Justin Baldoni has Blake Lively and Taylor Swift very nervous now!
In case you missed it, the actor scored a major legal win last week amid the ongoing legal battle surrounding It Ends With Us. Court documents obtained by TMZ revealed a federal judge ruled Justin’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, can move forward with the defamation lawsuit against his former publicist Stephanie Jones.
As you may recall, Stephanie sued Wayfarer and its publicist Jennifer Abel, who worked for her and handled Justin’s account, for breach of contract in December 2024. Wayfarer then countersued and claimed Stephanie told several people — including Blake, Ryan Reynolds, and the Gossip Girl alum’s publicist Leslie Sloane — that the company retaliated against the actress for reporting alleged sexual misconduct on the set of IEWU by orchestrating a whole smear campaign against her. They claimed the allegations are false and damaging to their reputation, and a judge determined Justin and his legal team could proceed with the suit.
Related: Exes Taylor Swift & John Mayer Almost Ran Into Each Other!
A rep for Wayfarer told TMZ following the decision:
“We’re pleased with the Court’s decision to deny Stephanie Jones’ attempt to dismiss Wayfarer’s lawsuit and to allow our core claims, including defamation and bad faith conduct, to move forward. As alleged in Wayfarer’s counterclaims, after being notified that her contract would be terminated, Stephanie Jones of Jonesworks turned against her longtime client, sharing internal communications and pushing false allegations that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties orchestrated a so-called ‘smear campaign.’ The Court rejected her effort to dismiss these claims, allowing them to proceed as serious allegations that deserve to be examined on the facts, including that she acted in bad faith by misusing internal information and communications. This is not a minor dispute.”
This is a massive victory for Justin. However, Stephanie feels this is a win for her, too. Her attorney, Kristin Tahler, explained:
“This is an overwhelming win for Ms. Jones. The Court dismissed the centerpiece of Wayfarer and Baldoni’s claims and it’s gone for good. The Court also made clear that at this early stage it was not evaluating any actual evidence. Even so, Wayfarer could not point to a single shred of evidence to support their claims, underscoring once again that their claims have no factual basis.”
As for Blake? She hasn’t spoken out about the latest decision, but word is she’s panicking! And the A Simple Favor star isn’t the only one! And it is all because the lawsuit is now heading into the discovery phase, which means more private conversations could be exposed soon! An insider told Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice Substack on Saturday:
“This is Blake’s worst nightmare. Discovery means texts, emails, DMs — everything could come out.”
Even Tay Tay is concerned! The source added:
“Taylor is very aware of this. If she’s mentioned anywhere in those communications, it could drag her into a legal and PR mess she never signed up for.”
Oof.
The pop star has enough on her plate already between her upcoming nuptials and her own legal troubles now. Not to mention, Taylor wasn’t exactly thrilled about her personal text messages to Blake being exposed before. If more comes out, how will she continue to claim she had no involvement in this drama?!? This could get WAY more messy, y’all!!
And really, those aren’t the only two who should be worried! Anyone, including other publicists and A-Listers, could be dragged into this legal mess now! A source explained:
“This isn’t just a lawsuit anymore. It’s a potential exposure of how Hollywood really operates behind the scenes.”
Because of the judge’s decision, Blake is no longer feeling as confident as she initially seemed:
“There’s real anxiety. They know once discovery starts, there’s no controlling what comes out. She was prepared for a fight. She wasn’t prepared for everything to be laid bare.”
Meanwhile, Justin doesn’t seem to be sweating. He’s just ready for everything to come out. The source continued:
“He wants it all out. He believes the truth is on his side — and now he has the chance to prove it.”
Ultimately, if you thought the suit was messy before, just wait. The source concluded:
“This is about to get a lot messier, and a lot more public.”
Taylor, Blake, and others better prepare themselves just in case! And if more gets exposed, perhaps Blake shouldn’t count on a wedding invite! Oof!
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments!
