Justin Baldoni has shared extra textual content messages he says are from his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Energetic and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
The textual content messages have been launched on an internet site, titled The Lawsuit Data, created to assist defend himself in opposition to Energetic’s sexual harassment allegations.
On the brand new web site, printed on Sunday, Baldoni, 41, additionally shared an amended grievance in his case in opposition to Energetic, Reynolds, Energetic’s PR agency and the New York Occasions, in addition to a 168-page doc entitled “Timeline of related occasions” associated to the case and the manufacturing of the movie.
Baldoni sued his co-star Energetic, 37, and her husband, Reynolds, 48, for defamation earlier this month. Baldoni’s go well with seeks no less than US$400 million in damages that embrace misplaced future earnings. That lawsuit got here the identical day that Baldoni sued the New York Occasions for libel, alleging the paper labored with Energetic to smear him.
The timeline consists of emails and textual content messages that have been allegedly despatched main as much as and in the course of the filming of the film. Lots of the textual content messages have been beforehand shared in courtroom paperwork, however a few of them are new.
“Lemme know what you favor 🙂 if you happen to knew me (in particular person) longer you’d have a way of how flirty and yummy the ball busting would play. It’s my love language. Spicy and playfully daring, by no means with enamel,” the textual content continued. “And him serving it again to her is simply as vital. You don’t often see each the person AND the lady with such company and humor. Anyway, I can act it out for you subsequent week to ensure it comes by means of. Or I can ship now. Lemme know what you favor. Xx.”
Baldoni’s workforce additionally uploaded screenshots of textual content messages that they allege are between the Jane The Virgin actor and Reynolds.
The texts are dated February 2023 and present Baldoni introducing himself to Reynolds. The Deadpool star responds with a message about his pleasure for It Ends With Us.
“I’m excited so that you can work collectively,” Reynolds allegedly wrote. “I’m excited for Blake to crack open her artistic piggy financial institution with somebody as dynamic as you. That is gonna be INCREDIBLE… I occur to adore you, Justin.”
Baldoni additionally claims that Energetic and Reynolds ready a press release for him and his agency, asking him to take the blame for the “troubled manufacturing” of the movie and the adverse press Energetic obtained whereas selling it. Baldoni and his workforce declare they refused to subject the assertion supplied by the couple.
The assertion was allegedly written in August 2024 by Energetic and Reynolds after they claimed that Baldoni was allowed to debate “extra severe messaging” whereas selling the movie.
The assertion reads, “It Ends with Us was a troubled manufacturing which we take full accountability for. We’re very sorry to everybody we precipitated upset to privately and publicly.”
“Blake Energetic, Katie Scott Colleen Hoover, your complete solid and crew led with professionalism each step of the best way, any negativity aimed toward them is ours to personal,” the assertion continued. “We mutually agreed that the solid can be selling the movie individually and understood why.
“We’ve all the time stated we aren’t good and even when unintentionally make errors, we are going to all the time personal them. We maintain ourselves accountable, it’s not anybody’s job however ours and that’s a part of being ‘man sufficient.’ We are going to apply what we preach. We’re studying and rising from the expertise and we thank everybody for his or her persistence as we discover a higher solution to proceed.”
After the web site was printed, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman launched a press release to the press, saying, “The choice to amend our lawsuit was a logical subsequent step because of the overwhelming quantity of latest proof that has come to mild. This recent proof corroborates what we knew all alongside, that on account of purely egotistical causes Ms. Energetic and her whole workforce colluded for months to destroy reputations by means of a fancy internet of lies, false accusations and the manipulation of illicitly obtained communications.”
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“The continued public curiosity on this case on-line has paradoxically make clear the plain details pertaining to The New York Occasions and the way closely Ms. Energetic and her representatives weren’t solely deeply concerned within the tried take down and smear marketing campaign of Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and their groups however that they themselves initiated it,” Freedman added.
Textual content messages between Energetic and Baldoni, the place she seemingly alludes to Taylor Swift as “one among her dragons,” have been launched earlier this month. Swift and Energetic have been very shut mates since 2015 and the pop star is the godmother of Energetic’s youngsters.
(Swift shouldn’t be named as a defendant in Baldoni’s new go well with and her title shouldn’t be talked about within the submitting. There’s solely a reference to “Taylor” in a textual content message between the 2 co-stars.)
Within the textual content messages between the pair, Baldoni goes into element concerning the rooftop scene within the film that Energetic had allegedly reworked. His legal professionals declare that the actor “felt obliged to textual content Energetic to say that he had favored her pages and hadn’t wanted Reynolds and her megacelebrity buddy to strain him.”
Based on the go well with, Energetic invited Baldoni to her penthouse in New York, the place Reynolds and a “megacelebrity buddy” each praised Energetic’s model of the rooftop scene.
“Additionally was engaged on rooftop scene at the moment, I actually love what you probably did. It actually does hep rather a lot,” Baldoni wrote within the textual content message. “Makes it a lot extra enjoyable and attention-grabbing. (And I might have felt that manner with out Ryan and Taylor). You actually are a expertise throughout the board. Actually excited nd [sic] grateful to do that collectively.”
In a textual content from Energetic, in response to the go well with, she calls Reynolds and one other particular person, whose title is redacted, “absolute titans as writers and storytellers outdoors of their major gig.”
“In addition they know I’m not all the time pretty much as good at ensuring I’m seen and utilized for concern of threatening egos, or concern of affecting the benefit of the method. They don’t give a sh*t about that. And due to that, everybody listens to them with immense respect and enthusiasm. So I suppose I’ve to cease worrying about individuals liking me,” Energetic allegedly wrote.
Energetic goes on to check herself to Khaleesi, a Recreation of Thrones character performed by Emilia Clarke.
“When you ever get round to watching Recreation of Thrones, you’ll recognize that I’m Khaleesi, and like her, I occur to have a couple of dragons. For higher or worse, however often for higher. As a result of my dragons additionally shield these I struggle for. So actually all of us profit from these beautiful monsters of mine. You’ll too, I can promise you,” Energetic wrote.
Energetic and Baldoni’s case headed to courtroom on Feb. 3 because the Gossip Lady actor’s authorized workforce started to debate a possible gag order.
On Monday, a U.S. choose admonished legal professionals for Baldoni and Energetic to not publicly focus on the actors’ competing civil lawsuits.
Energetic’s lawyer Michael Gottlieb complained to U.S. District Decide Lewis Liman at a listening to in Manhattan federal courtroom that Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman violated skilled ethics guidelines for legal professionals by accusing Energetic of “bullying.”
“It’s very exhausting to un-ring the bell,” Gottlieb stated, arguing that such statements might taint the jury pool for the scheduled March 2026 trial.
Freedman urged that his feedback to Individuals journal and in a podcast look have been a response to the Dec. 21 New York Occasions article that “utterly devastated” Baldoni.
“This has not been a one-way road,” he stated.
Liman adopted a New York state rule barring most out-of-court statements that might have an effect on a case’s consequence, with an exception for shielding a consumer from prejudicial opposed publicity.
The choose might sanction legal professionals for violations. Neither Gottlieb nor Freedman objected. Baldoni and Energetic weren’t in attendance at Monday’s listening to.
Energetic’s legal professionals Gottlieb and Esra Hudson stated in a press release, “We’re happy with the results of at the moment’s listening to and keen to maneuver ahead instantly with discovery on this case.”
“The courtroom granted our request that every one attorneys within the matter really observe the rule of legislation and never make any statements that might prejudice a jury,” they continued. “This case offers with severe allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. We are going to maintain the defendants accountable, and we’re assured that when all of the proof is submitted on this matter, Ms. Energetic will prevail.”
Based on The Hollywood Reporter, Freedman stated, “I couldn’t be extra happy with how the case was dealt with at the moment. We’re going to maneuver as shortly as doable and show our innocence.”
On Jan. 21, the identical day Baldoni’s authorized workforce launched uncooked, unedited footage from the movie following Energetic’s sexual harassment claims, Energetic and Reynolds’ legal professionals issued a letter to New York federal choose Lewis J. Liman searching for a gag order for Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman.
Based on paperwork obtained by a number of leisure publications, Energetic’s authorized workforce alleged that “nearly day by day” since she filed her lawsuit in opposition to Baldoni, “Mr. Freedman has given tv interviews, appeared on podcasts, issued inflammatory written statements, and leaked data (together with, remarkably, paperwork as banal as doc preservation calls for to 3rd events) to the Hollywood press and tabloid media.”
The couple’s legal professionals additionally alleged that most of the public statements made by Freedman, “not solely proceed the marketing campaign of retaliation that was the topic of Ms. Energetic’s First Stop and Desist, however they comprise quite a few new false statements about Ms. Energetic and others.”
International Information has not independently seen the authorized paperwork.
In a press release to International Information on Jan. 22, Freedman stated his workforce launched the footage as a result of “Baldoni workout routines his proper to publicly defend himself by placing forth precise details and proof.”
“Previous to submitting her lawsuit in courtroom, Ms. Energetic went to The New York Occasions in an effort to publicly destroy Justin Baldoni. When Mr. Baldoni workout routines his proper to publicly defend himself by placing forth precise details and proof, for Ms. Energetic and workforce this immediately turns into morally and ethically improper,” the assertion learn.
“Ms. Energetic needs very totally different requirements to use to her however thankfully, reality and authenticity apply to everybody and might by no means be improper. Trying on the video and the proof to come back, I can perceive why Ms. Energetic would now, not need this to play out in public.”
On Jan. 27, Decide Liman set a March 9, 2026 trial date and moved an preliminary convention from mid-February to this week as the general public feud between Energetic and Baldoni continues to develop. He instructed legal professionals to be ready to handle complaints about pretrial publicity and lawyer conduct.
Energetic and Reynolds haven’t responded publicly to the web site as of this writing.
—With recordsdata from International Information’ Michelle Butterfield, Reuters and The Related Press