Justin Baldoni has admitted to feeling “exhausted” from a year of “emotional stress” ahead of his legal battle with his ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star Blake Lively.
The 41-year-old actor and director completed filming on the movie in early 2024 and started a press tour in August, and after fans noted Blake, 37, did not participate in interviews with him or attend the film’s premiere, the ‘Gossip Girl’ star filed a sexual harassment complaint against justin – alleging that he and his agents conducted a smear campaign against her.
Justin has now spoken about his struggles amid the legal fight in an episode of the ‘Gent’s Talk’ podcast, which was recorded in November 2024 but only released on Monday. (10.02.25)
Justin recalled messaging his best friend and the president of his production company, Wayfarer Studios, to share his concerns about his mental health during the show, saying: “I told them that I wasn’t in the best place. I told them that I was exhausted, that I haven’t given myself time to recover or time to heal.
“I had an intense year — a lot of material success and a lot of emotional stress. It was very hard on me and my family.”
Justin added he was experiencing anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and did not feel like his “full self.”
He went on: “I love the people who work for us. I love the movies we make. I love the impact we have, and yet, sometimes it’s easy to… fall back into our programming and be swept away by the current of self and be kind of overtaken by the wave of success and opportunity.”
The New York Times reported Blake’s complaint against him included claims that higher-ups on the production had an “all-hands” meeting instructing the filmmaker not to show Blake “nude videos or images of women” or discuss her weight.
Later that month, the actress filed a lawsuit accusing Justin of sexual harassment, retaliation, emotional distress, and invasion of privacy.
He denied the allegations and subsequently sued the Times for libel.
His lawsuit stated: “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 Times defended its reporting, telling Page Six: “(Our story) 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.”
In January, Justin filed another lawsuit, seeking $400 million in damages from Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, who was present for a key script meeting about the film.
The actor has since made multiple attempts to defend his reputation, including releasing behind-the-scenes footage of him and Blake dancing on set and launching a website with their alleged text messages.
His attorney, Bryan Freedman, stated Justin has been “devastated financially and emotionally” by the legal battle.
The lawsuits are scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.