Sony Execs Label Justin Baldoni a 'Moron' and Blake Lively a 'Terrorist' in Explosive Leaked Emails

Leaked Sony exec emails reveal hostile remarks about celebrities.

Senior Marketing Executive Danni Maggin called Justin Baldoni a 'moron' after alleged comments he made about 'rape' promoting 'It Ends With Us.' Sony executives Andrea Giannetti and Sanford Panitch used offensive language, labeling Blake Lively a 'f-cking terrorist' and criticising her for editing her film and launching a haircare brand.

Justin Baldoni's controversial remarks led to Sony's response

Actor-director Baldoni became the subject of scorn within Sony's internal memos following remarks he made during an August 2024 interview.

An email from senior marketing executive Danni Maggin describes Baldoni's comments as 'alluding to "raping" Atlas out of Lily,' referencing a key scene involving his character, Ryle.

'Justin is basically alluding to 'raping' Atlas out of Lily when talking to the Dallas Morning News. We cut the tape but he is a moron,' Maggin wrote in one email, after the marketing team took issues with Baldoni's interview.

Although the Dallas Morning News interview was reportedly edited before release, Maggin's unsealed email indicates the studio's dissatisfaction.

Likewise, Josh Greenstein, former president of Sony, allegedly said, '[Baldoni] shouldn't do any more press but he has a lot left so maybe we can talk asap.'

The emails suggest that Baldoni's interpretation of the scene, describing Ryle's physical assault on Lily as stemming from insecurity and jealousy, was considered problematic by studio executives.

'For me what that scene was more about was Ryle feeling like he had lost all power and feeling so insecure and jealous that the only way in his mind that he could show her how much he loved her was um and I won't say the word that we used in developing it, but what was essentially to force any love she had for Atlas out of her,' Baldoni told a reporter, which was frowned heavily by Sony.

'So Ryle's motivation, if you're talking about character motivation, or why he did what he did, from the filmmaking perspective and from the actor perspective, was um he was trying to, in his twisted mind, love, Atlas out of her.' Baldoni continued.

'There's another word we used and I'm sure in your imagination you can go there,' he added.

Conflicting promotion strategies and legal disputes

Internal documents reveal a rift between Sony's marketing directives and Baldoni's personal approach. A promotional plan, included in Blake Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni, instructed the cast to 'avoid talking about this film that makes it feel sad or heavy.'

'Focus more on Lily's strength and resilience as opposed to describing the film as a story about domestic violence,' the marketing guidelines added to their clause.

However, Baldoni allegedly diverged from these guidelines, openly discussing domestic violence themes in interviews.

Baldoni's legal representatives countered, arguing he 'never agreed' to the restrictions and was committed to raising awareness about domestic violence.

'Against much resistance from the Film's distributor, Baldoni, from day one, made it clear that he was making this Film to bring awareness to domestic violence and would not refrain from doing so when promoting the Film. He did not 'go rogue,' as Lively alleges,' his lawyers said.

Profanity and more 'name-calling' also went to Blake Lively

The unsealed emails also contain explicit language and personal insults directed at Blake Lively. Andrea Giannetti, Sony's EVP of Production, admitted in deposition to referring to Lively as a 'f-cking terrorist' after she threatened to leave the project over her demands.

'There was a tremendous amount of money that had been invested and spent, and we had to finish the movie or it was unreleasable,' Giannetti revealed just last week.

Other communications from Sanford Panitch, Sony's president of the Motion Picture Group, called Lively a 'terrorist' in an informal message, highlighting ongoing tensions.

Further messages criticise Lively's business decisions, specifically her launch of a haircare brand during the film's release. Panitch described her timing as 'epic-level stupid,' expressing frustration that she 'wouldn't listen,' despite reports that her product launch was scheduled well in advance and could not be altered.

'It's quite ironic because she has a huge hit movie headed to $300M-plus,' Panitch wrote in an email. 'And probably will never work again, or not for a while. Although even Hathaway recovered. Tom thinks she's probably and bizarrely unhirable right now.'

Lively's legal action against Baldoni filed in December 2024 alleges sexual harassment and retaliation. She claims Baldoni's behavior was inappropriate and retaliatory, a charge he denies. The case is scheduled for trial in May 2026.

The internal disputes and unflattering language in Sony's emails underscore a broader atmosphere of conflict that has affected the film's promotion and public image.