Justin Baldoni is feeling “grateful” amid his legal battle with Blake Lively.
On Monday, September 29, the actor, 41, spoke with TMZ outside of Los Angeles International Airport, where a reporter for the outlet peppered him with questions about his state of mind.
“I’m actually doing wonderful,” Baldoni said, adding that he was “very grateful,” “very positive” and feeling “a lot of love.”
When the reporter remarked that he seems “to be taking the high road” in his fight against Lively, 38, Baldoni replied “that’s what we always try to do.”
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Baldoni’s comments came two weeks after he added Alexandra Shapiro to his legal team. The criminal defense attorney’s past clients include Sean “Diddy” Combs and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
According to documents obtained by Us Weekly, Shapiro filed paperwork on September 15 notifying the court that she would be joining as counsel for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios.
Baldoni and Lively’s legal drama began in December 2024. The actress accused her It Ends With Us costar and director of sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment and coordinating with a crisis PR team to launch a smear campaign against her. Baldoni has denied the claims.
The actor countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, accusing the couple of extortion and defamation, but that lawsuit was dismissed in June. Lively’s lawsuit remains ongoing, and she and Baldoni are headed to trial in May 2026.
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“The court decision on the motion to dismiss has no effect whatsoever on the truth that there was no harassment nor any smear campaign, and it does not in any way affect our vigorous defense against Ms. Lively’s claims,” a Baldoni lawyer said in a statement over the summer. “Discovery is proceeding and we are confident that we will prevail against these factually baseless accusations. Instead of revising the existing claims, our clients will be pursuing additional legal options that are available to us.”
Lively was deposed by Baldoni’s attorneys in New York City in July. Us previously reported that Baldoni was present for the deposition.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of her deposition, and now look forward to deposing Justin Baldoni and each of the codefendants in short order,” a spokesperson for Lively said in a statement to Us at the time. “Deposition testimony is confidential for good reason — it’s evidence in a legal proceeding and is subject to objections and evidentiary rules. Juries aren’t just handed deposition transcripts to read at home, and instead they listen to testimony that is presented at trial under a judge’s supervision.”
Earlier this month, another person came forward against Baldoni. According to court documents viewed by Us, the person, whose name was redacted, accused him of verbal abuse and claimed that he was not “permitted on set during the majority of production as a result of those experiences.”
That person could end up serving as a witness in Baldoni and Lively’s forthcoming trial.
