.”
“The Times story relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative, lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit details the alleged discrepancies and provides a rebuttal to the claims made in the article. Among these are the texts between publicists Nathan and Abel that celebrated negative press against Lively, which the suit claims omitted key context such as a text from Nathan that read, “Damn this is unfair because it’s also not me.”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in ‘It Ends with Us’
The lawsuit also offers rebuttals to numerous other claims in The New York Times article, including the suggestion Baldoni would repeatedly enter Lively’s trailer while she was breastfeeding (the lawsuit tendered a text from Lively to Baldoni that reads “I’m just pumping in my trailer if you wanna work out our lines.”)
The Times article also accused Baldoni of showing Lively a “pornographic video” that involved his wife, which the lawsuit alleges was “non-pornographic.”
“This claim is patently absurd,” the lawsuit reads. “The video in question was a (non-pornographic) recording of Heath’s wife during a home birth — a deeply personal one with no sexual overtone. To distort this benign event into an act of sexual misconduct is outrageous and emblematic of the lengths to which Lively and her collaborators are willing to go to defame plaintiffs.”
In addition the lawsuit also claims that allegations that Baldoni sexualized Lively during references to her character’s costumes were “exaggerated and misleading.”
The suit claims Lively herself used similar terminology as she advocated in making her character’s attire “sexier” and claimed Baldoni was following the tone set. One text read, “Will show you both ways but beanie is much sexier.”
The Times article also reported that Lively had filed an HR complaint during filming, with 30 items set out and agreed to before she would return to set. Among these were that an intimacy coordinator must be present, “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake” and “no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia.”
The plaintiffs’ lawsuit alleges that no complaint was ever officially made by Lively.
“No such document was ever presented to Baldoni, the Wayfarer team, or, to their knowledge, anyone else — whether during that meeting or at any other time — and therefore, could not have been agreed to,” the lawsuit claims.
A New York Times spokesperson stood by its story in a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, December 31.
“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,” the statement read. “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article. To date, Wayfarer Studios, Mr. Baldoni, the other subjects of the article and their representatives have not pointed to a single error. We published their full statement in response to the allegations in the article as well.”
The spokesperson added, “We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
In response to the filing, Lively’s attorney told Us on Tuesday, December 31 that the lawsuit was based on an “obviously false premise.”
“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today,” the statement read. “This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice “not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,” and that “litigation was never her ultimate goal.” As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”
Meanwhile, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman vowed to “take down” The New York Times for its “vicious smear campaign,” he tells Us Weekly.
“In this vicious smear campaign fully orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative,” he said via a statement to Us. “In doing so, they pre-determined the outcome of their story, and aided and abetted their own devastating PR smear campaign designed to revitalize Lively’s self-induced floundering public image and counter the organic groundswell of criticism amongst the online public. The irony is rich.”
He continued: “Make no mistake however, as we all unite to take down The NY Times by no longer allowing them to deceive the public, we will continue this campaign of authenticity by also suing those individuals who have abused their power to try and destroy the lives of my clients. While their side embraces partial truths, we embrace the full truth – and have all of the communications to back it. The public will decide for themselves as they did when this first began.”
Lively made headlines when she sued Baldoni for sexual harassment in December 2024. In the court documents, which were obtained by Us Weekly after reporting from TMZ and The New York Times, Lively also accused Baldoni of launching a “social manipulation” campaign against her to “destroy” her reputation. The docs also claim that Lively was not the only cast member to complain about Baldoni.
Baldoni denied the allegations through his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, who called the accusations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” in a statement to Us. The statement also claimed that Lively filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the movie’s production.
In a statement to The New York Times on Saturday, December 21 regarding her lawsuit, Lively said, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
Ahead of Baldoni’s filing, the Daily Mail reported that the actor was planning to file a countersuit and suggested that Lively’s publicist attempted to tarnish his image by leaking stories to the press.
“I was contacted on 8/11 by Sara Nathan (Melissa Nathan’s sister) forwarding an anonymous tip that Page Six received, regarding allegations of HR complaints on the set of It Ends with Us,” Lively’s rep, Leslie Sloan, told Us in a statement. “After that, I was contacted by various press outlets asking about allegations of HR complaints. When contacted, I responded to press questions by referring them to Wayfarer or Sony for information regarding HR complaints.”
Sloane added, “It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false. Please read Ms. Lively’s Complaint and the Complaint filed by Jonesworks LLC and Stephanie Jones, which provides the details of the campaign against my client.”
In response to the Daily Mail article, Freedman told Deadline: “I am not going to speak to when or how many lawsuits we are filing but when we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative. It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story. In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation.”
The Die Hard actor was married to Demi Moore from 1987 to 2000 and the twosome welcomed daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah in 1988, 1991 and 1994, respectively. Following his split from Moore in 2000, Willis tied the knot with Emma Heming Willis in 2009. The couple went on to welcome daughters Mabel and Evelyn in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
Following the news that Willis was diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022, his family has rallied behind him.
“Bruce has good days and bad days, but in the last two months, there are many more bad days than good,” a source told Us Weekly in December 2023. “This experience has brought the whole family even closer together. No one knows how much time Bruce has left, so they’re soaking up every moment they get with him.”
Another source shared that his family is “there all the time.”
“Once Bruce was diagnosed, everyone came together to keep his memory of the family intact and to be there as a constant reminder [that they] love him,” the insider explained to Us. “[Everything] revolves around him.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about Willis’ family:
Demi Moore
Moore and Willis tied the knot in 1987 and welcomed three daughters: Rumer in 1988, Scout in 1991, and Tallulah in 1994. They announced their separation in June 1988 and filed for divorce two years later. Despite their split, Moore and Willis have remained good friends and coparents.
“I’m so thankful and grateful that my parents made such an effort at that time,” Rumer told Larry King in an interview in March 2015. “They always made an effort to do all of the family events still together and made such an effort to still have our family be as one unit, as opposed to two separate things, which I think really made an impact.”
Rumer Willis
Bruce and Moore welcomed daughter Rumer in 1988. Rumer made her acting debut alongside Moore in 1995’s Now and Then. She went on to star in films such as 1996’s Striptease, 2005’s Hostage, 2008’s HouseBunny and 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Rumer also appeared in the new 90210 series from 2009 to 2010 and Empire from 2017 to 2018. Aside from TV and film, Rumer also starred on Broadway as Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2015.
Rumer began dating Derek Richard Thomas in 2020. The duo went on to welcome daughter Louetta in April 2023 before announcing their split in August 2024.
“I am single momming it and coparenting,” she told fans on Instagram at the time.
Scout Willis
Bruce and Moore welcomed daughter Scout in 1991. She went on to graduate from Brown University in 2013 before deciding to focus her career on music. Scout released her debut single, “Love Without Possession,” in 2021 before releasing her self-titled debut album in 2022. She dropped the singles “Over and Over” and “Take Me” in 2024.
Tallulah Willis
Bruce and Moore welcomed their youngest daughter Tallulah in 1994. She began appearing alongside her parents in films like 1995’s The Scarlet Letter, 2001’s Bandits and 2004’s The Whole Ten Yards. Following her graduation from the University of San Francisco, Tallulah launched her own clothing brand, Wyllis, during the Covid pandemic. The line, which features pieces from Tallulah’s art, aims to promote mental health awareness and self-empowerment.
Tallulah announced her engagement to musician Justin Acee in December 2024.
Emma Heming Willis
Bruce and Heming Willis met in 2007 while working out at their mutual trainer’s gym. After two years of dating, the couple tied the knot and went on to welcome daughter Mabel in 2012, followed by daughter Evelyn in 2014.
The pair marked their 17th anniversary with an emotional Instagram post in December 2024.
“17 years of us ,” Heming Willis wrote alongside a throwback photo of her and Bruce. “Anniversaries used to bring excitement — now, if I’m honest, they stir up all the feelings, leaving a heaviness in my heart and a pit in my stomach. I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the ‘why him, why us,’ to feel the anger and the grief. Then I shake it off and return to what is. And what is … is unconditional love. I feel blessed to know it, and it’s because of him. I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat .”
Mabel Willis
Bruce and Heming Willis welcomed daughter Mabel in 2012. Heming Willis took to Instagram to celebrate Mabel’s 12th birthday in April 2024. She shared a sweet video of Mabel throughout the years.
“All that is you, Mabel Ray. Happy 12th Birthday. Keep shining bright ,” she captioned the post.
Evelyn Willis
Bruce and Heming Willis welcomed daughter Evelyn in 2014.
Sometimes, sports really have a way of tugging at our heartstrings — and 2024 had more than its share of special moments.
In baseball, Freddie Freeman, the World Series MVP, returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers to a standing ovation after leaving the team to look after his son in the ICU, while New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea pitched one of the best games of his career just hours after learning of his aunt’s death.
In Paris, the 2024 Summer Olympics brought tears on and off the field, beginning with Celine Dion’s triumphant return to performing in a moment that left Kelly Clarkson speechless.
As the calendar flips to 2025, here were the sports moments that transcended the box score and left us all wanting more.
The NHL Honors the Late Johnny Gaudreau
NHL left wing Johnny Gaudreau was supposed to enter his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2024-25 before he and his brother, Matthew, were killed by a motorist while riding their bikes. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.
The two were in New Jersey to celebrate their sister Katie’s wedding, and while the news wasn’t public at the time, Johnny’s wife, Meredith, was pregnant with the couple’s third child. (She gave birth in December.) They also shared daughter Noa, now 2, and son Johnny, now 9 months.
Johnny’s unexpected death sent shockwaves through the hockey community, leading to an outpouring of support, particularly from his former teams, the Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames. Both honored him when their seasons started.
In addition to the teams’ tributes and vigils at the arena, more than a dozen Columbus players attended Noa’s birthday.
The entire Gaudreau family also returned to Calgary, where Johnny played nine seasons, on December 3, when the team played a video tribute to their former player before the game.
Freddie Freeman Cries After Dodgers Honor His Son
The Dodgers’ first baseman Freeman missed two weeks of action in the regular season while his 3-year-old son, Maximus, spent eight days in the ICU battling Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
With Max home and recovering, Freddie returned to work on August 5 in a home game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Dodgers fans gave him a standing ovation when he stepped up to the plate for the first time. Weeks later, Max attended his first game since his hospitalization as Freddie’s teammates wore #MAXSTRONG t-shirts in his honor.
“It was an amazing night,” Freddie said after the game.
Latimer was diagnosed at age 12 and had been performing with a wig, but explained that she now felt motivated to take it off.
“I figure that if I can overcome my negative self-talk and self-defeating mindset, I can help change the experience for the next 12-year-old who gets diagnosed,” she said. “She can start healing early instead of waiting until she’s 23, like me. There’s so much societal pressure that comes with being a woman — we don’t need more.”
“We can be empowered by so many things, and you don’t need your hair to feel that,” she added.
Dick Vitale is Cancer Free
Vitale, an ESPN college basketball analyst, is known for two things: his never-ending enthusiasm for hoops and his work to raise money for cancer research. He’s dealt with several cancer battles of his own, but announced on December 12 that he is now cancer-free.
“SANTA CLAUS came early as Dr Rick Brown called & said that my PET SCAN at 7 AM came back CLEAN OF CANCER !” Vitale wrote. “OMG thanks so much to ALL of YOU for your [prayers.] Yes I’m cutting the nets down baby it’s my National Championship!”
Fittingly, his announcement came two days after the Jimmy V Classic, the annual men’s college basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden, benefitting the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Vitale was close friends with Valvano, even introducing him before the late NC State coach’s legendary 1993 ESPYS speech.
Celine Dion Performs at 2024 Paris Olympics
Dion performed publicly for the first time since her stiff person syndrome diagnosis on the biggest stage imaginable, closing out the opening ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Performing at the base of the Eiffel Tower, Dion, sang in French, performing Edith Piaf‘s “L’hymne à l’amour.”
The song brought Clarkson, an NBC Olympic correspondent, to tears.
“I actually can’t talk,” Clarkson managed to say while her cohosts Mike Tirico and Peyton Manning shared their amazement as well.
Diana Taurasi’s Dad
Taurasi’s parents, Mario and Liliana, were courtside as arguably the greatest women’s basketball player ever won her sixth Olympic gold medal. Mario, a former pro soccer player himself, was seen wiping away tears after Team USA’s 67-66 win over France in the gold medal game.
Competing in her final Olympic games, Diana gave her dad a kiss on the forehead after the game as the family posed for photos together.
Bronny’s unconventional road to the NBA included a health scare before his only collegiate season at USC and controversy, as he declared for the NBA Draft despite a lackluster season. Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round, Bronny suited up with his father, LeBron, for the first time on October 23.
They became the first-ever father-son duo to play in an NBA game together, quieting the critics momentarily as the two shared the court together.
“That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, something I will never forget,” LeBron said after the game. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
Sean Manaea Dedicates Game to Late Aunt
Manaea pitched the game of his life in the New York Mets’ 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on October 8 in Game 3 of the 2024 National League Division Series just hours after learning his Aunt Mabel had died.
Manaea pitched into the eighth inning that night, allowing one run on three hits. When Mets manager Carlos Mendoza removed him from the game, Fox cameras caught Manaea blowing a kiss toward the sky.
“That was for my aunt,” he explained after the game. “Just got a message that she passed away early this morning. That game was for her.”
yHe continued, “Everyone back home I love you so much. I know what’s going on is tough, but we’ll pull through. I love you guys.”
Matthew Stafford is pulling out all the stops to make sure he's not the next athlete targeted in the recent string of burglaries -- TMZ Sports is told the Rams quarterback invited police officers and NFL security to inspect his L.A. area home for…
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,” Heming Willis wrote alongside a throwback photo of her and Bruce. “Anniversaries used to bring excitement — now, if I’m honest, they stir up all the feelings, leaving a heaviness in my heart and a pit in my stomach. I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the ‘why him, why us,’ to feel the anger and the grief. Then I shake it off and return to what is. And what is … is unconditional love. I feel blessed to know it, and it’s because of him. I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat 
.”
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