Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Legal War Update: Ryan Reynolds 'Never Been More Proud' of His Wife, Praises Her 'integrity'

Ryan Reynolds has said he has 'never been more proud' of his wife, Blake Lively, as the actress prepares to face Justin Baldoni in court in May, after accusing her It Ends With Us co-star and director of sexual harassment, defamation and conspiracy in a high-profile civil lawsuit in the United States, DailyStar reports.

The legal war between Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni and, to a lesser extent, Ryan Reynolds has been simmering since 2024, when Lively launched a $160 million suit alleging abusive behaviour and a deliberate campaign to damage her reputation during and after production on their 2024 film.

Much of that sweeping complaint has since been pared back by a judge, but the case is still heading to trial, and the remaining issues are serious enough to have drawn in one of Hollywood's most recognisable couples.

Ryan Reynolds Backs Blake Lively In Justin Baldoni Fight

Ryan Reynolds chose his words carefully when the subject of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni came up during an appearance on the US Today show, but his support for his wife was unmistakable.

'Really, without getting into too much, I have never in my life been more proud of my wife,' he told the programme. 'People have no idea what is really going on. I've never been more proud of someone in my life, with that level of integrity that they bring with them in everything they do.'

It was a rare on-the-record intervention from Reynolds in a case that has, so far, largely played out through court documents and statements from lawyers rather than televised soundbites. His remarks underline how personally the Deadpool star appears to view the dispute, even as he stopped short of engaging with the specific allegations against Baldoni.

Lively, 38, filed her lawsuit in 2024 following the production of It Ends With Us, accusing Baldoni, 42, of subjecting her to sexual harassment on set and orchestrating a smear campaign online aimed at 'destroying' her career. She is seeking $160 million in damages, a figure that signals the scale of what she says she has suffered professionally and personally.

Last month, however, a judge significantly narrowed the scope of her case. Ten of the original thirteen claims were dismissed, including the headline-grabbing sexual harassment allegation. Three claims remain on the docket: breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation.

The court has set 18 May as the trial date, meaning Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and potentially Ryan Reynolds will see their names formally tested in front of a jury rather than just in the court of public opinion.

Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni And Ryan Reynolds At Centre Of Colliding Narratives

If the judge's decision to throw out most of Lively's claims looked, on paper, like a win for Baldoni, Lively's camp has framed the ruling rather differently.

In a statement issued after the ruling, a member of her legal team insisted that the core of the lawsuit had survived and that, in their view, the case remains about punishment for speaking up.

'This case has always been and will remain focused on the devastating retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively's reputation because she stood up for safety on the set, and that is the case that is going to trial,' the statement read.

The lawyer went further, casting the dispute as part of a wider pattern of online targeting. 'For Blake Lively, the greatest measure of justice is that the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they've targeted.'

They said Lively 'looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it becomes easier to detect and fight.'

Baldoni, for his part, has consistently denied the allegations. After Lively first brought her claim, he responded not only in court filings but with a counter-suit of his own. That complaint targeted both Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and breach of contract. It did not survive. The counter-suit was dismissed in 2025, removing Reynolds from the legal crossfire in a formal sense, even as his wife's lawsuit rumbled on.

Following last month's decision to cut down most of Lively's claims, representatives for Justin Baldoni highlighted how much of the original filing had been struck out and praised the judge's approach.

'These were very serious allegations, and we are grateful to the Court for its careful review of the facts, law and voluminous evidence that was provided,' they said. 'What's left is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting our defence to the remaining claims in court.'

The competing statements capture the gulf between the two sides. For Lively and her team, the survival of the retaliation-based claims is proof that the heart of the case is intact and that the upcoming trial will expose what they describe as coordinated efforts to silence and discredit her.

For Baldoni, the dismissal of most allegations is presented as a vindication of sorts, or at least as evidence that the original lawsuit cast the net too wide.