Justin Baldoni broke his social media silence after a five-month hiatus to share a touching Mother’s Day post, amidst his ongoing legal battle with Blake Lively.
The It Ends With Us actor and director, 41, posted a photo with his wife Emily, 40, their two kids, Maiya, nine, and Maxwell, seven, as well as his own mom, Sharon, to Instagram on Sunday.
‘My mom gave us faith. My wife is the definition of it. Our children are growing up in the fortress of that love. Happy Mother’s Day to all ❤️’ he wrote in the caption.
Baldoni and fellow actress Emily have been married since 2013.
The rare post marked a return to social media for Justin, whose last Instagram update — promoting his and Lively’s, 37, film — was on December 10, 2024, ten days before Lively’s legal filing.
The legal dispute between Justin and his It Ends With Us co-star began when she sued him for sexual harassment, which he has denied. Their trial is scheduled for March 2026.
Justin Baldoni, 41, broke his social media silence after a five-month hiatus to share a touching Mother’s Day post with his family, amidst his ongoing legal battle with Blake Lively, 37
The It Ends With Us actor and director posted a photo with his wife Emily, 40, their two kids, Maiya, nine, and Maxwell, seven, as well as his own mom Sharon
The tender image Justin shared on Sunday captured him leaning his head affectionately on his mother, while his wife Emily rested her head gently on his shoulder.
Their son embraced him around the waist, and their daughter sweetly hugged Emily.
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The actor, who has been spending time in Hawaii amidst the legal fallout, posed with his family against a beautiful ocean background.
Baldoni was warmly welcomed back to social media by celebrity friends and followers.
Celebrity hairstylist Justin Anderson wrote, ‘good men are raised by good women ❤️.’
Singer Andy Grammer wrote, ‘Love everyone in that photo with all my heart. ❤️’
Dancing With The Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd simply left three heart emojis on the post.
Daavid Foster’s wife, Katharine McPhee Foster, also left heart emojis.
One follower wrote, ‘Your ability to leave your comments on speaks volumes!!! Truth will prevail ❤️’, seemingly a pointed remark about Lively’s limited comments.
Movie producer Andy Signore echoed the sentiment, writing, ‘I am so glad to see this. I know you are going through it… but enjoy this time with your family. It may seem like the walls are closing in, but you’re learning who your people really are. And this unexpected time with your family, you’ll miss it when you’re back on top. How do I know you’ll be on top? You don’t have to turn off your comments, like some others.’
The post marked a return to social media for Justin, whose last Instagram update was on December 10, 2024, ten days before Lively’s legal filing accusing him of sexual harassment; she is seen in February
Baldoni was warmly welcomed back by celebrity friends and followers
One follower wrote, ‘Your ability to leave your comments on speaks volumes!!! Truth will prevail ❤️’, seemingly a pointed remark about Lively’s limited comments
The actor’s wife previously shared a tender birthday tribute to him in January, showing her unwavering support amidst his legal woes
Baldoni and fellow actress Emily have been married since 2013; pictured in 2020
The actor’s wife previously shared a tender birthday tribute to him in January, showing her unwavering support amidst his legal woes.
At the time she wrote, ‘Happy birthday my love. Celebrating the man, husband, and father that you are. I’d choose you again and again.’
His mom also shared a birthday tribute at the time, writing, ‘Life has its moments and also its surprises – as you keep your integrity through it all Justice and truth will shine today and into eternity. I love you more than you will ever know! Happy Birthday my beautiful boy! May God continue to bless you in truth.’
It comes following news that Lively has made a bold new demand in her spiraling legal battle.
The drama exploded in December when Lively filed a complaint accusing Baldoni of sexually harassing her and waging a PR campaign to tar her reputation.
He retaliated with a $400 million defamation suit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and the New York Times, which reported her initial complaint.
Now Lively’s counsel has fired off a letter to the judge, insisting Baldoni submit financial documents in order to prove that her claims against him really did cost him the $400 million he hopes to be awarded, according to TMZ.
Her legal team alleges they approached Baldoni’s counsel for the financial information in question, only to be informed they would not be given what they wanted and could only get ‘non-privileged documents concerning their damages.’
Baldoni’s last post prior to his return promoted his and Lively’s movie, It Ends With Us; the duo seen in a still from the film
The drama exploded in December when Lively filed a complaint accusing Baldoni of sexually harassing her and waging a PR campaign to tar her reputation – claims he has denied. Their trial is scheduled for March 2026
In their letter, Lively’s team maintain Baldoni and his co-defendants are obliged to indicate how they calculated $400 million as the amount to which they feel entitled.
Her counsel also noted that, while Baldoni is claiming to have suffered financially, It Ends With Us emerged as a smash hit at the box office.
The letter came the same day Lively issued a scathing statement over the fact Baldoni’s legal team has subpoenaed Taylor Swift in their ongoing legal drama.
Baldoni’s counsel also suggested Lively could have her deposition livestreamed at Madison Square Garden and sell tickets, with the proceeds donated to domestic violence victims.
A rep for Lively issued a statement directed at Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios partner Steve Sarowitz saying their team continues ‘to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids,’ per People.
They also slammed them for ‘subpoenaing Taylor Swift, a woman who has given a voice to millions all over the world.
‘This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus,’ the statement continued.
The Shake it Off singer is close friends with Lively and was not involved in the making of It Ends With Us beyond licensing her hit song My Tears Ricochet to be used in the film, Swift’s rep said.
Lively recently issued a scathing statement over the fact Baldoni’s legal team has subpoenaed her pal Taylor Swift in their ongoing legal drama; Lively seen April 27, 2025
‘This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus,’ a rep for Lively shared in a statement; Swift seen here on February 2, 2025
Swift’s rep continued: ‘Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see It Ends with Us until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.’
Swift’s rep also said their pop superstar client was being used ‘to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.’
‘Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.’
The rep also added that, ‘The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women’s rights and reputations. Including in the past month seeking to strike down for all, a powerful California victims’ rights law, calling it “unconstitutional.”
‘The disturbing actions by a billionaire, men who made their careers as “female allies” and their team continue to show their true colors.’
This comes a day after Blake’s attorney, Mike Gottlieb, opened up about who is set to take the stand in his client’s upcoming trial involving her It Ends with Us costar Justin.
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman also witheringly suggested: ‘Since Ms. Lively is open to testifying, let’s make it count. Hold the deposition at MSG, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organizations helping victims of domestic abuse.’
On Thursday, the actress’s attorney confirmed that his client is prepared to speak under oath in court.
In response to whether Lively will testify, Gottlieb confirmed she would, as expected, ‘be a witness at her trial.’
Baldoni’s legal team mentioned that Lively could give her deposition at Madison Square Garden and sell tickets, something Lively considered offensive and misogynistic; Baldoni seen May 19, 2024
‘The ultimate moment for a plaintiff’s story to be told is at trial. We expect that to be the case here [with Lively],’ he told People. ‘Of course she’s going to testify.’
Amid speculation that some of Lively’s closest friends, like Swift and Hugh Jackman, may be subpoenaed, Gottlieb said ‘it’s completely unclear what claims or defenses in the case any of these celebrities… have any relevance to at all.’
‘This is a case about what happened to Blake Lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on the set. It’s not a case about how songs were chosen for the movie. It’s not a case about fictional Marvel characters in Deadpool movies,’ he explained.
Gottlieb went on to point out: ‘You have to ask the question, then, why are these people being subpoenaed? Do they have any actual relevance to the case at hand?
‘You can’t just go around subpoenaing people because they’re famous and you think it will generate a bunch of headlines. And the federal courts don’t tolerate that kind of behavior.’
At this time, he explained it is uncertain if Lively’s husband Ryan will testify as he is currently named as a defendant in Baldoni’s countersuit.
‘Although obviously uncomfortable for the Lively parties, the truth is not a distraction,’ Freedman told People in a statement. ‘The truth has been clearly shown through unedited receipts, documents and real life footage. More to come.’
Freedman continued: ‘Blake was the one who brought her high-profile friends into this situation without concern for their own personal or public backlash. As the truth shows, she used her dragons to manipulate Justin at every turn.’
Since Lively’s complaint was filed, Baldoni has faced a number of professional consequences, including a lawsuit from a former publicist, and being dropped by the agency WME, which also reps Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds; Blake seen with Ryan in April
Freedman’s final remark was a nod to Lively’s alleged text messages to Baldoni, in which she referred to Swift and Reynolds ‘dragons.’
In the alleged texts, she compared herself to Khaleesi from Game of Thrones and explained ‘for better or worse’ her ‘dragons’ protect what she fights for.
In regards to Reynolds’ alleged misconduct, Freedman claimed: ‘Ryan’s involvement is very well documented and we continue to discover more intentional misconduct. Was Disney actually complicit in Ryan using shareholder revenues to further a personal grudge? I would be surprised to learn that this type of corporate waste would not lead to much more exposure for those that have been complicit in affecting shareholder revenue.’
In December, Lively filed an 80-page civil rights complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against, before officially filing a federal lawsuit just weeks later.
That same month, Lively sued Baldoni amid claims of sexual harassment during production of the motion picture. In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alumna accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways — including body shaming her — and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
Baldoni and his reps have said in response to the lawsuit that Lively twisted the meaning of text messages and mislead the public about their interactions while making the motion picture.
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 Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.
‘I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,’ Lively told The New York Times the day after she filed the complaint.
In December, Lively filed an 80-page civil rights complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against, before officially filing a federal lawsuit just weeks later (seen in the 2024 It Ends With Us film)
Baldoni subsequently sued the newspaper for $250 million in a defamation claim over a December 21 story titled ‘”We Can Bury Anyone”: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.’ The newspaper has denied the allegations.
Baldoni on January 16 filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion. Baldoni told the court the trio had concocted ‘false accusations of sexual harassment’ against him.
Since Lively’s complaint was filed, Baldoni has faced a number of professional consequences, including a lawsuit from a former publicist, and being dropped by the agency WME, which also reps Lively and Reynolds.
WME has denied claims that Lively and Reynolds leaned on them to release Baldoni from their client roster, according to Variety.