Blake Lively has spoken out about her “intense year” amid legal battle 

Blake Lively has experienced a challenging year, with the 37-year-old actress locked in a legal battle with her former It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.

Lively took legal action against Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and for allegedly coordinating a smear campaign against her.

The actress explained in a statement to The Times last year that she hopes her "legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct." And that she hopes her actions will help "protect others who may be targeted.”

Baldoni has denied the allegations, filing a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane. And with new details emerging in the months since, a trial has officially been set for March 2026.

This week, Lively alluded to the ongoing legal battle while promoting her new film, Another Simple Favor, on Late Night With Seth Meyers. And upon reflection, she recalled in a conversation with the host that it had been “a pretty intense year”. 


"Without going too into it, this year has been full of the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life," Lively recalled to Meyers.

She later added: "I see so many women around afraid to speak, especially right now afraid to share their experiences."

She continued: “And fear is by design. It's what keeps us silent. But I also acknowledge that many people don't have the opportunity to speak. So I do feel fortunate that I've been able to. And it's the women who have had the ability to use their voice that's kept me strong and helped me in my belief and my fight for the world to be safer for women and girls."

We will continue to update this story.