Hollywood drama usually stays behind closed doors or gets buried under layers of PR gloss. Not this time. The Blake Lively Justin Baldoni transcript dispute has basically torn the lid off the It Ends With Us production, turning a box-office hit into a messy, multi-million dollar legal battlefield. Honestly, it's rare to see A-listers trading blows in court filings with this much venom.
One side is claiming sexual harassment and a "hostile work environment." The other is firing back with accusations of "creative hijacking" and a $400 million countersuit. It's a lot.
The core of the current friction centers on a 292-page deposition transcript from July 2024. This isn't just a boring legal document; it’s the record of a day-long, high-stakes interrogation where Lively had to answer for every allegation under penalty of perjury. While the movie was busy making money, the people who made it were busy making enemies.
The 292-Page Showdown: Why the Transcript Matters
In August 2025, things got incredibly heated when Baldoni’s legal team tried to push the entire rough draft of Lively’s deposition into the public record. Lively’s lawyers didn't just object—they went nuclear. They accused Baldoni of using "counsel-as-PR-agent" tactics to manufacture a media circus. Basically, they argued that by filing nearly 300 pages when only two were relevant to the specific motion, Baldoni was trying to "force" the transcript into the public domain to embarrass her.
The judge, Lewis J. Liman, eventually stepped in. He agreed that the Wayfarer parties (Baldoni’s team) had "abused the court’s docket" by filing such a massive amount of irrelevant material. He struck the full transcript but allowed a smaller, redacted version to be unsealed.
💡 You might also like: Rhonda Ross Kendrick Movies and TV Shows: Why Her Career Is More Than Just a Famous Last Name
When that snippet finally hit the light of day, it didn't disappoint the gossip hounds.
In one tense exchange, a lawyer asked Lively when the "smear campaign" against her ended. Her response? "It doesn’t feel like it’s ended." She straight-up told the attorney she believed his firm was part of the retaliation. You don't see that every day. Usually, actors play nice for the cameras and let the lawyers do the grumbling in private. Here, the grumbling is the lead story.
Buckingham Palace and the "Celebrity" Office
Just recently, in January 2026, more details leaked from these transcripts that made the rounds on social media. Baldoni claimed that during production, Lively insisted on holding meetings at her penthouse in Manhattan. According to him, she called her home office "Buckingham Palace" because of how many celebrities constantly walked through the doors.
It sounds like a small detail, right?
But in the context of a lawsuit, it’s being used to paint a picture of an unconventional—and allegedly uncomfortable—work environment. Baldoni’s team is trying to show that Lively was the one calling the shots, setting the location, and creating the "vibe" of the production meetings. Meanwhile, Lively’s side argues that Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her body and shared unsolicited details about his past, including a "pornography addiction," which she says created a toxic atmosphere while she was pregnant with her fourth child.
Creative Control or Creative Hijacking?
There’s also the Ryan Reynolds of it all. The Blake Lively Justin Baldoni transcript dispute frequently circles back to how much influence Lively’s husband had on the film. Baldoni alleged that he felt "ambushed" during meetings at Lively’s home. He even claimed that Reynolds and Taylor Swift were used as leverage to force him into accepting Lively’s specific edits of the movie.
- The Rooftop Scene: This is the big one. Reynolds reportedly wrote a major chunk of the dialogue for the pivotal rooftop scene. Baldoni apparently wasn't thrilled about the "outside" help.
- The Final Cut: Reports suggest there were two different versions of the movie. One backed by Baldoni, and another "Lively cut." We know which one hit theaters.
Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit—which was initially tossed but remains a shadow over the proceedings—alleged that Lively used "false sexual harassment claims" to push him out of the editing room. It's a heavy accusation. He claims he was barred from the premiere and his preferred editors were fired.
👉 See also: The Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard and Soft Photoshoot: What Really Happened Underwater
What the Leaks Tell Us About the "Smear Campaign"
Lively’s primary argument is that once she reported the harassment, Baldoni and his PR team, specifically Melissa Nathan of The Agency Group, launched a "social manipulation" campaign to destroy her reputation. The transcripts include allegations that Baldoni’s team discussed how they could "bury anyone" and looked at viral threads of other celebrities being "canceled" as a blueprint for what they needed to do to Blake.
On the flip side, the public backlash during the press tour was very real. People criticized Lively for her "tone-deaf" marketing, like promoting her hair care line and floral business alongside a movie about domestic violence. Baldoni’s team argues this wasn't a "smear campaign" they created—it was just the public reacting to her own choices.
It’s a classic "he-said, she-said" but with hundreds of millions of dollars and two major Hollywood reputations on the line.
Actionable Insights: Navigating the Fallout
If you're following this saga, it's important to separate the tabloid noise from the legal reality. Here is how to look at the situation as it moves toward the March 2026 trial date:
- Monitor the Unsealing Orders: The court is still deciding which parts of the 200+ page depositions will stay private. Watch for "Motion to Seal" filings, as these usually precede a new "leak" or official release of testimony.
- Verify the Source: Much of the "leaked audio" and "unseen footage" circulating on TikTok is being framed by either Lively’s or Baldoni’s PR machines. Always check if the footage is an official court exhibit before taking the captions at face value.
- Understand the Legal Threshold: For Lively to win, she has to prove the workplace was objectively hostile. For Baldoni to win a defamation claim, he has to prove "actual malice"—that she knew her claims were false when she made them. That is a very high bar for both sides.
The March 2026 trial is expected to see both actors take the stand. Given the "Buckingham Palace" and "smear campaign" revelations we've already seen from the transcripts, the actual testimony is likely to be even more explosive. Keep an eye on the Southern District of New York's public docket for the most accurate updates as the trial approaches.