Blake Lively calls out The Hollywood Reporter for 'sexist' cover seemingly making light of ongoing Justin Baldoni lawsuit
Topics: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Court
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Topics: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Court
The Hollywood Reporter has come under fire from Blake Lively's camp for its controversial magazine cover that appears to make light of her and Justin Baldoni's court case.
The pair have been locked in a bitter legal battle regarding drama that took place during the shooting of It Ends With Us - which 37-year-old Lively starred in alongside 41-year-old Baldoni, who also directed it.
Now, Lively, who is married to Ryan Reynolds, has slammed The Hollywood Reporter for its 'sexist' magazine cover claiming it is 'outrageously insulting'.
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The picture depicts Lively in a dress while firing a phone from a slingshot into the back of Baldoni, who is wearing a woollen tunic and gripping onto the original It Ends With Us book - which he adapted into a screenplay.
In an expanded version of the illustration on the outlet's website, Lively's husband Reynolds stands behind her, but dressed as a version of his Deadpool character called Nicepool - which is believed to be a character designed to troll Baldoni.
While Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman is depicted behind him with his arms on his hips, facing Reynolds.
The artwork is a nod to David and Goliath, the biblical story in which a a shepherd takes down a giant using a slingshot.
Reacting to it, a spokesperson for Lively told the Daily Mail: "The Hollywood Reporter should be ashamed of itself.
"The framing in this picture is outrageously insulting as it plays into every sexist trope about women who dare file a workplace complaint, turning them into the aggressor, and suggesting they deserve the retaliation that comes their way.
"In addition, the story is extremely offensive as it incredibly seems to explain away documented examples of sexual harassment and retaliation by calling them 'cultural misunderstandings.'"
Heated exchanges between the pair can be dated as far back to April 2023, it was only in December 2024 that Lively filed a legal complaint against Baldoni for sexual harassment and allegedly taking part in a 'smear campaign' against her.
In January, the star filed another lawsuit for harassment and retaliation alleging Baldoni engaged in inappropriate behavior on set - including in one scene where their characters perform a slow dance.
Baldoni denied all the claims and his company filed its own suit against the mom-of-four - seeking $400 million in damages, while also releasing on-set footage of the scene in question.
Lively's lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, has accused Baldoni's camp of making 'inflammatory extrajudicial comments' about the case, while Baldoni's attorney Freedman has accused Lively's team of trying to impose a 'gag order' on him to stop him from talking to the press.
The case is currently set to go to court in March 2026.