Blake Lively appeared to be in good spirits at the premiere of her latest film, Another Simple Favor, during SXSW in Austin, Texas, on March 7. Wearing a latex dress, the actress took selfies with fans, then posed on the red carpet alongside director Paul Feig and costar Anna Kendrick. At a panel after the screening, she cheerfully told the audience she was “so excited” about the movie, adding, “I love this character so much. It’s probably my favorite character I’ve ever been fortunate enough to play.”
It was Lively’s second public outing since she and husband Ryan Reynolds attended Saturday Night Live’s 50th-anniversary show in February. For the most part, the pair have been laying low while their bitter legal battle against Lively’s It Ends With Us director and costar Justin Baldoni continues to play out. “It’s been difficult,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
There’s little doubt the ordeal is taking a toll on them. In an amended lawsuit Lively, 37, filed on February 18, the actress says the “emotional impact” of the case has been “extreme” and is affecting Reynolds, 48, as well as their four children (daughters James, 10, Inez, 8, Betty, 5, and son Olin, 2). Lively originally sued Baldoni, 41, in December 2024, claiming he sexually harassed her on set and then waged a PR war against her, which he denied. In response, Baldoni sued Lively, Reynolds and their publicists for defamation.
Reynolds filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuits on Tuesday, March 18. Us reached out to Baldoni’s lawyer for comment at the time. “The entirety of Mr. Baldoni’s case appears to be based on Mr. Reynolds allegedly privately calling Mr. Baldoni a ‘predator,’ but here is the problem, that is not defamation unless they can show that Mr. Reynolds did not believe that statement to be true,” Reynolds’ lawyers said, in part, in a statement to Us.
“It’s been really hard for Blake and Ryan,” says a second source. “They’re trying to be positive and support each other. There are good days and bad days for both of them.”
New Accusations
There’s no end in sight as Lively and Baldoni continue to duke it out. On February 28, a judge declined portions of Lively’s subpoena for Baldoni’s phone records, calling the request “overly intrusive.” During a pre-trial hearing on March 6, attorneys for Lively and Reynolds asked that access to their text messages be limited to Baldoni’s legal team — they feel Baldoni himself should not be allowed to see private messages between the couple and their celebrity friends. “There is a significant chance of irreparable harm if marginal conversations with high profile individuals with no relevance to the case were to fall into wrong hands,” said their lawyer, who also noted that the danger that details about Lively’s children or “profound mental issues” could be leaked.
How Blake Lively Says She Has Been Affected by Justin Baldoni Lawsuit
The Fallout
Amid all the back and forth, the first source says “things are tense at home given the level of scrutiny they’re facing.” Adds a third source: “They’ve had their lives turned upside down. It’s been hard.”
In Lively’s amended complaint, she also details how the ongoing lawsuit has caused her considerable stress. “There are days when she has struggled to get out of bed, and she frequently chooses not to venture outside in public,” legal documents read, noting that the Gossip Girl alum has experienced “grief, fear, trauma and extreme anxiety.” She also asserts that her children “have been traumatized and emotionally uprooted in ways that have substantially impacted their well-being.”
Ripple Effect
The repercussions of the legal feud have been wide-reaching. There are reports Lively’s close friendship with Taylor Swift has been impacted, and the first source says the singer “wasn’t happy with being brought into the legal mess.” Swift, 35, was pulled into the saga when Baldoni accused Lively of using her “mega celebrity” pal to pressure him into making certain decisions on It Ends With Us.
In the days following Lively’s SXSW stop, reports of tension between Lively and Kendrick reached a fever pitch. News outlets picked up on how they answered questions about working together with different energy. When separately asked about reuniting on the sequel to 2018’s A Simple Favor, Lively said it was “the best,” while Kendrick simply replied, “Oh, you know.” The first source says any signs of strain between the two boil down to opposing personalities. “Anna [is] more of Type A, and Blake has a more relaxed attitude,” explains the source, noting that the stars “don’t interact when they’re not working,” and that Lively’s lawsuit “doesn’t help” the situation.
How Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Are Coping Amid Justin Baldoni Lawsuits
Losing Battle
Lively and Reynolds, who once seemed like untouchable Hollywood darlings, can’t seem to find their footing. Their SNL50 appearance drew more criticism than praise. (During a skit, Reynolds poked fun at the lawsuit; When asked how he was doing by Amy Poehler, he replied, “Great. Why, what have you heard?”) Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, commented on the bit — which an SNL rep confirmed was scripted — saying, “I’m unaware of anybody, frankly, whose wife has been sexually harassed and has made jokes about that type of situation.”
Meanwhile, the case remains a hot topic. On the February 20 episode of SNL alums David Spade and Dana Carvey’s “Fly on the Wall” podcast, Carvey revealed the iconic sketch show’s creator, Lorne Michaels, texted him repeatedly about Lively’s court battle after the anniversary special, and in a February 26 interview with Page Six, Chelsea Handler compared Lively and Baldoni’s near-constant public squabbling to a playground fight, saying, “The reason it’s such a frenzy is that they keep releasing more and more stuff. Stop it. You’re not helping yourself.”
According to the first source, Lively and Reynolds weren’t expecting Baldoni to fight back so hard. The actor’s garnered strong support online, and the comments toward Lively have been harsh. “She’s human and can only take so much public stoning. [Blake wishes] people would wait and see how things pan out in court before making judgments.” The source adds that Lively and Reynolds feel the backlash is over the top. “Usually, when [someone says they are] a victim, there’s some grace. But they feel like they haven’t experienced that.”
Standing Their Ground
Lively and Reynolds have no intention of backing down, and she plans to continue promoting Another Simple Favor ahead of its May 1 Prime Video release. “This is her livelihood, so she’s going to be out doing her job,” says the third source. “She won’t be hiding.”
For now, the couple are doing their best to stay strong. “Ryan is standing by Blake. They’re supporting one another,” says the first source. Adds the third: “The whole experience has been devastating for Blake and Ryan, but they’re not running away from it. They know what really happened, and they’re going to stand up for themselves.”
Reynolds and Lively made their first joint public appearance since the start of their legal dispute at the SNL anniversary special on February 16.
For more on Reynolds and Lively, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
With reporting by Travis Cronin, Andrea Simpson & Amanda Williams
