Justin Baldoni and his wife, Emily Baldoni, stayed publicly silent for nearly two years as his dispute with Blake Lively played out under intense scrutiny. Through accusations, lawsuits, and endless public discussion, the couple largely kept their thoughts to themselves.
Now, that silence has finally ended. In a deeply personal message, Justin and Emily spoke about “injustice,” pain, and “a lot of trauma”. The message revealed why they waited so long to say anything at all. But perhaps the biggest hint came when they made it clear that this first statement does not tell the whole story.
Justin Baldoni And Emily Baldoni Reveal What Kept Them From Speaking Earlier
Emily and Justin addressed the public together in an Instagram video shared on Wednesday, July 8. It opened by making clear that their long silence was never due to a lack of things to say. “We have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years, and it’s not because we haven’t had anything to say.”
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Their comments follow a legal dispute that began in December 2024, when Lively sued Baldoni and others connected to ‘It Ends with Us‘. Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm, accusing them of defamation and breach of contract. The court later dismissed his suit.
He then revealed that the couple had repeatedly considered making a public statement but never felt comfortable going through with it. “Because lord knows we have, but it just felt like every time we went to make a video like this, we wanted to speak, something was telling us not to,” he continues.
“It just didn’t feel like the right time, and we were talking about it and feeling into it and praying about it.” Emily now believes that moment has arrived. “This feels like the moment,” she said, adding, “There’s so much to say.”
Gratitude Could Not Erase What The Couple Had Been Through
The couple did not use their first public message to go through every detail of the dispute. And Justin didn’t even mention Lively by name. Emily instead reflected on the support they had received, expressing “immense gratitude for … so many people and so many things that have happened to us.”
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Justin summed up how important that feeling had become for them, saying, “Gratitude has saved us.” But Emily made it clear that thankfulness existed alongside a much more painful experience. She said it “doesn’t negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years. We’ve had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things, like how could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women. So much to unpack.”
She also described what they had lived through as “a lot of trauma,” which has made speaking openly difficult. Justin acknowledged that even this video came with uncertainty. “We don’t even know if this is the right thing to say,” he says.
“We just know we need to share something. What I will say is that there have been so many painful things that have been spoken into existence over the last couple of years. That created so much noise, and we didn’t want to add to the noise. So we just wanted to let the justice system run its course.” Emily then added that “the truth and the facts have spoken for themselves.”
The Couple Is Healing As The Legal Blake Lively Fallout Continues
Justin said the couple is now trying to move forward without pretending that recovery happens quickly. “We are healing. If you’ve ever been through something traumatic, you know that healing isn’t linear. It looks different every day. We have had to rethink for ourselves what is real, and what matters. It’s this. It’s our family, it’s our friends, it’s our community, who have been there for us, it’s our faith.”
He also said that he and Emily have become “closer, more devoted, and steadfast in our faith than we’ve ever been.” Emily left the door open for another conversation in the future, saying, “There’s so much more to say. The time will come. But for now, we are going to focus on continuing the healing and hanging out with our kiddos and enjoying life.”
Their decision to speak came after attorneys for both sides announced a settlement on May 4, ending the legal battle before a New York trial scheduled for May 18. “The end product, the movie ‘It Ends With Us’, is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,” attorneys for both sides said. “Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors, and all survivors, is a goal that we stand behind.”
The joint statement continued, “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”
Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios attorney Bryan Freedman later called the outcome a “total victory.” A May 8 filing from Wayfarer’s attorneys said Lively dismissed her remaining claims “without the Wayfarer Defendants paying a cent” of the $300 million she had sought. However, a federal judge later ruled that Lively can seek attorneys’ fees and costs connected to Baldoni’s countersuit. And any claim for treble or punitive damages would require a separate lawsuit or counterclaim. On June 30, Lively sought more than $8 million in legal fees.
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