Justin Baldoni claims in a new court filing that he was deeply shaken by his alleged contact with Blake Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds.
In evidence found in legal documents obtained by People on Thursday, the Seraph of the End director wrote in a text message that he was left “emotionally numb” after being “ambushed” by Reynolds and Lively at his New York City apartment in January 2024.
“Ryan was talking to me like a 5-year-old and scolding me,” Baldoni wrote in a text to Rainn Wilson, recalling an incident she claims happened the night before.
“They essentially said that Jamie (Heath) and I were not who we claimed to be and that doing the podcast was dangerous because it would make people think we were safe.”
According to People magazine, Baldoni claimed that the “Free Guy” actor, 49, listed the allegations “totally out of context” on the phone during the encounter.
“It’s hard to feel that so much of what they believe about me is a lie, because they believe it too much to be real. … I was emotionally numb, something I haven’t experienced in years,” he wrote in the text.
“My brain was in agony because what I wanted to say and what I wanted to do was blow up this whole movie, because this felt so unfair,” the actor continued.
“Yet, the only way forward was to acknowledge her and Ryan’s feelings, apologize, and take the wrath of an angry husband. Well, I couldn’t even do that right. I prayed and prayed and prayed for the words, and the words never came, and in that moment I felt abandoned by God, even though I knew that wasn’t what happened.”
Baldoni also wrote that the complaint included a description of his actions in the domestic violence movie as “abusive.”
“I was told this was the worst experience of her life,” he wrote about his co-star. “And others witnessed this behavior as well…The behavior on our set was creepy.”
Representatives for Lively and Reynolds did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Lively, 38, sued Baldoni, 41, in December 2024 for sexual harassment and retaliation, seeking millions of dollars in damages for emotional distress.
Baldoni has denied any wrongdoing in the case and filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively, Reynolds and others in January. However, it was rejected by a judge in June. The trial is scheduled to take place in New York in March 2026.
Baldoni’s meeting with the “Deadpool” star was previously included in Baldoni’s January indictment.
In it, Baldoni claims the “Just Friends” star “started a riot,” which Baldoni recalled as a “traumatic” interaction.
Baldoni claimed that the conflict occurred after he asked a trainer how much she weighed during a scene in which he had to lift Lively, who had back problems.
Lively allegedly heard about the question from her trainer and then warned her husband, leading to a tense confrontation.
Baldoni’s lawyer wrote at the time that Reynolds’ “abuse” was “inappropriate and humiliating” and occurred “while other celebrity friends were in and out of the penthouse” in New York.
Mr. Baldoni’s lawyer, Brian Friedman, told Page Six in January that Mr. Reynolds’ alleged reprimand was “harsh,” “vehement,” and “angry,” but stressed that Mr. Baldoni did not “aggressively reprimand” Mr. Baldoni.
“The definition of reprimand is to scold or criticize in anger,” Friedman said.
