Blake Lively privately roasted It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni as a “clown” and “doofus” in texts to Taylor Swift, revealing the depth of her disdain months before their legal war exploded.
Blake Lively’s private verdict on Justin Baldoni was scathing long before she sued him. A newly unsealed court filing, obtained by People, excerpts text messages Lively fired off to her longtime friend Taylor Swift during production of It Ends With Us. In them, Lively brands Baldoni “this doofus director of my movie” and a “clown” who “thinks he’s a writer now.”
The texts—part of Baldoni’s aggressive defense strategy—offer the first direct window into Lively’s on-set grievances. They also expose how Swift became an off-set sounding board, with Lively gleefully recounting alleged directorial missteps and thanking the pop superstar for swooping into a script meeting so she could “recap every moment” to husband Ryan Reynolds.
Inside the Leaked Messages
According to the filing, Lively’s texts include:
- Calling Baldoni a “clown” who “fell for all of it.”
- Mocking his self-described creative input: “thinks he’s a writer now.”
- Praising Swift for improvising script feedback on the fly: “You are the worlds absolute greatest friend ever.”
Baldoni’s attorneys argue these messages prove Lively tried to marginalize him during filming and enlisted Swift’s star power to strong-arm script changes. Lively’s camp counters that the texts are selective snippets designed to smear her in the press and distract from her harassment claims.
Legal Fallout: Why Swift Was Almost Dragged In
Neither Swift nor her music appear in It Ends With Us, yet Baldoni’s team attempted—unsuccessfully—to subpoena her in 2025. A judge quashed the subpoena after Swift’s reps filed a blistering response, noting she “never set foot on set,” had zero creative input, and “did not even see the film until weeks after release,” Entertainment Weekly reported.
The failed subpoena underscores Baldoni’s uphill battle: proving Lively orchestrated a behind-the-scenes coup without hard evidence from Hollywood’s most powerful—and famously litigation-averse—pop star.
Timeline of a Hollywood War
- August 2024: It Ends With Us opens to $50 million, but whispers emerge of tension between Lively and Baldoni.
- December 2024: Lively files a California Civil Rights complaint, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation.
- January 2025: She sues Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios in federal court.
- March 2025: Baldoni countersues for $400 million, alleging extortion and defamation; the suit is later dismissed.
- January 2026: Unsealed texts reveal Lively’s private nickname for Baldoni: “doofus.”
What This Means for Both Sides
For Lively, the texts reinforce her narrative that Baldoni was an overreaching director who ignored source-material fidelity and tried to control the film’s feminist message. For Baldoni, they are ammunition that she undermined him with celebrity muscle and then cried harassment when he resisted.
With trial dates looming and both reputations on the line, every emoji-laden message will be dissected. The court of public opinion has already rendered its own verdict: hashtags #TeamBlake and #JusticeForJustin trend cyclically whenever new filings drop.
Expect more leaks, more A-list name drops, and more legal maneuvering before this Hollywood standoff reaches a jury. For now, the scoreboard reads: Lively 1 (texts exposed), Baldoni 0 (subpoena denied), Swift untouched.
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