Winter is coming for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni ? It seems so, since “Game of Thrones” it is now part of their legal battle.
Baldoni sued Lively — her co-star in “It’s Like It Ends” and her husband Ryan Reynolds — claiming the Hollywood couple tried to “destroy” him after Lively accused him of harassment during the film’s production, which he denied.
Baldoni’s lawsuit, which seeks $400 million (approximately R$2 billion) and a jury trial, is just the latest in the saga that began in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint with the US Department of Civil Rights. California v. Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and a coordinated “plan” seeking to “destroy” his reputation.
The New York Times published a detailed report on her complaint the next day. Baldoni then sued the New York Times for US$250 million (approximately R$1.5 million), accusing the newspaper of working with Lively’s team to publish a one-sided article that benefited the actress and contained doctored evidence.
The New York Times denied Baldoni’s allegations and said it stands by its reporting. Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, who in turn sued her again this week.
Lively’s legal team told CNN, in a statement on Thursday (16), that Baldoni’s lawsuit “is another chapter in the abuser’s playbook. This is an old story: a woman speaks out with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser tries to turn the tables on the victim.”
Included in Baldoni’s 179-page lawsuit are sample text messages that he and his legal team claim prove their case.
One text allegedly has Lively referencing “Game of Thrones.”
“If you watch ‘Game of Thrones’, you will be pleased to know that I am Khaleesi and, like her, I have some dragons”, says the text, according to the process obtained by CNN. “For better or worse, but usually for better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for. So, in truth, we all benefit from these beautiful monsters of mine. You will benefit too, I can assure you.”
THE CNN did not independently verify the text messages included in Baldoni or Lively’s lawsuits.
“Khaleesi” references the character Daenerys Targaryen from the beloved novels of George R. R. Martin which were adapted by HBO into the popular television series “Game of Thrones”.
The “dragons” were apparently a reference to Reynolds and Lively’s close friend, the singer Taylor Swift .
One of the other text messages included in Baldoni’s lawsuit appears to show an exchange between Baldoni and Lively about the film’s script: “I really loved what you did. It really helps a lot. It makes everything much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt this way without Ryan and Taylor),” Baldoni wrote with a wink emoji. “You really are a talent in every aspect. Really excited and grateful to do this together.”
According to Baldoni’s lawsuit, a screenshot of a text message shows that Lively then replied to Baldoni, “That’s much appreciated,” and then wrote, “We’re in this together.” In the same text message, Lively later wrote, “I have no reasons except you win. As an actor. Like a studio. As a writer. If you win, I win. If you win, our film wins. We are aligned. And I will give everything I have to it.”
Baldoni’s text message does not include “Taylor’s” last name. THE CNN reached out to representatives for Baldoni, Lively, Reynolds and Taylor Swift to ask if the “Taylor” mentioned in Baldoni’s message is, in fact, Swift.
As the legal dispute grows to include multiple lawsuits, lawyers and crisis PR professionals, the court of public opinion appears to have no shortage of villains in Lively and Baldoni’s drama.
Lively and Baldoni co-star as the central couple in “That’s How It Ends,” which explores themes of violence based on characters from Coleen Hoover’s hit 2016 novel of the same name. Baldoni also served as the film’s director, while Lively is credited as producer .
Justin Baldoni sues newspaper for R$1.5 billion over affair with Blake Lively
With information from CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister.
This content was originally published in Blake Lively x Baldoni: see alleged messages exchanged between actors on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
