Ryan Reynolds slams 'dumb-dumb' Justin Baldoni in rant crediting Blake Lively for success of It Ends with Us
- Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.com
- READ MORE: Lively calls Reynolds 'best friend' amid rumored rift with Swift
- READ MORE: Lively anointed home 'Buckingham Palace' referring to A-listers
Ryan Reynolds called Justin Baldoni a 'dumb-dumb' and said his wife Blake Lively was responsible for the box office success of It Ends with Us, in a series of newly-unsealed text messages.
'She WILLED this weekend into reality,' the Deadpool star, 49, said of Lively, 38, in a chat with agent Warren Zavala on August 9, 2024 - around the same time It Ends with Us had a stellar box office debut.
Reynolds complained about the actor-director, 41, and his associates not taking the public hit after initial reports of tension on the film set began to circulate, in newly-unsealed court documents reviewed by Daily Mail in the litigation between Lively and Baldoni.
'Baldoni and these other buckets of dumb-dumb-juice should be acknowledging the speculation and gossip themselves,' Reynolds said. 'They should be jumping in front of it in the most full throated, unqualified way. Now.'
In the exchange, Reynolds speculated on strategies to shield his wife from bad publicity, stating she 'should not be subjected to some eye-roll-y narrative of the "controlling b****", amid early reports of dissension during production.
Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Reynolds, Lively and Baldoni for further comment on the story.
IRyan Reynolds, 49, called Justin Baldoni, 41, a 'dumb-dumb,' and said his wife Blake Lively, 38, was responsible for the success of It Ends with Us at the box office, in a series of newly-unsealed text messages; Seen in 2024
Reynolds complained about Baldoni and his associates not taking the public hit after initial reports of tension on the set of the film began to circulate; Baldoni pictured in LA in 2024
Reynolds said Baldoni and his team 'should be protecting' Lively, adding, 'They can and should accept the consequences of their actions and lean into the countless and willfully gross behavior before it leans into them.'
'They made a big f***ing mess. Blake - under NO CIRCUMSTANCES - should be asked to clean up this sloppy, cliched f***storm.'
Reynolds said he was 'super frustrated because this is a moment in which Blake should be celebrating,' as 'she made this unbelievable win happen.
'She made this a win for Sony and by proxy, Wayfarer.'
Reynolds said that Lively 'f***ing refused to give up on the film' as she 'didn't sleep' and 'missed countless moments with her kids while sitting in edit rooms, scrapping and frame f***ing dailies for every square inch of quality.'
The Vancouver, Canada native said his spouse 'slammed together a recipe for success despite working with ingredients she wasn't even able to choose.
'All this while masterminding a world class marketing and promo plan for a movie that's punching so far above its weight I've lost descriptors to even describe what's happening.'
Reynolds said that Baldoni had tension with others involved with the making of the motion picture.
Lively 'slammed together a recipe for success despite working with ingredients she wasn't even able to choose,' her husband said; Lively pictured in June 2025 in NYC
'Baldoni and these other buckets of dumb-dumb-juice should be acknowledging the speculation and gossip themselves,' Reynolds said; Lively and Reynolds seen at the film's premiere in NYC in 2024
'Every cast member and key crew member (including Colleen) won't be in the same room as the guy,' Reynolds wrote. 'All of them have at some point, over the last six months, unfollowed him on social media.
'Not one person has said Justin's name out loud in any interview at any time.'
Johnny Depp's name also surfaced in the texts, as Reynolds said he didn't think Depp's relative silence amid his initial fallout with Amber Heard made for an effective game plan in dealing with a potential public relations mess.
Reynolds said of staying quiet amid scandal, 'How'd that work out for Depp??' to which Zavala said, 'Not well. Cratered both of them ultimately.'
Reynolds also put his comedic chops to work in crafting a hypothetical letter he felt Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath should have issued publicly to take the early hit.
The parody letter read, 'Our behavior on the set of IEWU was abhorrent and not even close to standards and respect both Colleen Hoover and Blake Lively deserve.'
'To say nothing of the entire cast and crew who bravely pushed their way through an unnecessarily challenging shoot.'
Reynolds said Baldoni and his camp should have told the public that they 'were working to better understand how we fostered a workplace environment so lacking boundaries, guardrails, respect and in many incidents, decency.
It Ends with Us earned $148 million in domestic box office and $350 million globally - but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars
'Our aim is take real accountability which extends beyond performative virtue signaling. The success of IEWU isn't because of our involvement. The film is succeeding in spite of it.'
Reynolds said Baldoni and his team should have said that 'the warmth and love audiences are showing this film are in large measure due to the skillful work of Colleen Hoover and Blake Lively, who dedicated themselves to a radically accelerated post production process.'
Reynolds said of Baldoni and Heath, 'If I were those two guys, I'd be jumping in front of this now. With energy.'
The latest news in the case comes as the contentious legal battle between Lively and Baldoni has gone on more than a year.
In December of 2024, Lively named Baldoni in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional stress.
In her lawsuit, the actress accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways - including body shaming her - and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni's collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio's CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel.
Baldoni played the role of Ryle Kincaid opposite Lively's Lily Bloom in the movie; Pictured in 2024
Baldoni had initially asked for $250 million in damages from The New York Times, mentioning a report it published on the topic that he claimed was defamatory, then added it to the $400 million lawsuit he filed this past January.
In the suit, Baldoni named Lively, her spouse Ryan Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, citing the aforementioned report in legal documents. It was thrown out of court this past June. All parties have denied all of the allegations against them.
It Ends with Us earned $148 million in domestic box office and $350 million globally - but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars.
The motion picture, which also starred Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, was based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover.
The storyline of the film centered around a toxic relationship between Lily Bloom (played by Lively) and Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
According to a logline for the film, Lily 'overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life,' as 'a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents' relationship.'
Lively sued Baldoni and others in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation — claims that he denies; Lively seen in 2024
That led to her high-profile role on the TV show Gossip Girl, which she starred on from 2007-2012, playing lead character Serena van der Woodsen.
She has also appeared in movies such as 2010's The Town, 2016's The Shallows, 2018's A Simple Favor and 2020's The Rhythm Section.
Prior to It Ends with Us, Baldoni was best known for playing the role of Rafael Solano on the TV show Jane the Virgin from 2014–2019.
He also has directed films including 2019's Five Feet Apart and 2020's Clouds, and penned the 2021 book Man Enough, which tackled misconceptions of contemporary masculinity.
