A candid voice message Blake Lively sent to her It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni in the weeks before filming has appeared in newly unsealed court exhibits.
The audio emerged amid the pair’s ongoing legal fight. Lively, 38, sued Baldoni, 42, in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni has denied the allegations. Lively is seeking more than $160 million in damages, and the case is set for trial in May 2026 in New York.
In the voice message — dated Feb. 8, 2023 in court documents — Lively spoke about feeling overwhelmed as she prepared to return to work while managing back-to-back projects, a newborn and family responsibilities. Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds share three daughters — James, 11, Inez, 9, and Betty, 6 — and son Olin, 2.
“I’m talking to you as a friend at this point more than anything,” Lively said in the message to Baldoni.
She explained that she was already committed to filming another project first, even though she felt physically and emotionally stretched. “The only reason that I’m doing [that movie] before is because I gave them my word and I wouldn’t go back on that,” she said. “But having a week off in between, it’s just a lot.”
Lively also described the stress of returning to work without adequate childcare support. “I still don’t have a baby nurse,” she said, adding that the idea of going back so soon felt daunting.
Much of the message focused on scheduling and her desire for more time to prepare for It Ends With Us. “Shooting in April, shooting in March is just too soon after having a baby and not sleeping and wanting to be in my best shape,” she said.
In the audio, Lively floated the possibility of adjusting the production timeline, acknowledging that her request was partly personal. “Obviously there’s selfish reasons I’m telling you this,” she said. “If by chance you’re like, ‘Oh my God, if I could go two weeks earlier, that would actually be great,’ then amazing.”
She ended the message with a light aside: “This is my social interaction these days — just talking into voice memos.”
Separately, court records reference a voice note Baldoni sent to Lively during production, apologizing after the two discussed changes she made to a scene in the film. That audio — along with related texts — was previously leaked in January 2025. In those messages, the costars discussed Lively’s alleged revisions to the romantic drama’s rooftop scene, with Baldoni expressing regret over how the situation played out.
