Justin Baldoni Claims Former Publicist ‘Initiated’ Legal War With Blake Lively

This time around, Baldoni has taken aim at his former publicist, Stephanie Jones, who he believes leaked the text messages that sparked Lively’s lawsuit.

This comes after Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds asked a judge to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against them.

According to VarietyBaldoni’s former publicist, Stephanie Jones, has become the latest person to get dragged into his legal war with Lively.

Jones was a representative of Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios last year when reports of a rumored rift between the actor and Lively started swirling.

At her company, Joneswork PR, she worked alongside Baldoni’s current publicist, Jennifer Abel, who is also suing her.

The duo claim Jones “initiated” the legal war by allegedly leaking Abel’s text messages to Lively’s team.

“It is undeniable that Stephanie Jones initiated this catastrophic sequence of events by violating the most basic of privacy rights, as well as any remaining trust her clients held,” Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman said in a statement to the publication.

He continued, “No stranger to stirring up crisis scenarios for departing clients, Ms. Jones maliciously turned over communications from the phone she wrongfully took from her own partner to her cohort, (Lively’s personal publicist) Leslie Sloane, immediately after Jones was terminated for cause by Wayfarer due to her own wrongful behavior.”

In December 2024, the rumored feud between Lively and Baldoni was inadvertently confirmed when the actress filed a lawsuit accusing the “It Ends With Us” director of sexual harassment and fostering a toxic work environment.

Lively also claimed that he caused her “severe emotional distress” with his behavior on the set of their film.

She alleged that tensions reached a boiling point, prompting a meeting to address her complaints against the director.

During the meeting, Lively requested that there be “no more showing nude videos or images of women” to her and that there be “no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous’ pornography addiction.'”

The actress also demanded “no more discussions about sexual conquests” in her presence, “no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia,” and the cessation of conversations about her weight or her late father.

Additionally, Lively called for the cutting of any more “sex scenes, oral sex, or on-camera climaxing” by Baldoni “outside the scope of the script (he) approved when signing onto the project.”

Shortly after Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni hit the actress with a hefty lawsuit, alleging that she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, tried to “destroy” him.

According to legal documents obtained by VarietyBaldoni filed a 179-page complaint in the Southern District of New York, accusing the Hollywood power couple of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.

“At bottom, this is not a case about celebrities sniping at each other in the press,” Baldoni’s lawsuit read at the time. “This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio… When Plaintiffs have their day in court, the jury will recognize that even the most powerful celebrity cannot bend the truth to her will.”

The actor sought $400 million in damages. Before filing his countersuit, Baldoni’s lawyer sent out a litigation hold letter to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and director Tim Miller regarding the actor’s “anticipated claims” against Reynolds, Lively, and other unnamed parties.

The letter demanded that the studio executives keep “any and all documents relating to the development of the Nicepool character” and “communications relating to the development, writing, and filming of storylines and scenes featuring Nicepool.”

Reynolds recently asked that a judge let him out of Baldoni and Lively’s bitter legal battle.

In court documents obtained by TMZthe actor claimed that Baldoni’s decision to file a lawsuit against him was fueled by his “thin-skinned outrage over a movie character.”

The comment was in reference to the “Deadpool & Wolverine” character, “Nicepool,” whom Baldoni has alleged was an intentional reference to him, down to the character’s man-bun hairstyle.

Reynolds further states that his calling Baldoni a “predator” is an opinion protected by law, doubling down on the allegation that the director sexually harassed Lively.

“Mr. Reynolds has a First Amendment right to hold Mr. Baldoni— or any man who Mr. Reynolds believes sexually harassed his wife—in ‘deep disdain,'” the documents read. “The Court should dismiss the defamation claim as to Mr. Reynolds with prejudice because the Predator Statements are expressions of opinion that deserve ‘absolute protection’ by law.”

Lively’s attorneys have also filed for all cases against the actress to be dropped, tagging Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit as “vengeful and rambling.”

They claim his countersuit is a “profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court.”

“The law prohibits weaponizing defamation lawsuits, like this one, to retaliate against individuals who have filed legal claims or have publicly spoken out about sexual harassment and retaliation,” the documents read.

“The right to seek legal redress and the right of the press to report on it are sacred principles that are protected by multiple privileges, including the litigation and fair report privileges, which are absolute,” it continued, per the Daily Mail.

In response to Lively’s latest request,  Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman, said, “Lively’s recent motion to dismiss herself from the self-concocted disaster she initiated is one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system.”

He added, “Stringent rules are put into place to protect the innocent and allow individuals to rightfully defend themselves.”