Justin Baldoni describes painful saga as he breaks silence on Blake Lively dispute

Actor Justin Baldoni and his wife Emily lamented the trauma and pain their family is going through in their first public statement following their long-running legal battle with co-star Blake Lively.

In May, Lively and Baldoni put an end to the contentious accusations by filing a lawsuit following the 2024 movie It Ends With Us. The lawsuit alleged that he sexually harassed her on set and launched a retaliatory smear campaign.

“I’ve been told that there have been a lot of painful things in the last few years,” Baldoni said in a video released this week.

The judge dismissed Lively’s harassment claims. They settled the retaliation allegations. Lively said the case highlights respectful treatment on set.

Baldoni and his wife smiled and giggled throughout the nearly five-minute long video posted on Instagram on Wednesday.

“We haven’t spoken publicly for most of the last two years, and it’s not because we don’t have anything to say,” Baldoni said. “Because God knows we have it.

Emily added: “We’ve been through a lot of trauma as a family and that makes it difficult to talk about.”

He said the time seemed right to resolve the case.

“The truth and the facts spoke for themselves, and here we are,” he said.

“We had to grapple with a lot of things and try to understand a lot of things, like how could something like this happen? Let alone masquerading as a catfight.”

Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, in December 2024.

Baldoni filed a $400 million (£298.5 million) countersuit against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, alleging defamation and extortion.