Newly revealed court documents have exposed a dramatic confrontation between actors Justin Baldoni and Ryan Reynolds that occurred nearly two years ago during the production of the film It Ends With Us. The exchange, which Baldoni described as facing 'the wrath of an angry husband,' has since spiralled into a multi-million dollar legal battle involving Baldoni and Reynolds' wife, Blake Lively.
The Tense Confrontation
According to text messages uncovered in a court filing obtained by People magazine, Baldoni told his colleague Rainn Wilson that he felt 'emotionally paralysed' following a January 2024 confrontation with Reynolds. The incident took place at the New York City apartment Reynolds shares with Lively and their children.
Baldoni, 41, claimed he felt 'ambushed' by Reynolds, 49, whom he found to be highly condescending. 'Ryan was talking to me like a five-year-old and scolding me,' Baldoni said in messages dated January 5, 2024. He alleged that Reynolds rattled off a list of complaints from his phone that had been 'taken completely out of context' from the actual situation.
The Jane The Virgin star said Reynolds expressed concerns about the character of both Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath. 'They essentially said that Jamey and I are not who we claimed to be and that for us to have a podcast is unsafe because it makes people feel like we are safe,' Baldoni recounted.
Legal Fallout and Allegations
The on-set tensions ultimately erupted into a full-scale legal war. In December 2024, Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional stress. The actress alleged Baldoni body-shamed her and orchestrated a smear campaign to damage her reputation.
Baldoni denied all allegations and countersued, initially seeking $250 million in damages from The New York Times over a report on the topic, later adding it to a $400 million lawsuit he filed in January 2025 against Lively, Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane. A judge threw out Baldoni's case this past June.
Baldoni's legal team characterised the confrontation with Reynolds as 'traumatic' and noted their client had 'never been spoken to like that in his life.' They also claimed Reynolds' 'inappropriate and humiliating berating of Baldoni [was] delivered, perhaps intentionally, as other celebrity friends were coming in and out of their penthouse.'
Production Turmoil and Aftermath
Baldoni revealed that Reynolds characterised some behaviour on the It Ends With Us set as 'abuse' and that Lively had reportedly described it as 'the worst experience of her life.' Baldoni quoted Reynolds as saying others had witnessed 'creepy' behaviour on their set.
The catalyst for Reynolds' anger, according to Baldoni, was inquiries he made with a personal trainer about Lively's weight. Baldoni explained he had past back problems and needed to pick up Lively for a scene, wanting to avoid injury. The trainer then asked Lively, who informed Reynolds.
Despite the film's commercial success—earning $148 million domestically and $350 million globally—the goodwill has been overshadowed by the legal drama and allegations. The motion picture, based on Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel, starred Lively as Lily Bloom and Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid in a story centred around a toxic relationship.
Barring any major changes, Baldoni and Lively are scheduled to face off in a courtroom next spring, with all parties continuing to deny the allegations against them.
