Actor Justin Baldoni is speaking publicly for the first time since his lengthy legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively largely came to an end.
In a five-minute Instagram video posted Wednesday, Baldoni and his wife, Emily Baldoni, reflected on the emotional toll the nearly two-year dispute took on their family, with Baldoni describing the experience as one marked by "injustice and pain."
Though he never mentioned Lively by name, the reference to their high-profile legal battle was unmistakable. The video quickly gained traction online, with the comments section filled largely with words of encouragement from supporters.
Here's why Baldoni waited to make a statement — and what he says comes next.
What did Justin Baldoni say?
Baldoni said he and his family are still recovering from what he described as a painful chapter in their lives.
"We are healing," he said. "If you've ever been through something traumatic, you know that healing isn't linear. It looks different every day."
Baldoni also thanked supporters who stood by the couple throughout the legal battle.
"There were so many of you who, when we didn't have a voice, were our voice," he said. "So many of you had discernment, and you used your intuition, and you trusted that."
"You have given your time to fight for us," he added. "And thank you does not feel like enough."
While Baldoni acknowledged there is "so much more to say" about the experience, he suggested the couple isn't ready to tell the full story just yet. Instead, he said they're focused on continuing to heal and spending time with their children.
What did Blake Lively accuse Justin Baldoni of?
The legal battle began in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint and later sued Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and others, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation and a coordinated smear campaign against her. Baldoni denied the allegations.
Later that month, Baldoni and several associates sued The New York Times for libel over its reporting on Lively's allegations.
In January 2025, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and others, alleging defamation and extortion.
Over the following months, the litigation shifted dramatically. A federal judge later dismissed Baldoni's lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and others, as well as his separate libel lawsuit against The New York Times. The judge also dismissed 10 of Lively's 13 claims, allowing her breach-of-contract retaliation and aiding-and-abetting retaliation claims to proceed. Before those remaining claims went to trial, the parties ultimately reached a settlement in May.
One issue remains before the court. In late June, Lively asked a federal judge to order Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios to pay more than $8 million in attorneys' fees and litigation costs. Baldoni and the other defendants have until July 13 to respond to the request.
What did Emily Baldoni say?
In the five-minute clip, Emily said the family's gratitude for the support they've received "doesn't negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years."
Reflecting on the aftermath, she said the couple has spent the past two years trying to make sense of what happened.
"We've had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things, like how could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women. So much to unpack," she said.
Emily added that "there's been a lot of trauma for us to move through as a family" and suggested the couple plans to share more about their experience when they're ready, though she didn't elaborate.
Why are they speaking out now?
As for why they decided to wait to speak out, the couple said "there have been so many painful things spoken into existence" since the legal dispute began.
Baldoni said they intentionally remained silent because they wanted to "let the justice system run its course" rather than"add to the noise."
"We have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years, and it's not because we haven't had anything to say, because Lord knows we have," Baldoni said in the video. "But it just felt like every time we went to make a video like this, we wanted to speak, something was telling us not to. It just didn't feel like the right time."
Emily echoed that sentiment, saying she believes "the facts have spoken for themselves."
Representatives for Lively have not responded to requests for comment from multiple news outlets, including USA TODAY.
