Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni: How a Hollywood Lawsuit Turned Into a CIA-Level PR War

In Hollywood, scandals usually fade as quickly as they flare up. But Blake Lively’s explosive legal war against actor-director Justin Baldoni has morphed into something bigger, darker, and far messier than anyone expected. What began as a lawsuit alleging harassment behind the scenes of It Ends With Us has spiraled into a full-blown crisis—complete with late-night TV mockery, redacted HR leaks, and rival PR machines so powerful they look less like celebrity handlers and more like intelligence agencies preparing for covert operations.

The drama has reached the point where Saturday Night Live, late-night hosts, and even political commentators are piling in, treating Blake and her husband Ryan Reynolds less like Hollywood’s golden couple and more like the butt of a running national joke. Meanwhile, Baldoni—once an easy target and the underdog in this saga—has quietly been notching wins where they actually matter: in court.

Welcome to the Hollywood legal cage match no one saw coming.

The Colin Jost Strike: Comedy Meets Revenge

The turning point came when Colin Jost returned to SNL with a brutal one-liner aimed squarely at Blake Lively. For context: Jost is married to Scarlett Johansson, who just happens to be Ryan Reynolds’s ex-wife. And if the rumors are true, Reynolds allegedly torpedoed his marriage to Johansson by having an affair with—yes—Blake Lively back in 2010.

That’s why Jost’s little “throwaway” joke wasn’t random shade; it was a targeted missile. He compared Baldoni’s willingness to work with Lively again to something as absurd as salvaging Trump’s relationship with Volodymyr Zelensky. The audience laughed. Jost smirked. And Hollywood insiders gasped, knowing full well the joke was dripping with history and betrayal.

SNL didn’t just mock Blake; they weaponized the history of her marriage. They let Ryan Reynolds make jokes about her lawsuit during the 50th Anniversary special—and now they’ve opened the door for others to roast her regularly. That’s not coincidence. That’s strategy.

The Hollywood Loyalty Test

Early on, Hollywood seemed united behind Lively. When her lawsuit dropped, Baldoni was unfollowed en masse by co-stars, producers, and even high-profile allies like Colleen Hoover and Liz Plank. Social media was flooded with statements of solidarity for Blake.

But as more cracks in her claims appeared, the tide began to shift. Cast members quietly deleted posts. Media outlets stopped championing her narrative. And SNL—arguably the biggest stage for cultural commentary—made the editorial decision to paint her not as a victim, but as a punchline.

Why the switch? Because for all her star power, the lawsuit is looking increasingly shaky. A redacted HR complaint that recently leaked online raised more questions than answers. Key names and dates were blacked out. Sony flatly denied ever receiving harassment complaints. Wayfarer Studios, Baldoni’s company, said the same. Without corroborating voices from the alleged victims, the entire foundation of her case looks vulnerable.

In short: Hollywood smells weakness, and in this town, loyalty is as fleeting as a box office hit.

Enter the Spies: Blake’s CIA-Level Response

Realizing her brand was hemorrhaging, Blake made a jaw-dropping move. She brought in Nick Shapiro—a former CIA Deputy Chief of Staff and national security spokesperson for the Obama administration—to run her crisis communications strategy. Yes, Blake Lively now has a man who once dealt with terrorism threats, cyberattacks, and international espionage handling her PR against Justin Baldoni.

It sounds absurd, but the decision says everything about where Blake’s head is at: she knows she’s in crisis mode. You don’t call in a counterterrorism veteran unless you’re desperate to regain control of the narrative.

Of course, critics immediately pointed out Shapiro’s controversial past—including his role in the widely debated Hunter Biden laptop saga, where he and other intelligence officials signed a letter suggesting the story had “all the hallmarks of Russian disinformation.” If Blake wanted someone who could operate in the shadows and spin narratives under fire, she found the right guy. But to outsiders, it smacks of desperation and damage control rather than confidence in her case.

Baldoni’s Trump Card: The Depp Playbook

But here’s where the battle gets fascinating. Months before Blake even filed her lawsuit, Baldoni was already preparing for war. In August, he quietly hired Melissa Nathan, a powerhouse crisis manager best known for guiding Johnny Depp through his career-defining trial against Amber Heard. Nathan’s firm, The Agency Group, represents A-list names like Drake, Logan Paul, and The Chainsmokers. She knows how to flip the public script.

This wasn’t a panicked move; it was a calculated one. Baldoni clearly anticipated Lively’s strategy and decided to arm himself with the very playbook that helped Depp go from Hollywood pariah to public vindication. And so far, it’s working.

While Blake has been ridiculed on SNL and questioned in the press, Baldoni has been stacking up courtroom victories. The biggest came when Judge Lewis Lyman denied Blake’s request for two years of his phone records, calling the subpoena “overly intrusive” and irrelevant to the timeframe of her claims. Lively’s attempt to go fishing for dirt was slapped down, leaving Baldoni’s legal team celebrating and her side scrambling.

PR Spin Wars: CIA vs. Depp’s PR Queen

Now the two camps are locked in a high-stakes PR arms race.

On one side, Blake has the ex-CIA officer Shapiro, spinning her setbacks as wins and planting sympathetic articles across Hollywood trades. When her subpoena for Baldoni’s phone logs was denied, outlets close to her team still framed it as a “partial victory.” But the reality is simple: it was a major loss.

On the other side, Baldoni has Nathan, who’s been quietly positioning him as a victim of a smear campaign, unfairly targeted by Hollywood elites who blindly sided with Lively out of fear of losing their social clout. It’s the same underdog narrative Depp used to devastating effect, and so far, it’s sticking.

Ryan Reynolds: The Husband Who Made It Worse

Then there’s Ryan Reynolds, who may have torpedoed his wife’s case without even realizing it. At the SNL 50th Anniversary, he cracked a joke about Blake’s lawsuit that landed like a lead balloon. Social media lit up with outrage, accusing him of mocking his wife’s pain. Instead of defending her, he handed critics ammunition.

To Lively’s opponents, it was proof that even Reynolds doesn’t take the case seriously. To her supporters, it was an inexplicable betrayal. Either way, it backfired spectacularly and gave SNL the excuse to keep Blake’s lawsuit as a running joke.

The Leaked HR Document: Smoking Gun or Empty Prop?

Adding to the chaos is the mysterious HR complaint document circulating online. Redacted beyond usefulness, it was supposed to bolster Lively’s claims by proving multiple co-stars reported harassment. Instead, it created more doubt. Why redact dates? Why block out names? Sony and Wayfarer both deny receiving any complaints. Without clarity, the document looks less like evidence and more like a staged prop leaked to the press.

And in a courtroom, perception matters as much as proof. The optics of hiding key information only weakens Lively’s position.

What’s Really at Stake

The trial is set for March 2026, but the court of public opinion will shape the outcome long before a verdict is read. This is no longer just Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni—it’s a Hollywood-wide referendum on who controls the narrative.

For Lively, a loss could mean more than legal fees. It could mean permanent reputational damage, turning her from A-list star into a cautionary tale. For Baldoni, victory could transform him from an overlooked actor into a vindicated survivor of Hollywood’s cutthroat politics, giving him the same cultural resurgence Johnny Depp enjoyed.

And for Hollywood itself, this battle exposes the way PR manipulation, media loyalty, and even late-night comedy are weaponized in modern celebrity warfare.

The Final Act Is Still Unwritten

So whose side are you on? Blake, the actress-turned-victim whose every move now looks increasingly desperate? Or Baldoni, the underdog who hired the right people early and now seems to be winning both legally and publicly?

One thing’s certain: this isn’t a simple lawsuit anymore. It’s a spectacle involving A-list marriages, intelligence operatives, and media gamesmanship at the highest level. With the trial still over a year away, the twists will only get darker.

Hollywood loves a redemption arc—but it also loves watching its idols fall. And right now, Blake Lively is teetering on the edge of both.

Full video: