Justin Baldoni thanks fans after settling Blake Lively dispute

Justin Baldoni turned to Instagram and his 4 million followers on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, to mark the end of his dispute with Blake Lively, posting a video with his wife, Emily, that framed the settlement as a moment of gratitude and restraint. Baldoni said he and Emily had not spoken publicly for “the better part of the last two years,” while Emily said there was “so much to say” about the fight that consumed much of the fallout from It Ends With Us.

The choice of Instagram was as telling as the words themselves. Baldoni, whose name had been pulled into one of Hollywood’s most watched legal battles, used a direct-to-fans post rather than a formal interview or a legal filing to shape how the next chapter would look. The setting let him project calm, family unity and appreciation, a softer public image than the hard-edged posture that often accompanies courtroom conflict.

The dispute began in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment during production of the 2024 film and alleging an online smear campaign. Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in the movie opposite Lively, and Wayfarer Studios later answered with a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds and others. That suit was dismissed earlier in 2026 after the parties failed to reach a deal in court-mandated mediation in February.

Lively and Baldoni settled in May 2026, and reports said no money changed hands. The legal fight closed a chapter that had pulled heavy attention away from the movie itself, which opened in August 2024 and went on to gross more than $351 million worldwide. For Baldoni, the Instagram message was a controlled public handoff from litigation to post-dispute image management, an attempt to thank supporters, steady his base and move the story away from filings and allegations toward a more personal, final frame.