Blake Lively’s brother-in-law made a shock apology to Justin Baldoni amid their explosive legal feud, after she sued her It Ends with Us costar for sexual harassment.
On Tuesday, Bart Johnson, who is married to Lively’s sister Robyn Lively, took to X (previously known as Twitter) to express remorse over his since-deleted posts on social media, in which he called Baldoni a ‘fraud’ and criticized his appearance.
‘Anytime I’ve said anything unkind about someone I’ve regretted it. Fortunately that’s almost never and definitely not when I’m at my best,’ he tweeted. ‘Regardless if it’s true or not, if it’s my opinion, even if I’m trying to speak truth or stand up for someone, it’s never good.’
Johnson continued: ‘Even in times where it might ‘feel’ justified and doing the right thing, it makes no difference. There’s a better way. It’s below the standard I have for myself and I regret it.’
The High School Musical star was referring to his post, captured by USA Today, that accuses Baldoni of putting ‘on the costume of a hero, man bun and all’ and using ‘trendy catchphrases & buzz words for his podcasts.’
‘None of it’s genuine. It’s all theater. And everyone fell for it. For years,’ Johnson said of Baldoni’s reputation of being a feminist and proud ally to women.
Blake Lively’s brother-in-law, Bart Johnson, made a shock apology to Justin Baldoni amid their explosive legal feud; (L-R) Johnson, Blake, and Robyn Lively
In his tweet, Johnson also told fans that he ‘sincerely’ apologized to anyone that he ‘hurt or let down by saying something that sounds mean.’
‘I’ll do better. If you follow me you know you’ll be hard pressed to find more than 1 time I’ve criticized anyone on social. It’s not my jam. . . We all have flaws and I’m definitely a work in progress and doing my best to grow and be better,’ he promised.
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EXCLUSIVE
Texts reveal Blake Lively's VERY flirty exchanges with Justin Baldoni before they became enemies
After one X user called his tweet ‘strange’ and asked if he was trying to avoid litigation by not apoogizing directly to Baldoni, Johnson replied: ‘Now I’m gonna get sued? [laughing emoji] for what? I find those type of podcasts phony. I do. That’s not a crime. But I do feel bad rippin on them. That’s literally all I said.’
‘Just like you and all the toxic and hatful comments I get from his fans wishing me and my children harm and calling me all the vile names you can imagine, it’s not a crime. People are free to do so and I’m not mad,’ he said. ‘That fine. I can take the beatings. You think I deserve it? Okay that’s fine too. Movin on. Can’t let it get me down. Keep bein me. 2025 gonna be great!! Let’s goooooo…’
Johnson has been a vocal supporter of Blake amid her legal battle and public row with Baldoni, who she claims launched a smear campaign against her.
In her complaint and legal filing, she stated that Baldoni hired crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, who previously worked for Johnny Depp amid his long-running legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, over the summer.
Last month, Johnson wrote on social media that ‘the public got played’ by Baldoni and that his ‘PR team was stellar.’
‘Gross and disgusting but highly effective,’ he said of the alleged actions of Baldoni’s team.
On Tuesday, Bart Johnson, who is married to Lively’s sister Robyn Lively, took to X (previously known as Twitter ) to express remorse over his since-deleted posts on social media, in which he called Baldoni (seen last year) a ‘fraud’ and criticized his appearance
‘Anytime I’ve said anything unkind about someone I’ve regretted it. Fortunately that’s almost never and definitely not when I’m at my best,’ he tweeted. ‘Regardless if it’s true or not, if it’s my opinion, even if I’m trying to speak truth or stand up for someone, it’s never good’
At the time, he pointed out that ‘Blake’s ‘complaints were filed during the filming … on record … long before the public conflict.’
‘The cast unfollowed him for a reason. Read this article before spiting ignorance. Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary,’ Johnson wrote.
Johnson conceded that while ‘no one is with out faults’ and ‘yes of COURSE mistakes were made,’ he felt Blake was in the right in regard to the professional conflict.
Johnson described Blake, who’s wed to Ryan Reynolds, 48, as ‘a stay at home mom raising 4 kids, married to the busiest man in Hollywood and at the same time being a girl boss running multiple companies while writing, producing, running non profits and working 16+ hour days from home so [she] can be with [her] kids.’
Johnson in a subsequent comment said Blake was ‘attacked by a VERY expensive PR smear campaign because [she] filed a sexual harassment claim for the very film [she] have to go out and promote with just the right tone or [she’d] get cooked’ by Baldoni’s team.
Last month, Johnson wrote on social media that ‘the public got played’ by Baldoni and that his ‘PR team was stellar’ (Blake seen in August 2024)
Johnson has been married to Blake’s sister since 1999
He said he viewed Blake as ‘a “girl boss”‘ who has proven ‘every bit as capable and qualified if not more so’ than men in her industry, adding, ‘She’s my hero as is any woman charging it like this.’
In reference to a 2016 Blake interview that has circulated amid her clash with Baldoni, Johnson said, ‘I mean, she’s been rude in these interviews that magically played on repeat. I saw it. None of us have ever been wrong or mean.
‘Never. We should discount decades of good for those few bad moments. Glad the microscope isn’t on me every day of my life.’
He said of his sister-in-law: ‘Looks like she’s doing a hell of a job to me and trying to do good things for the right reasons. But yeah let’s post from our couch how much we hate her for making mistakes. That makes sense.’
Bart first spoke out after his spouse Robyn, 52, posted a message on her Instagram story as she weighed in on the explosive court battle which has stunned Hollywood.
Bart first spoke out after his spouse Robyn, 52, posted a message on her Instagram story as she weighed in on the explosive court battle which has stunned Hollywood; seen in 2022
Gossip Girl star Lively claims Baldoni hired a crisis PR team to engage in a ‘multi-tiered’ plan to ‘destroy’ her reputation after she and her husband Ryan Reynolds complained of ‘repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior’ on set.
The film was mired in controversy even before the lawsuit after fans noticed tensions between Lively and Baldoni when they were promoting the movie before its release.
Lively has accused Baldoni, who also directed the film, of making sexual comments about the cast and crew, showing her explicit videos and images of women and discussing his previous alleged porn addiction.
Standing in solidarity with her younger sister, Robyn shared screenshots from a New York Times article that laid bare the astonishing details of the lawsuit.
Lively has accused Baldoni, who also directed the film, of making sexual comments about the cast and crew, showing her explicit videos and images of women and discussing his previous alleged porn addiction
‘FINALLY justice for my sister @BlakeLively,’ she wrote, highlighting specific sentences from the article such as ‘Ms Lively had expressed concerns about Mr Baldoni from the beginning’.
She also encouraged her followers to click on and read the article and wrote ‘Blake Lively’ with a heart drawn around the name.
Baldoni hit back at the New York Times by suing the publication for defamation before launching the $400million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds earlier this month, in which he accused the Hollywood pair of conspiring to trash his reputation with the allegations.
He also accused Lively of hijacking the filming of It Ends With Us, which he directed, and claimed she forced him and his family to wait in a basement holding area at the premiere so she did not have to see him.
Baldoni hit back at the New York Times by suing the publication for defamation before launching the $400million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds earlier this month, in which he accused the Hollywood pair of conspiring to trash his reputation with the allegations (seen in July 2024)
While many have questioned why Baldoni is going after the specific sum, a source exclusively told DailyMail.com that he deduced the figure from Lively and Reynolds’ reported net worth.
They said Baldoni has already lost out on thousands since being dropped by his agent, and that if the couple were successful in their lawsuit, he could be left penniless.
‘Justin Baldoni chose $400 million because of the simple reason that Blake and Ryan’s combined net worth is believed to be around that figure,’ the source said.
‘If they were successful in their pursuits, Justin would have lost everything he has and everything he has ever worked for.
‘He has already lost jobs including the podcast and he was dropped by his agent. Prior to this he was flourishing.’
They continued: ‘People close to Justin believe Blake and Ryan deserve to be bankrupted for trying to ruin the lives of Justin and others involved in this legal nightmare.’
Baldoni also accused Lively of hijacking the filming of It Ends With Us, which he directed, and claimed she forced him and his family to wait in a basement holding area at the premiere so she did not have to see him
Lively and Reynolds reportedly have a combined net worth of $380 million, which is largely thanks to his numerous lucrative off-screen ventures.
Over the years, he has had a stake in several businesses, including Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, and FuboTV.
In 2020, the actor sold his stake in Aviation Gin to Diageo, one of the world’s largest producers of spirits and beers, in a deal worth up to $610 million.
That same year, he famously purchased Wrexham Football Club along with actor Rob McElhenney for $2.5 million.
On top of this, Reynolds’ darkly comic portrayal of the flawed superhero Deadpool in the eponymous 2016 and 2018 films made him one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors.
Lively has also exercised her entrepreneurial streak in recent years with multiple brands including her gourmet mixer venture Betty Buzz, which sold 2.5 Million bottles within seven months of the launch back in 2021, Betty Booze – premium cocktails – and her new Blake Brown Beauty line.
Together, Lively and Reynolds have also showed off their philanthropic side, having previously donated $500,000 to Feeding America and $500,000 to Food Banks Canada during the start of the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020.
While many have questioned why Baldoni is going after the specific sum, a source exclusively told DailyMail.com that he deduced the figure from Lively and Reynolds’ reported net worth (seen
The couple faced a torrent of allegations against them when Baldoni fired back with a counter suit earlier this month.
The actor accused Reynolds of ‘swearing’ and ‘berating him in an aggressive tirade’ at a meeting held at the couple’s New York penthouse – where Reynolds was present as his wife’s ‘representative’ to discuss Baldoni’s conduct.
Lively’s attorneys issued a fiery statement to DailyMail.com in response to the lawsuit, branding it ‘another chapter in the abuser playbook.’
‘This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim,’ they said. ‘This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.’
The statement claimed Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios ‘opted to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media statements, launch meritless lawsuits, and threaten litigation to overwhelm the public’s ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations.’
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman explained his client’s decision to sue.
‘This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team’s duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media,’ he said in a statement.
‘This is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret. Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth.’
Lively and Reynolds reportedly have a combined net worth of $380 million, which is largely thanks to his numerous lucrative off-screen ventures; seen on August 06, 2024
On Monday, DailyMail.com published exclusive audio which sheds further light on the feud which arose when Lively made changes to the rooftop scene in the romantic drama film – not all of which were met with unqualified praise.
Baldoni can be heard offering the actress a groveling apology and noting ‘I fell short’ over his response to her changes.
In the full audio message, which is just over six and a half minutes long, he goes on to say that he is pleased she feels comfortable enough to tell him that and describes himself as ‘a very flawed man, as my wife will say.’
It came days after video footage appeared to pull Lively’s sexual harassment claims into question.
The actress accused Baldoni of dragging his lips down her neck and telling her ‘it smells so good’ while filming a dance scene, with Lively claiming in her civil rights complaint that nobody overheard because the microphones were switched off.
But the tapes show how friendly the two stars were, with the pair laughing and joking around, joshing about the size of Baldoni’s nose and even talking about how they spend their time with their spouses.