Now Reading: Kiss Scandal: Justin Baldoni accuses Blake Lively of improvising a kiss in a deleted scene
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Kiss Scandal: Justin Baldoni accuses Blake Lively of improvising a kiss in a deleted scene
Kiss Scandal: Justin Baldoni accuses Blake Lively of improvising a kiss in a deleted scene
The ongoing legal battle surrounding the highly anticipated film, It Ends With Us, has intensified with Justin Baldoni’s legal team submitting evidence suggesting co-star and director Blake Lively improvised an unscripted kiss. Baldoni, who is being sued by Lively for sexual harassment and retaliation, is using this evidence to argue for the dismissal of her case.
The Unscripted Kiss Allegation
Justin Baldoni’s attorneys claim that Blake Lively, who plays Lily opposite Baldoni’s Ryle in the adaptation of the popular novel, implemented a kiss during filming that was never mandated by the original script.
The core evidence supporting this assertion is a one-minute clip of a deleted scene, which was revealed as part of a motion for summary judgment filed by the Wayfarer parties on November 13. The clip captures Baldoni and Lively filming a hospital scene that includes a brief kiss.
According to reports, Baldoni’s lawyers assert that Lively “supervised” the scene, which was filmed in May 2023. They argue that Lively “herself added to the script, in which her character kissed Baldoni’s character in every take, although there was no kiss in the script”.
This recent claim marks a shift in Baldoni’s defense strategy regarding the timeline of events. In a $400 million lawsuit Baldoni filed in January 2025 (which was later dismissed), his legal team had previously stated that the only kissing scenes filmed prior to the Hollywood strikes were explicitly written into the script. At that time, they emphasized: “These kissing scenes were not improvised”. However, Baldoni’s current legal filings identify this specific hospital scene, featuring Lively’s alleged unscripted kiss, as having been filmed before the strike break on May 19, 2023.
Lively’s Prior Complaint: “No More Improvised Kisses”
The video evidence is being leveraged by Baldoni’s legal team to suggest that Lively was participating in unplanned kissing even before she formally complained about the behavior.
When the production of It Ends With Us was preparing to resume filming after the major Hollywood strikes, Lively met with Baldoni and the producers in January 2024. During this crucial meeting, Lively presented a lengthy list of conditions necessary for her return to the project.
Crucially, one of the key conditions listed in Lively’s complaint was “no more improvised kisses”. Her complaint specifically addresses inappropriate and improvised kisses allegedly occurring during the first period of filming, before the strike break.
Social media posts circulated shortly after the revelation of the deleted scene, focusing on Baldoni’s alleged distress during the filming of the controversial scene. One post asserts that after Lively “pushes herself on Justin Baldoni,” he calls “cut” and displays a look of displeasure. Quotes attributed to Baldoni at the time expressed his reluctance: “The last thing I want to do is kiss that woman”. The posts, in presenting this context, question who, in fact, was the victim of sexual harassment.
The Traumatic Confrontation with Ryan Reynolds
Adding a layer of dramatic personal conflict to the legal dispute are recently revealed text messages from Baldoni detailing a highly tense meeting with Blake Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, in January 2024. Baldoni described the confrontation as “traumatic”.
The messages, which were presented in court documents, recount a deeply personal and strained encounter that took place at Reynolds and Lively’s New York City apartment. Baldoni sent the text message, dated January 5, 2024, to fellow actor Rainn Wilson. This was just one day before filming was scheduled to resume after the conclusion of the Hollywood strikes.
Baldoni recounted the intensity of the meeting, writing that Reynolds “spoke to me like I was a five-year-old and scolded me”. He claimed that Reynolds and Lively suggested that he and Jamey Heath were untrustworthy, arguing that running a podcast was dangerous because it fostered a false sense of security in listeners.
Baldoni stated that Reynolds read a list of accusations from a phone, many of which were vaguely rooted in fact but were “completely taken out of context”. Baldoni alleges that the words “disgusting” and “abusivo” were used to characterize his behavior. Furthermore, he claims he was given a prepared written apology to read aloud, but he found himself unable to do so.
The director conveyed his emotional distress in the messages, noting, “It’s hard to feel like so much of what they believe about me is false because they’re so convinced that it’s real”. He felt “emotionally paralyzed,” an experience he had not undergone in years. Baldoni expressed a powerful internal conflict: he wanted to “run and blow up this whole movie” because he felt the situation was unjust, but the only perceived path forward was to “acknowledge their feelings and Ryan’s, apologize and endure the wrath of an angry husband”. He felt he couldn’t even manage the apology correctly.
Baldoni’s texts also referenced Lively’s perspective, stating, “They told us this was the worst experience of her life,” and that others had witnessed the “disturbing” behavior on set.
The Alleged Trigger: A Question About Weight
Baldoni offered an explanation for the escalating tensions that led to the confrontation with Reynolds. According to Baldoni, the conflict was triggered by a seemingly practical, work-related query.
Due to a scene requiring his character to lift Lively’s character, and considering Baldoni’s own history of back problems, he reportedly asked the trainer about Lively’s weight. Baldoni claims that the trainer then relayed this question to Lively, who subsequently informed Reynolds, which allegedly ignited the fierce confrontation.
Legal Motions and Public Speculation
The lawsuit is currently barreling toward a scheduled trial in March, where both Baldoni and Lively are expected to testify.
On November 13, Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties filed a motion for summary judgment, imploring Judge Lewis J. Liman to issue a ruling in their favor without the necessity of a full trial. Judge Liman has yet to issue a ruling on this request.
Lively’s legal team has also made moves, asserting in a November 12 filing that they possess “ample evidence of retaliation”. They argue that the defendants (Wayfarer and Wallace parties) amplified, perpetuated, planted, or manipulated “negative content” about Lively.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, reiterated their commitment in a November 4 statement, confirming that they are focused on Ms. Lively’s claims and remain dedicated to pursuing the truth through all available legal and factual avenues, looking forward to their day in court.
The highly public nature of the dispute has fueled considerable speculation among onlookers. Theories circulating online suggest that Lively may have developed an unreciprocated “crush” on Baldoni, which her husband, Ryan Reynolds, subsequently discovered. This theory posits that Reynolds initiated a calculated effort for “damage control” to protect the couple’s image, possibly coercing Lively into filing the lawsuit. Commenters have expressed concern that the high-profile nature of this specific case unfairly undermines women who are genuine victims of abuse.
